Radiana

I just got rid of 5 garbage bags of linens and jackets and clothes. Also a huge keyboard that my son took apart 4 months ago and left in our living room along with tons of his stuff. I have begged him for four months to come and get his stuff and he's told me just to give it all away, so I did. We are not on good terms, unfortunately.

As soon as I can get our storage room organized and tidy my husband told me to go for it and turn it into a sewing room.

I'm 63 yrs old and at this time in my life I don't need so much to take care of and carry from pillar to post everytime I want to get organized. I'm tired of seeing the same little things I've had for twenty five years that I have no use for.

My greatest fear is to leave this earth and have to have my family clean everything up and think of me as a slob. I may not be able to part with everything but it will be organized.

Novice.for.now

Hubster and I paid for two storage bins for about 1.5 years! We finished emptying them last October and what a relief. He said NO garage sales so we gave away a lot of good stuff to thrift stores and people who could use it. Our garage is still too full so there is more unloading to do but I needed to take some time off. It was emotionally draining for me to make all those decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of. There were lots of old family things that we had inherited and things that we had pack-ratted away Now I too am trying to keep that in find and NOT buy stuff that we don't really need. Congrats to all who are able to successfully weed out the "stuff."

cherrio

maybe you could take or send with someone to a quilt show or a local quilt store and let them be freebies. at least they wouldn't go directly to a landfill.

kay carlson

I am gradually - note this is the key word - coming to the realization that I can look at some items and tell myself that I made some bad choices, but I don't have to live with them forever. Dropping off unwanted items at Goodwill is freeing my mind and space :)

carolynbb

I am right there with you ladies going through "stuff" and finding new homes for it. I was just at the local senior center this afternoon dropping off lots of craft making supplies, including some material. I've also recently made trips to Goodwill and local shelters. It does feel good to be free of things I no longer need or use and mostly it feels good to know it is not in the landfills, but people are enjoying/using it. I'm also giving away things on Free-cycle. I still have a long ways to go, but at least I am making progress.

AnnaK

I just got back from visiting my parents. My father is very ill and Mom asked me to help clean up old files and stuff. We shredded 4 big trash bags of stuff and we didn't make a dent. This has motivated me here at home and for the past 2 evenings I have shredded records from 1984-1999. What was I thinking keeping all that stuff. I guess I just don't want my dtr to have to go and do all that for me some day. Now my fabric stash, that's another story for later.

Prism99

I dropped the first car load of "stuff" off at Goodwill. My, that was easy! And I'm not missing it! The hard part is actually going through the stuff and deciding to actually put it in the box that will go to Goodwill.

I won't put the quilting mags in landfill. Over the years I donated quite a few magazines and books to a local non-profit that teaches quilting; just don't know if they can use anymore. At the very least I will make sure the old mags get into the hands of other quilters.

Tropical

I do this periodically so I never have much of anything extra around. I give most things to Salvation Army. I used to give to Goodwill. I choose Salvation Army now because they are one of the first responders at any neighborhood that has been damaged by hurricanes. At least, here in Florida. I also give to local charities. I think I'm not much of a keeper of things not used, because growing up, my very small bedroom clothes closet was used for family storage. Leaving me just a tiny space for my clothes. A teenage girl needs her closet space. :) :)

AUQuilter

My LQS gets donations in for charity quilts and often times people also drop off used patterns and quilting magazines. The LQS owner puts them in a box for class participants to peruse or take with them. That way they get recycled!

Aussie Quilter

My favourite LQS - 90 kms away - collects unwanted quilt magazines and sells them 3 for $2. All proceeds go to the local flood relief fund. They are also collecting quilts to be given to those who lost everything - as well as stitching supplies.

Last week someone donated a sewing machine, and a couple of days later they were able to give it to someone who had lost theirs in the floods. Someone else took in a LARGE tub of leggo blocks, and a few days later a young lad, his mum 2 sisters, and baby brother were in the shop, the lad said he had lost all his leggos. Out from the back of the shop appeared the large tub of leggo blocks. The look on his face when he saw them apparently said it all.

With some things that are donated, it is as if they were meant to be.