Why is it so hard to get rid of things?

I look at it this way… if things are still good, who is going to get more use out of them? Me with 15 of them or someone who has none but needs one?

It makes decisions to get rid of things pretty easy for me.

I used to, but after decluttering for so long it has gotten much, much easier. My peace is worth money too, more so than whatever I paid for the item I’m considering getting rid of. Having a decluttered house with plenty of white space and drawer/shelf/closet space is so relaxing to me. It’s so much easier to clean, easier to find things, and looks better. Keeping it this way is also a lot of mental weight off of me, well worth the time and effort it took to get here (and stay here). It really helps my anxiety.

There is a book that spoke to me and even changed my husband’s mindset about keeping things we don’t love or find useful. Peter Walsh’s It’s All Too Much. I’ve read it many times, purchased copies for others. I highlight it, write down how it makes me feel, what each section makes me want to get rid of in the margins, etc. DH did the same when he read it, it completely changed his point of view.

**GypsyGirl** has a decluttering and organizing thread  that offers lots of support, come join us!

I like that philosophy a lot. I try to donate clothes and housewares to women's shelters or charities that assist women leaving domestic abuse situations. If they are not accepting donations I take them to a small charity shop in my area that has reasonable prices for people that are shopping.

I don't have a problem deciding to get rid of things, it's the getting someone to take it part. Goodwill in my area is super super picky. I don't want to have a yard sale. I don't want to throw perfectly good stuff in the trash (DH keeps threatening to rent a dumpster... of course it's only everyone else's stuff that's going in there, not his stuff...)

I've been using my local Buy Nothing, but then people flake, and it's still here (3-D printer guy was supposed to pick up last night, spice jars sitting on my porch were supposed to be gone three days ago...)

I'm going at it from the other side of not buying stuff in the first place. I don't know if it's working yet.

ETA: I have a rubber maid bin of kitchen stuff in my attic, it's been in there since October and I haven't missed anything in it yet.  In the fall it's going away.   

Exactly. A place for everything, and everything in its place! I helped DH organize his drawers in the wardrobe and his bathroom and it has made a huge difference. Once I set up the system with baskets/organizers, he has been able to keep it organized. Less asking me where his things are and less mess for me to stare at.

You aren’t alone. I start to purge and then make excuses why I should keep something. I’m actually hoping to spend a few minutes in my closet today to purge a few things.

Raising my hand and joining the club!! Not a hoarder but sure do like to hold on to things.

My cousin recently won the lottery dream cottage contest run by our regional hospital and was gracious enough to let DSO and I spend a week there. The cottage, which is really a home, was fully furnished and decorated as part of the winnings from the contest, and my cousin said it was so calming to be surrounded by clean space, no clutter, that when she goes back to her every day home now, she starts getting rid of things that are just being hung onto because… Well, because she owns them.

DSO and I also appreciated this uncluttered life and have actually started the process of getting rid of things that we’ve just been hanging on to because it’s too good to throw out, we might need it soneday, etc.

It feels good get it out of the house!

(It’s all my cousin’s fault that we bought a new house too! Definitely a motivator for decluttering!)

I know my reason--we were very poor when I was young and were taught to use something until it was worn out or you outgrew it.

If it is not worn out, completely worn out, then my inner self says, "Keep it, it still has use."

I donate a lot of things that still are useful, but it is a struggle to shut that inner self up.

In Buy Nothing I started saying that I need it picked up by XYZ and that I will repost if not picked up on time. I remind them of that when I send my address. It has helped with the timeliness of pickups! Lol

I think there are so many mental hurdles of so many varieties. I’m really struggling right now with donating clothing that no longer fits. Part of me is afraid I’ll jinx myself and immediately need them as soon as I donate them (yes, I realize how dumb this is). Part of me can’t get over the hump of how much money I spent. They are things I like and that still have life in them—they just don’t work on my body anymore.

Right now I have them in bins. DH is trying to get me to donate. I’ve almost talked myself into donating to the women’s shelter where nice business clothes will probably be most appreciated.

I believe that the underlying thought to all of it is guilt because you know you (general) should never have bought so much of whatever it was in the first place. And this guilt then leads to arguments like, it's perfectly good and throwing it away/donating it (most of this ends up in landfills) is wasting it leading to rationales about sunk cost and the altruistic someone else can surely use it are just bandaids on top of the gunshot wound of overconsumption. And that other than our daily mail (which is forced on us), we have an active choice about what we bring into our homes.

I say this completely without judgment. I think this is an issue for many people, including myself. I am a hobbyist and I think I buy too many hobby supplies. I also have bipolar mania sometimes which can lead to out of control shopping. So I have had to put restraints in place for myself that I've been adapting for many years. So even though I would say I have an abundance (and too much now makes me uncomfortable) I know I have significantly less than others. So their comfort level with things must be different than mine.

This also doesn't have to have anything to do with price/money. If that's a concern though, it plays into it.

But really for me, it's about waste, ethical production, environmental concerns about materials and disposal, things like this. And I find that the encouragements to throw away or donate are surface level. The arguments just aren't going deep enough to the core. People feel guilt about buying these things in the very first place.

Anyway, I wanted to throw this out there. I am not perfect and this is an ongoing struggle for me. It is something I actively need to "do the mental work" on every time I'm considering purchasing something outside of food.

I have posted on and read the Decluttering Thread here and I think it serves a good purpose. I just wish there was more encouragement to not buy things causing clutter at all. I could really use the encouragement.

Maybe you should post this over there? Encourage those who post to share their "pre-decluttering" triumphs! I've been working harder at not bringing more stuff into the house. For me it's not a feeling of guilt that keeps me from decluttering, but being overly sentimental about everything that anyone in the family every made, owned or touched. I'm working on it though!

I celebrate every bag of stuff that leaves the house. every bag. by celebrating, by sharing with my kids.. etc. the good feelings expand and I get motivated to do more. I also do it in very very small steps.. not too many decisions on any one day. after 30 yrs, i can fit my car into the garage for the first time. I was motivated because if we travel with one car, I can't leave my car on the street anymore.. due to laws and $90 street cleaning tickets. so I made it happen. this is rare in our town of small houses, garages under the living room and tiny basements. and I just pass on stuff as I am able. no time for guilt.