Starting From Scratch

[Jack Flak]

Who among you is like me, in that part of you wishes your home would be destroyed so you could get rid of the junk you keep around in case someday you might need it?

I wouldn't call the emotion I would experience joy, but there would be a certain relief.

[InaF3157]

Well, I don't go quite that far, but one great short cut to feeling great is to round up a ton of old stuff I held on to far too long and toss em.

[Jack Flak]

Well, I don't go quite that far, but one great short cut way to feeling great is to round up a ton of old stuff I held on to far too long and toss em.
That's the rub, isn't it. I can't bring myself to do it. I mean, I may in fact use the stuff, I have gotten things out after ten years.

[Bella]

You ARE a Mr and not a Ms.....are you?;)

[AwesomeCakes]

Heh. I can't throw anything away either. What it comes down to is; I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Yeah, I wish it would all get stolen just to get rid of the clutter. w/e

[InaF3157]

That's the rub, isn't it. I can't bring myself to do it. I mean, I may in fact use the stuff, I have gotten things out after ten years.

Exactly. As a matter of fact, I sometimes do use the stuff.

Yeah, I wish it would all get stolen just to get rid of the clutter. w/e
I hate moving, but one of the upsides of having to move a lot is that you can't take it (all) with you.
*shudders to think of all the rubbish she'd have if she'd lived in one place say 5 years*

[Jack Flak]

I hate moving, but it's one of the upsides of having to move a lot.
Yeah. Some I know are that way, and their possessions are constantly trimmed. I rarely move, and with these people I can tell the envy is mutual, because I have a lot of crap they don't. The grass, as they say, is greener.

[Geoff]

Who among you is like me, in that part of you wishes your home would be destroyed so you could get rid of the junk you keep around in case someday you might need it?

I wouldn't call the emotion I would experience joy, but there would be a certain relief.

I had occasion to empty a house like that not so long ago.. it was a wrenching but also quite cathartic experience. I can recommend it. I ended up with a lot of stuff given to charity, and am not missing any of it yet....

[Xander]

Oddly enough this is exactly what I'm doing as an ongoing process at the moment. It was quite easy to summon the motivation to do it. I remember it well. It was around the time when I couldn't start anything new because I hadn't got any f'in room to put even one box down!! ESFJ mode engage... lots of things fly out of back door. Missus brings them back in declaring them "necessary"... repeat process until missus conceeds point.

Now I have like room and stuff. My house has a floor! Hell I could colour match my carpet from memory I've seen that much of it!!

It's quite simple.. new toy is new and shiny. Old toy is in the way.

Besides I've yet to seen a P hoarder who can actually find that oh so useful thing when they do find a use for it. That and they've only found a use for it because they've lost the proper part in all the junk!

Anyhow, after having spent a few days sitting in a clear room with stuff organised... there's nothing better to make yourself feel more sorted and confident. Well least in my meager experience.

[INTJMom]

Who among you is like me, in that part of you wishes your home would be destroyed so you could get rid of the junk you keep around in case someday you might need it?

I wouldn't call the emotion I would experience joy, but there would be a certain relief.
Definitely!
More than a few times this year I have said out loud that I would really love it if the house burned down.
Other times I suggest that we get a huge dumpster in the driveway and get rid of 75% of the stuff in the house.
I'm definitely with you on this one!

Truth is, there is very little I would miss if I never saw it again.

[Jen]

I remember visiting England years ago and leaving most of my belongings behind while staying at a clients flat for close to a month. The freedom of not having tons of shit was sooo nice and I didn't miss anything while I was gone which caused me to realize how much unnecessary crap I used to buy. Unfortunately when you become part of a family of 5 that's no longer the case so I've learned to shove all the things I can't throw away into my closet which twice a year I organize until more shit surfaces and I toss it in. There, now you all know. I'm a hoarder. Spotless home, just don't open the closets.

[Jae Rae]

Yes! Although I don't want my house to burn down, I just want to back a truck up and put 50% of our things into it.

Sometimes I stand in the kitchen and think "I've shopped and paid for everything in this house." That's a lot of things.

[heart]

I might feel the same way, except for my book collection. I am not parting with it. That's just final.

[Ivy]

OMGYES. I've been trying to purge for the last year or so. I have taken load upon load to Goodwill and my mom had a yard sale at which my daughter made eighty bucks, but I never seem to make a dent in it. I don't know what's going on, is my house like some kind of matter replicator or something?

I even got over my fear of giving up books. I was once a book-keeper as well. I realized I was hanging onto books as a talisman for my intellect about which I feel tender and exposed. It was a way to shore myself up. So now I try to keep it down to a dull roar, as it were.

[sanveane]

I was forced into minimalism due to moving around and moving to different countries. Love not having 'stuff'. I used to be a total packrat growing up, now I think stuff ends up owning you. The last big purge I had on ebay felt so good...

[Martoon]

I hate being burdened with stuff. When I was younger, I could fit everything I owned into my Chevette (and often did). I have a couple bigger things now that would prohibit that (like a recumbent bike), but I still don't think I'm too far off from that.

But yeah, it is tough giving stuff up sometimes. My philosophy, though, is that if I haven't used something anytime in the past year, the likelihood that I'll ever use it is pretty slim.