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Have you ever taken decluttering/simplifying too far? :) - Page 2

post #21 of 43
10/19/09 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amys1st View Post
So is it Peter Walsh, the hot construction guy or one of the cutie hosts?
My son's namesake is the can-do construction dude, which is exactly the opposite of my son's personality. Go figure.

To answer my own question, I have even tossed yearbooks and donated my wedding dress, but I haven't regretted a thing yet. Because of my personal history, including a nomadic childhood, I don't attach to stuff. Rather than keep a wedding dress hostage in my closet, why not donate it for use in another happy wedding, or to be dyed as a prom dress? It can be someone else's great bargain and help create another special memory! (The pictures are more fun and easier to move.) Most of my stuff comes in used, so sending it back out in the world doesn't seem like a loss. It feels like I'm sending things on to their next "renter", since none of us own anything but our skin 'n' bones 'n' memories. That said, I've come to appreciate that stuff can provide comfort and convenience and enjoyment at times.

But, this purge is our biggest yet. I have no idea how we'll feel after the dust settles.

Thanks for sharing! I'm enjoying reading these!

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post #22 of 43
10/20/09 at 4:05pm
Nope..can't think of one thing!! For items I think I might regret later on, I put them in a bin, label them and leave them in the garage for 6 months. If I haven't thought about it or gone after it, out if goes. The only things I have for my son, to pass onto him, are 2 picture frame collages of my artwork when I was kid and I am working on the family photo albums.

I guess I never attach to things, so it doesn't bother me and I am like the above poster, I rather donate it in the hopes that someone else will find it and have some joy using it!!!
post #23 of 43
10/20/09 at 7:30pm
I've over purged ... but that's okay. We're zealous like that. We've had to go out and re-acquire things a couple of times, but that's well worth it when I consider the alternative of a house piled high with stuff we rarely/never use. All hail the hearty purgers!
post #24 of 43
10/21/09 at 1:05am
I threw away an appraisal for a pearl necklace when decluttering a bunch of papers before a move. That has been a drag because I need the appraisal to insure the necklace.

Like a pp, I regret books. Lots of books. I wish I had been able to take my mom's literature collection from our family home when we sold it, and I wish I had more of my dad's books. I also purged over half of my books when I moved cross country, and I regret them still over a decade later.

I also gave away a painting that my great uncle painted - still don't quite know why I didn't listen to that little voice telling me to keep it. We were moving, and just had so much stuff, but it really could have fit in. That one probably haunts me the most. What was I thinking?

There is one little baby outfit of my son's I wish I'd kept.

Over the years I have become less of a declutterer and it's because of regrets like these. I need to be good and sure before I move something along, especially things with some history for me.
post #25 of 43
10/22/09 at 1:31am
We have, so many different things it breaks my heart and makes it all the harder to get rid of new things.

In the last 2 weeks we've had to replace several donated items to the tune of well over several hundred dollars. Heartbreaking to know that I had "x" item and for whatever reason got rid of it and now I have to buy again and do so at full price.

I really evaluate what I get rid of now a lot closer.
post #26 of 43
10/22/09 at 8:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuzyLee View Post
DH would say that yes, I have gone to far.

I would counter that he really didn't need hot pink gym shorts with the tags still on 5 years later.

In reality, yes there have been a few things, but few and far between. I can't even remember anything off the top of my head so they must not have been too important!


I've gone overboard with decluttering and have regretted it. Small things like baby outfits, artwork, etc. Some things that I've had to buy again. Holiday stuff that I've gotten rid of after the last holiday and then had to buy again the next holiday. I don't remember if I got rid of it (can't look right now as it is kept in the baby's closet, if we still have it, and she's sleeping) but this thread reminded me that I may have thrown away my fake tree. It was a beautiful, expensive tree that I got from a neighbor for free when she was moving. It was perfect because I'm allergic to real trees and only get a real tree every few years. If I gave it away, I'm going to have to get a real tree this year. That means that I'm going to have a miserable holiday, either I'll have to take allergy meds all season long or I'll be constantly stuffed up and irritable because of the symptoms. I'm checking that as soon as the baby wakes up.
post #27 of 43
10/22/09 at 10:04am
I decluttered 2 free airline tickets. We had to stay overnight unexpectedly in a junky stinky old motel, but had always said we would love the chance to earn them! They were for anywhere that Alaska Air flew (DH wanted Cabo), and the airline would not replace them. I am still hearing about it 5 years later. argh.
post #28 of 43
11/4/09 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthla View Post
What I have experienced, however, is HAVING tons of stuff in the house, but it's so cluttered up that I can't find anything when I need it. Then I go out and buy another one, even though I'm pretty sure I already have one, somewhere. Usually I find the item again a few months after I've replaced it. This has happened to me numerous times. I'm likely to need to buy a replacement if I need the item, whether I give it away or not!
Yup! This happened often at my house, and there are only two things I regret freecycling - a 90 gal fish tank, that my husband and I both loved, but he wanted a tv and there was not space for both. The other thing was my coffee table. I went on a MAJOR purging fest when we moved and donated, or freecycled, everything I did not absolutely love. I didn't realize how much I liked the table til a few months after we moved...
post #29 of 43
11/4/09 at 9:36am
I had this wonderworld wooden play kitchen set, but no stove with it....took it to the resale shop since the most important piece was really missing, but then a few weeks later when I was shopping online for a new kitchen set for dd, I saw the stove for less than $50, which would have made a beautiful set for her for a lot less than the Ikea one I ended up with that has much less. pooh. Got a little hasty with that purge. Oh, and stainless steel mixing bowls. I had to rebuy those, but that was because I realized I liked them better than the glass ones that I kept (and later purged). Otherwise I love getting rid of things.
post #30 of 43
11/4/09 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunAround View Post
sending it back out in the world doesn't seem like a loss. It feels like I'm sending things on to their next "renter", since none of us own anything but our skin 'n' bones 'n' memories. That said, I've come to appreciate that stuff can provide comfort and convenience and enjoyment at times.

But, this purge is our biggest yet. I have no idea how we'll feel after the dust settles.
I love this! Totally agree...
And I bet, with that attitude, and the fact you are cool with getting rid of your wedding dress, you will be feeling pretty good after the dust settles.
post #31 of 43
11/4/09 at 11:16am
I have a bad habit of offering something to someone, giving it to them, and then like a year later thinking I still have it and offering it to someone else :
post #32 of 43
12/4/09 at 11:57am
AC adaptor to our portable DVD player...
post #33 of 43
12/4/09 at 12:19pm
Not really. Just stuff like random puzzle pieces I've trashed, then I find the rest of the puzzle in the back of the toy cabinet the next day and now the puzzle is worthless. But still, it's a puzzle that no one was playing with, and inexpensive, so eh, so what?
post #34 of 43
12/4/09 at 1:12pm
I did and I regret it. When we moved from US to Europe I sold/gave away 2/3 of our posessions. I now regret an area rug that was bought on a special ocassion and two beautiful Japanese handpainted tea cups (mixed by mistake with the donation stuff). But it's only stuff and since then other special or beautiful things entered our lives too.
post #35 of 43
12/4/09 at 3:11pm
I'm pretty sure I threw away the key to my husband's office desk... In my defense, it was just sitting on our dresser not attached to anything, and looked an awful lot like those keys you get in the mail for car giveaways...
post #36 of 43
12/4/09 at 3:25pm
I've only regretted one incident of purging, but boy, do I regret it. It was different because it wasn't voluntary purging, I was under pressure to completely empty my closet because we had bugs, and my DH was being an ***hole and telling me I was a baby when I asked him for help since I was overwhelmed.

So I threw away a vast majority of what was in the closet. I can't even talk about some of those things, but I recently have been kicking myself because I threw away my winter boots (um, I live in Massachusetts... I do remember telling DH I was going to throw them away and we would have to buy me new ones, but why didn't I just keep them? We don't have the money to blow on replacing stuff I already have, and I liked those just fine). Also I can't find my sneakers, which I don't specifically recall throwing away, but is pretty likely since like I said, a majority of the stuff got tossed. So I have exactly three pairs of shoes left: sandals, everyday shoes/booties (10 years old and scuffed to hell), and a pair of knee-high boots my mom got me last year.

Anyway, lesson learned. Never throw things away under pressure. But then, I still don't know what I could have done with all that stuff. We could never afford to dry clean a bunch of stuff.
post #37 of 43
12/4/09 at 9:03pm
I feel a wee bit sad for decluttering some of my daughter's junky toys. But only a wee bit.

She got a plastic play-doh kitchen as a birthday present (she turned 3) and it had a million pieces. She didn't exactly play with it, she just sort of threw the pieces around the house for me to find and pick up and it became a full-time job just keeping the toy intact. It really annoyed me. So I disappeared it.

Over a whole year has gone by without any mention, but the other night my DD asked, "where is my play-doh kitchen?" Uh....

I also threw away a broken, crappy plastic Ariel bathtub toy DH brought home. I didn't think she would really care. But she did.
post #38 of 43
12/6/09 at 7:24pm
I have only truly ever regretted not getting rid of things sooner... sure, I've had a ping or two about one thing or another, but it's mostly been stuff I didn't need for years, then when I did could never find another one quite like it (like this amazing awesome high chair I had for my oldest... but it would've been in the way for years, instead of getting used by someone else, if I had kept it... or this awesome all in one bag I had, I've gone through so many since then and none of them were as close to perfect, but I could just as easily have lost it or worn it out by now anyways -so that is really more about not being able to find something anymore than having gotten rid of anything really... or various books, but they were taking up so much space in my home 'just in case' and there are always other books... or personal sentimental items, but again they could get lost or damaged just as easily -and I've had more things 'lost' that way, then from decluttering, honestly-, so I feel better about practicing letting go and being okay with that, than hanging on so I don't have that ping of momentary regret). I don't stress about having to get something I could really, really use again after having decluttered the same type of item previously, but I do think about it long and hard before getting rid of something actually useful.
post #39 of 43
12/9/09 at 2:30am
Generally, I'm very happy to get rid of clutter, and I haven't had to replace very much. I did replace my baby gear. I got rid of everything after baby #2. Granted, my mom bought all the new gear as a gift (swing, bouncy seat) but I never used the stuff with #2 and it took up so much space. I regret getting rid of some of the kids toys. Like a play kitchen. They never used it as toddlers, but I think they would play with it now.

Most of my 'stuff regrets' are about making poor purchases in the first place. For example, when my dd's were babies I bought Britax roundabout carseats, hoping to save $$ vs. buying marathons. They outgrew the roundabouts and I had to purchase new carseats before they could move to boosters. I regret buying the $500 double stroller.....really I wish I did my research before some purchases instead of being swayed by popularity or a brand name.
post #40 of 43
12/9/09 at 1:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Juvysen View Post
I have a bad habit of offering something to someone, giving it to them, and then like a year later thinking I still have it and offering it to someone else :
Wow, talk about decluttering. You really really really didn't want those items anymore.

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There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Have you ever taken decluttering/simplifying too far? :)