What do you find easy or hard to get rid of?

[clutterwarrior]

I would have once said it was hard to get rid of anything. But with lots of decluttering going on this year, I am experiencing a snowball effect, I am picking up speed and taking lots with me in the process without agonizing over every little thing as I used to. But I would still say there are things that are harder than others to get rid of.

I am finding it easier to get rid of clothes, childrens books, old toiletries/makeup/medicines/cleaning supplies, and anything of cheap/questionable quality.

Things that are hard for me to get rid of:

my own books, especially ones about craft, art or cooking.
craft supplies
drawings I did at art college over 20 years ago!
quilts
nice china
videos...what's with that, they hardly ever get watched
CDs
spare gifts! Seriously I have a whole closet filled with spare gifts.
anything that is useful in some way, such as extra saucepans or casserole dishes that I never use...sigh just writing that makes me wonder why, why, why is it hard to get rid of them??!

Clearly I still have a long way to go. Just why is it when something is not being used, is taking up space, that I agonize over getting rid of it? I need a good slap I think...

[mkksmom]

Easy-
Clothing. The stuff my LO out grows is especially easy because she will probably be the last baby.
Baby toys and baby gear, which is surprising

Hard-
Everything else right now it seems
Paper clutter because I don't keep my shredder plugged in so that gets inmy way
Older dd's toys because the baby might use them, and she is very attached to them-- even though she'd rather draw, craft or read usually
DVD's-- MIL buys tons and my older dd only has a few that she will even watch
Furniture! It would give us so much space. We have an old recliner and a big ottoman in the basement, but dh hurt his back and we have to find a way to get it out. Then there is too much furniture in our living room. We inherited a beautiful piano, and now we really should get rid of either our love seat or the huge chair with the ottoman.

[ASusan]

I have recently overcome a hurdle in getting rid of books - both adult and children.

My adult books I culled WAY back when I moved, both 5 years ago (college books), and again 2 years ago (personal books I had read AND ones that I finally admitted I would not get around to reading). When DS came along with food allergies, I culled even more, because the cookbooks could go.

VERY recently (past 6 weeks), I've been hitting DS's books hard. If I don't like reading them, or if we haven't looked at them in the past 3 months, they go. It's easy for more to come in, so I'm trying to see our bookshelves as more "revolving" than "permanent storage"

[escher]

Easy for me:
Gifts I have recently received (so I'm not attached to them yet)
Clothes I don't like (it usually feels good to know I never have to wear them again)
Most books (I'm a big fan of the public library--they store the books, and I still get to use them for free! )

Hard for me:
Old schoolwork of mine
Things handmade by someone (honestly, anyone) for me
Tupperware (no matter how much I have, it always seems so useful)
Sweaters (I love sweaters, and I love having lots of choices, but there is a limit to how many I really need)

[clutterwarrior]

Originally Posted by escher12

Easy for me:
Gifts I have recently received (so I'm not attached to them yet)

Do you ever worry that the giver will notice you have got rid of it?

I am always afraid of this happening.

My mother lives interstate so I only see her rarely, but when she does visit she always starts interrogating me about where the things are she has given me.

Originally Posted by escher12

Sweaters (I love sweaters, and I love having lots of choices, but there is a limit to how many I really need)

I am like this with tops...as the weather is usually mild here, I don't need many sweaters, but I love to have lots of tops, I think I am addicted, as I will often find myself carrying 6 or 7 tops in to a fitting room...even though I have heaps already. However I will wear the same pair of jeans or shorts over and over.

[sunanthem]

easy- most things, clothes, furniture, books, toys, etc.

hard- crafting supplies b/c I know if I had the time I could make something to sell. Pictures.. I inherited boxes and boxes from my mom.. wound up throwing most of my childhood pictures away, now it's hard for me to get rid of pics, though most are stuck in digital form now. PAPER, in terms of decluttering, it's not hard for me to toss it, it's just the sheer amount that comes in I can't keep up; bills, all 4 family members in school, junk mail, kids artwork.. it's everywhere!

[PoetryLover]

The hardest for me is things children make, be it rocks that they paint, a painted wooden cross, bird house, tiny little cabinet, etc. We live in a very small place and I finally packed these things away to find a "home" for them after we move, but they're not ALL sitting on top of the desk in the kitchen, anymore. I actually did this just this week while cleaning. There's now a lamp and 4 pictures sitting on top of the desk--and that's it. I feel HORRIBLY guilty about it and wonder if DSD is going to ask about them when she arrives in 2 weeks.

I just wonder how people can keep EVERYTHING they're children make. DSD made something at Bible School this past summer with a soda bottle cut in half and made to look like a beehive with little bees dangling from it. But there's no place to put it. Yet, I feel guilty getting rid of it because she made it.

This could possibly be a thread all its own. I wonder what people do with children's artwork and crafts, especially when you're a craft friendly household and encourage them to create things.

[Gray's Mommy]

easy-big baby gear, shoes, adult clothing & toiletries

hard--TOYS, baby clothes, cloth diapers, TOYS (any age range), teaching books (I've been a preschool teacher for 15 years) and TOYS!!

I think toys are truly my nemisis. I love having them for my children to play with, but they are ALL OVER the stinking house. We have a playroom & my kids each have toys in their rooms. I hate getting rid of them since I still have two littles coming up in age & may have one more. I need to let some go especially since we have 3 winter birthdays & Christmas all in a 9 week period.

[PoetryLover]

Easy: Appliances we haven't used in a year or two, clothing, knick-knacks, shoes

Hard: Old Letters, Cards, BOOKS, Music (I've recently committed to getting rid of CD cases and storing the CDs in a jacket), ANYTHING MADE BY CHILDREN, baby clothing (Does DS really need 80 short sleeved onesies? ), Pictures (Is it okay to scan pictures and get rid of many of them?)

[mkksmom]

Originally Posted by PoetryLover

The hardest for me is things children make, be it rocks that they paint, a painted wooden cross, bird house, tiny little cabinet, etc. We live in a very small place and I finally packed these things away to find a "home" for them after we move, but they're not ALL sitting on top of the desk in the kitchen, anymore. I actually did this just this week while cleaning. There's now a lamp and 4 pictures sitting on top of the desk--and that's it. I feel HORRIBLY guilty about it and wonder if DSD is going to ask about them when she arrives in 2 weeks.

I just wonder how people can keep EVERYTHING they're children make. DSD made something at Bible School this past summer with a soda bottle cut in half and made to look like a beehive with little bees dangling from it. But there's no place to put it. Yet, I feel guilty getting rid of it because she made it.

This could possibly be a thread all its own. I wonder what people do with children's artwork and crafts, especially when you're a craft friendly household and encourage them to create things.

The camera is my friend when it comes to this one. But it's still hard with most things. The little paper crafts are easier than the flower pot, for example.

[clutterwarrior]

Originally Posted by PoetryLover

I wonder what people do with children's artwork and crafts, especially when you're a craft friendly household and encourage them to create things.

We are an art/craft friendly household. My girls used to produce paintings prolifically when they were little, and they also made a lot of pottery pieces. I could not bear to get rid of the pottery...I still use the little dishes around the place to hold small things. With the paintings, I kept most for a long time, then ended up photographing the majority and then recycling those ones, only keeping the best ones in a big folder. The small random paper creations got tossed after being photographed as well.

With my son's paintings, I still have a lot of his, as he is still only 8, but I need to start doing the same thing with his. I think I am going to find it harder with many of his artworks, due to his history of being so ill when he was little, I somehow have more emotional attachment to the things he has made at that time, I get such a lump in my throat when I look at ANYTHING he produced.

Despite having thrown out a lot, it is still definitely a big problem area in our house, as I have two art folders absolutely jam packed with a mix of my drawings, and my kids artwork. I have been focusing on other decluttering and avoiding this job!

I would love to have some of the kids paintings framed, but it is just too expensive for us to consider that as an option for many of them.

One thing I find impossible to get rid of is the little notes they have written to me over the years...like small random ones saying "You are the best", "I love you to the moon and back" with hearts drawn around them, that sort of thing....I think I could fill a whole scrapbook with these notes...in fact, maybe there is my answer!

[Tjej]

Easy - clothes

Hard - toys, books

I find we have stuff that is used up but not useless, and I can't really donate it (like jeans with a rip in the knee), but I am not getting around to doing anything with it...

Tjej

[onlyzombiecat]

Easy-
my clothes
dd's clothes

Hard-
other people's stuff- dh's clothes, dd's toys
books
furniture
anything I can't bring myself to just dump in the trash is hard to get rid of

[Om Girl]

EASY: my clothing, youngest DD's clothing (I have a separate bin of "keepsake" items), books and small kitchen appliances, etc.

HARD: books (mainly because they take up so much space and are so heavy to move), winter coats.

[clutterwarrior]

Since starting this thread, other things have come to mind that I find hard to get rid of ....(I really need some prompting and encouragement to get rid of some of these things please!)

Exposed rolls of film...I now use a digital camera but am holding onto about ten rolls of film that have photos on them from years ago. I have no idea if they would actually develop properly after all this time?

Skinny clothes...for when I lose weight one day. My weight has fluctuated over the years so I do find that whenever I lose weight I invariably regret having tossed certain jeans.

Greeting cards I have been given,since I was a child up until current day. .. and ones given to my kids too.

Random ephemera such as tickets etc from trips taken.

How do/would others deal with these items? Toss them?

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by clutterwarrior

Since starting this thread, other things have come to mind that I find hard to get rid of ....(I really need some prompting and encouragement to get rid of some of these things please!)

Exposed rolls of film...I now use a digital camera but am holding onto about ten rolls of film that have photos on them from years ago. I have no idea if they would actually develop properly after all this time?

Skinny clothes...for when I lose weight one day. My weight has fluctuated over the years so I do find that whenever I lose weight I invariably regret having tossed certain jeans.

Greeting cards I have been given,since I was a child up until current day. .. and ones given to my kids too.

Random ephemera such as tickets etc from trips taken.

How do/would others deal with these items? Toss them?

I have the same problem with rolls of film from 10 years ago. I hope they can be developed.

Greeting cards I'm only recently getting rid of except very special ones. If somebody just wrote Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas, I'm likely to toss it. If they write a heartfelt message, I will keep it. I've saved them for years, though, and have a hard time getting rid of cards myself.

I used to save things like tickets to movies or concerts if they were sentimental, but I've been getting rid of those, too. In my life today they're just clutter. I always have the memories.

As for clothes, I'm saving a few clothing items that are too big for me now, but that I might wear after I have another baby in that "in between" stage. I selected the pieces that I LOVED wearing this time around.

[treeoflife3]

The only things I have a hard time getting rid of are things we actually use on a relatively regular basis (obviously haha) and children's books. I feel justified in the last though because we still have plenty of space for books for the kiddo and books are her number one preferred thing to play with so I'd rather keep books and get rid of toys!

Otherwise, everything is fair game. This didn't used to be true but having a simple house with minimal things and empty space that just feels so zen to me is wonderful. I actually purged a ton of old memory stuff a couple months back. It was intense for me and hard... but I don't regret it

[justmeandmybrood]

EASY:  broken anything, old clothes

HARD:  anything sentimental, whether it be the 5 cent plastic bracelet from DD, a knick-knack from a trip, or a special book; holiday decor; things/collectibles/pottery, etc. collected while living abroad - so many wonderful memories!