Pack Rat can't let go...

Yah yah, I know I got to do that. It seems like I will pick something up and hold it for a while and think about wether or not I need it and I feel like I will end up regretting it. Thing is, I'll probably regret NOT giving it away because we have started to accumulate SO MUCH STUFF! We are cancelling our cable at the end of this month and giving away the T.V.'s because I feel they suck us in and do us no good. That is the first time in my life I think I have decided to give something up, HA. But I can tell you I feel so good about it and I can't WAIT to get rid of them!! (we are waiting for our cable lease to end this month).

Do you guys keep all your old baby stuff, or give it away? I'm torn because probably 75% of my stuff was given to me, the rest from garage sales, so I feel like I HAVE to give them back, to return the favor ya know?? Dh and I are planning on trying to concieve again in the next 6 months and that is why I'm so hesitant to give everything away...At least I know by now what stuff I didn't use and won't ever use, so I CAN give that stuff away.

As far as giving away baby stuff right now I can't either because I plan to have another soon and it doesn't make much sence to give away/sell.

As far as decluttering. . . I myself am a packrat. Currently I am trying to figure out wether or not to get rid of my barbies. Yes, my barbies, somthing I think is a TERRIBLE product for children, nevertheless I have wonderful memories of hours and hours of fun that I had playing with them.

After my son was born every morning at 10am I would pump milk and watch that show on TLC "Clean Sweep". I found much inspiration on various aspects of choosing what to keep. 1/2 the show is dedicated to paring down. . .you won't be having cable though. (Congradulations on that!)

Anyway. . . I'm rambling. . . One thing I learned (actually from a book, not from the show) that might help you is (yay! here's my point FINALLY) Take a picture of the object to which you are attached that otherwise serves no purpose. The picture should spark the same brain pathways that bring you the positive emotions that you associate with the cat figurine- then you can get rid of the bulky-pointless object and just have an album of stuff you liked.
As far as other things. . .things that you are afraid are useful. . .ask yourself the question "Have I used this object in the last 12 months?" (I'm being generous here- really 6 months is a better length of time) If you will theoretically "need" that harmonica/wad of string/broken keychain with WWF's Goldberg on it- then I officially give you permission to replace that object IF you ever need it replaced. We generally end up buying the object over again anyway just because we don't want to dig thru a box of keys-to-our-old-apartments/magnets/costume-jewlery-that-needs-repair to find the needed object anyway.

My vote is JUST LET GO (fight club style) and give that box of odds and ends to a neighborhood kid without opening it. As for the figurines I say take pictures and give them away or ebay them as a big lot. Afterall- the objects are NOT improving your life- they are just adding stress (as evidenced by your need to post about paring down).