Stuff and Stuff

[BarTopDancer]

Something reminded me of a thread CP started a looong time ago (maybe back on the Pad) about stuff. We all have stuff, we love stuff and we seem to keep buying more stuff. I used to be good at storing my stuff but now my stuff just seems to multiply. Part of my stuff is clothes. I have 3 bags sitting on the floor in my room ready to donate. Yet my closet seems just as full. Of stuff.

What do you do with all your stuff? How do you keep it to a minimum? Or at least look like it is kept to a minimum? Maybe when I get my own place again I'll have more room to hide stuff. Then again most of my stuff is in storage.

Does anyone else think the word "stuff" is starting to look and sound funny?

[Capt Jack]

while Im surely still in process of eliminating a huge pile of 'stuff' from my living space, the rule I want to try and use to clear it out is

"if I havent seen, worn or used it in 2 years, its gone."

that should effectively leave me with just what I need. as far as where it goes. goodwill if its viable. city landfill for all else.

[Scrooge McSam]

I've just never been a "stuff" guy.

Moving so frequently kept me relatively "stuff" free for years. I had to go buy "stuff" when I moved up from the condo to the house.

Plus, as the nick implies, I can be pretty tight with a buck.

Example... Paris... Mom bought 3 scarves, various and sundry knick knacks, perfume, art books... I could go on. I packed them.

I got a mousepad with a map of the metro. I love it.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I need to get rid of a lot of stuff. We used to move frequently, which kept the accumulation to a minimum. We've been here since 1998. That implies a collection of a lot of crap.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I have to get rid of a lot of stuff, too. My personal nemesis is paper. It's even taken over the space under the coffee table!

I don't know what to do with all the non-paper stuff, and I feel wasteful putting it in the dumpster.

[Gemini Cricket]

Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time.

A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff!

Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore. Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the goddamn place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's sh!t is on the dresser.

Have you noticed that their stuff is sh!t and your sh!t is stuff? God! And you say, "Get that sh!t offa there and let me put my stuff down!"

Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff--you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff--here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here..." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you. That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, "Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here."

Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui--I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain. You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, "All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay." That's when your friend says, "Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over."

Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right--you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.
:)

[MouseWife]

We used to also get rid of stuff by moving every couple of years {that wasn't our intention, it just worked out that way}.

We've lived here since '96. Yikes!!!

And, like you, Matterhorn Fan, I love paper~ in magazine form, book form, letters, cards, work from the kids, etc. The other stuff, I feel that it has some purpose but what???

I am trying to get rid of some books~ I told my sis this and that I wanted to take some to the homeschool library {this is how I got rid of, er, donated a bunch a few years back} and she mentioned doctors offices, other waiting rooms.

Talking to someone else, they reminded me that our local church has a 'bank' of stuff...food, clothing and household items. They take things to T.J. for the orphanages as well as have things for people in need of stuff {who in the world needs more stuff???}.

GC~ when the Hubster and I start to complain about the messy house and tell each other it's his stuff or mine, we always end up laughing because we start our best George Carlin impressions. :D

And yes, stuff stuff stuff....it does start to sound funny after a while.

Should we have a stuff trade center???

[Betty]

There is stuff everywhere. EVERYWHERE! I need to clean my stuff up and get rid of a bunch of it. I'm sentimental though - and not very good at getting rid of stuff.

Other people get rid of stuff and I say - Hey - that's good stuff you're getting rid of. Maybe I'll take some of your stuff and make it my stuff.

I keep thinking - I'll have a garage sale and get rid of alot of this stuff - but it's been years and still no sale. Sigh.

Stuff. Does sound funny doesn't it?

[lizziebith]

Gosh, I love my stuff. I'm not going to try to get rid of it! I bought it because I wanted it. I always feel like the world is anti-packrat. Harumph. Well, I'm a packrat and I'm proud!

And I'm going to need a new storage unit soon! :D

ETA: I have a pair of socks I bought in 1979! Yes, I still wear them...

[blueerica]

I have lots of stuff. I haven't been able to afford to get new stuff, and somehow, it's caused a slow-down of the "getting rid of stuff."

[Kevy Baby]

My wife is champion of "stuff". It is ridiculous how much we have.

[cirquelover]

I think I take a close second behind your wife KB! We have a two car garage and can't use it because of stuff. The closets are full and so is the house. The sad part is I have taken trunk loads of stuff to local charities and I still have too much!

Guess I need a dumpster!

[Ghoulish Delight]

I was fairly ruthless in our recent move, but still have a good stack of boxes in the spare bedroom closet. I'm trying to be better about accumulating, don't know how long that will last.

[mousepod]

I am terrified at the prospect of moving. We have so much stuff. Heather says we need to split our stuff into three piles: Move, Store, Abandon (Freecycle/Donate/Trash). I was telling my mom about our three groups and told her they were "move, store, keep". Nice slip.

[JWBear]

I don't have too much stuff... I have too much sh!t.

[MouseWife]

My wife is champion of "stuff". It is ridiculous how much we have.

I don't know....my family is hounding me about my stuff....claiming that I have problems....

My house isn't trashy. It is full of stuff.

I've seen trashy houses, full of dirty dishes, laundry, that sort of stuff.

Mine isn't like that.

I have to say, I love my stuff. It pains me to get rid of it.

I miss it and have regrets when I get rid of it. And, it seems when I get rid of stuff, eventually the kids say 'Hey, that was MY stuff!!!' :rolleyes:

[wendybeth]

I have been actively trying to divest my household of stuff, but I fear it's a losing battle. Our closets are practically overflowing, and it hasn't been that long since the last purge.:rolleyes:

[Gemini Cricket]

I often look at my stuff and wonder how much of it will one day be classified as junk by me and then thrown away. Then I think that maybe I shouldn't have bought it in the first place.
I left stuff in Boston 8 months ago and I have been doing okay without it. When I send for it, it will be probably put away somewhere and not looked at very much.
:)

[Capt Jack]

...Well this place is old
It feels just like a beat up truck
I turn the engine, but the engine doesn't turn
Well it smells of cheap wine & cigarettes
This place is always such a mess
Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it burn...
- excerpt from One Headlight, The Wallflowers

[Mousey Girl]

I am proud of myself. I soent a weekend in DLR and didn't come home with bags of useless stuff. I bought myself a new purse and a tote bag, and that was it.

[madmonkeygirl]

Most of my stuff is Bon Jovi related and it's getting out of hand lmao.... clothes are multiplying by themselves so it seems. My collection is growing to the point it's all i wear or most of what i wear.

I have two boxes full of videos, dvd's, singles, extra cd's and a huge pile under the coffee table and ontop of the coffee table now. One dresser in our bedroom is full of stuff (binders full of pictures). I swear i don't know where to put them i wanted to have them under the coffee table but i just have too much stuff under there (DVD's, special cd's, pictures, scrapbooks, magazines) lmao...

And i'm working on scrapbooking pictures from the concerts. Already finished one scrapbook and workin on another so i have stuff all over the floor lmao...

[AllyOops!]

"Stuff" is the muthertruckin' bomb, yo! :p


If you are like me, you donate EVERYTHING to charity. That is what I do! I donate a psycho amount of outfits each year (I have monster clothes issues- Oops!)

And shoes, too. ;)

When people are so grateful for my donations, it makes me wanna scream yelps of joy! I love donating! :) ! It stems back from a trip to Indonesia Islands. When people loved the $$ I gave them, I could'nt stop! I want everybody to be fulfilled!!

I can't possibly use everything I have! I would rather it go to others. :)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

How crazy you just started this thread, BTD....last week I took the first tiny steps towards getting rid of a mountain of stuff. I began scanning my papers. I have always saved sentimental letters, receipts, notes, you name it, in shoe boxes. I have about 10 of those boxes, as well as bigger boxes with bulkier items, and I'm sick of them. I love all the memories though. So I decided to take LashStoat's advice and scan/photograph it and get rid of it. It's a much more modern way to be a packrat, I figure. :)

Not only did I just start that last week - I just got an email from an old friend that she's doing the same, and wants to meet in a month's time to swap scanned photos that she originally took with *gasp* a film camera. Must be something in the air...

[AllyOops!]

Oh, it's hard to get rid of the "ex-boyfriend- ex-fiancee" letters. I always save those. Maybe for future I was once-worthy-of-love "proof"! .;)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Something reminded me of a thread CP started a looong time ago (maybe back on the Pad) Hey, don't do this to me, k? I went there and searched and searched and found nada. I can't resist that kind of digging! :p

I'm sure I posted something about having too much crap - just another issue of mine that I've tried to psychoanalyze online. :coffee:

[Morrigoon]

I love my stuff. I can't stand paper though, and that crap just builds and builds.

[Morrigoon]

CP I think it was when you were moving and you talked about the cheesy birthday gifts like your name in hot glued ribbon and roses and glitter.

[Stan4dSteph]

I've purged quite a lot of old clothes that are too big for me now. It's still hard to get rid of some things that I may never wear again but have sentimental value.

I'm thinking of doing a garage sale later this summer to get rid of some of my stuff and use it as a fundraiser for Team in Training.

[Ponine]

My wife is champion of "stuff". It is ridiculous how much we have.

I'll be willing to bet I rank very close to her.

[skinnylycan]

I have always tried to look at everything when I am moving and get rid of some stuff.. but you know what.. the only thing I save and never get rid of is my Tigger Collection.

In fact currently with my move right now.. I have two Large boxes and a medium full.. and a few in my car and the couch I am currently on... :p

[BarTopDancer]

Most of my stuff is in storage right now. And I am getting a long fine without it. I wonder though, will I be able to get along without it once I have my own place again? Is it a matter of circumstance that I don't need the boxes of random cables and wires? Or the box that has all the knicknacks I can't seem to part with otherwise? Time will tell.

In the mean time I need to go through my closet again and take stuff to donate. Part of the problem with some of my clothes is that they aren't bad enough to throw out but they aren't good enough to donate. That pair of jeans that has a few more wears in it. The shoes that look great on the outside but are trashed on the inside. Stuff like that.

Not only did I just start that last week - I just got an email from an old friend that she's doing the same, and wants to meet in a month's time to swap scanned photos that she originally took with *gasp* a film camera. Must be something in the air...

Target will take negatives and put them on CDs. It's pretty reasonable too - I think it's 100 photos per CD and it's $6 per CD. Of course this only works if you have negatives to go with the film photos.

[Mousey Girl]

I have been getting rid of quite a bit of stuff lately....of course it isn't my stuff. :evil:

[Capt Jack]

I have been getting rid of quite a bit of stuff lately....of course it isn't my stuff. :evil:

ditto

[BarTopDancer]

Cleaned out more of my clothes *stuff*. Packed up my winter wear into space bags. Now I have a bunch of stuff under my bed. The good news is that historically the winter stuff tends to get donated once winter comes around.

[lindyhop]

I have been getting rid of quite a bit of stuff lately....of course it isn't my stuff. :evil:

That can be very satisfying.:evil:

[CrazyLegs]

WE should have a LOT crap sell :) Or ebay go see who can make the most :) might be fun