Stuff and Stuff
 

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?

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.

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.

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.

From my favorite comedian, George Carlin:
 

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???

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?

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...

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."

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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:

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:

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.
:)

- excerpt from One Headlight, The Wallflowers

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.

Stuff and Stuff
 

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...

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...

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:

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

ditto

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.

That can be very satisfying.:evil:

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