View Full Version : Decluttering Roadblock
Books. I've been in the pairing down process for quite a while now. There really wasn't anything that I minded getting rid of and quite a bit that felt really good to let go of. Then I got to the books. I have a lot of books. Almost all of them are in boxes right now because we're in housing transition so it would be the perfect time to let them go, but I just can't seem to do that yet. Anyone else have a g-pin that, despite all logic, they just can't let go of?
Books. I've been in the pairing down process for quite a while now. There really wasn't anything that I minded getting rid of and quite a bit that felt really good to let go of. Then I got to the books. I have a lot of books. Almost all of them are in boxes right now because we're in housing transition so it would be the perfect time to let them go, but I just can't seem to do that yet. Anyone else have a g-pin that, despite all logic, they just can't let go of?
I've always said that books are the final frontier in decluttering.
Fortunately, as a teenager, I knew that books would be my downfall. I decluttered radically when I was 18 years old. Still, I lugged boxes of books around with me from state to state. Then I decided that I would not buy books but for picture books, my art collection, and I do not buy books. The Library buys and stores all of my books. But I did see a few new picture books yesterday that are fabulous and if I was still in high picture-book-collecting mode I would have to own them. As it is, I believe I will just take them home form the Library and fondle them that way.
I like a particular kind of illustrative style, and the Europeans do it best, so any more I don't see a lot of picture books that thrill me. That is a good place to be.
Some years ago I purchased a book for $7 and I recently took it into a book dealer who listed it at $705. I think that's way too high and it will not sell, but still--I hope to make a little money on that one when he lowers the price to a more realistic one.
Now dishes--that's another gazingus pin I've had to fight. I detailed those battles here so will not recap, but ugh, dishes. Funny now that I've got a little hobby that incorporates dishes, but at a manageable level: it is flower show competition where exhibition tables use two place settings. I can have some fun with that but do not need to store entire sets.
I just sold the last of my baby dolls, ones that I have carted around for 50 years.I still look at photos of the same dolls on Ebay and while I do not have serious regret at getting rid of them, they still draw me in and I look at them. We took a lot of toys to the Toy show here and got rid of stuff, but the dealers there didn't "get" my dolls. It wasn't a doll show and they didn't know about dolls. So I went home and looked up the Doll collecting organizations and called them, and the President of one said right away that she wanted my smallest baby doll and drove out 40 minutes the next day to get her. Sure, I didn't ask much money but I wanted her to go to someone who wanted her, not just someone who would stick her in a closet.
These are just some of my collecting phases and I could write pages more, but will not.
Yes, I've had multiple gazingus pins over the years, and have had difficulty in getting rid of. I find a couple of strategies have helped me: putting the items all physically in one place so I can see what I really have (and many multiples of that item!), and secondly, just sitting with that collection for a while. The questions I ask myself are things like 1) when did you last use it 2) when do you think you'll use it again (hint: if the answer is "I have no idea" than perhaps I don't really need it) 3) could someone else use this more often or in a better way than I am using it 4) if I decide later I need or want it, could I get it from another source, like borrowing from the library or getting supplies from another gadget-o-holic. ;)
I had quite the collection of craft supplies for a long time, although my craft focus has changed around a great deal. I kept thinking I should hold onto it, because I might need to whip up a last minute birthday gift or something. But I find counted cross stitch rather tedious, and the same with quilting. I like short term projects due to my short attention span. And I read about a local agency for the retarded that uses craft supplies for their clients, and that make the decision to get rid of 90% of the stuff much easier. They were so appreciative.
Books were my g-pin as well until about three years ago. Dh and I were looking at a possible move across country and did not want to bring more than would fit in/or one of our cars. We got rid of all or DVD movies, saving only 5 of our watched over and over ones. We digitized all our music and got rid of the cds.
Then it was down to the books and those were hard to let go of. We slowly got rid of books and piled them based on actual need to own them. Books we used for constant reference (like hiking guides, theology books etc..) and fiction we knew we would without question reread. What we discovered was that we had only a handful of a books that we needed to keep. Maybe a total of 35 titles between dh and myself. The other 300+ books we stacked into boxes to be dontated. I got rid of the three floor to ceiling open bookcases that occupied our living room by giving them to a friend who wanted them for her farmers kitchen.
I purchased a small antique cabinet that was missing it's hutch top, but had great adjustable shelves inside to replace the large wall of book shelves. It's perfect and house our books and what few board/card games we own. It could hold many more books if need be.
One key thing that helped a lot was that dh invested in a nook for himself and I started to make use of the library on a regular basis.
Fabric, art and craft supplies...I've pared down my fabric collection some, and i'll probably never use any of it, but for some reason I just like having it around. I don't have any trouble with general decluttering.
Yes, Gregg. My G-pins are Books, Files/Resources from my various careers (sure I'll need to access them someday!), and my children's school and art work. As I'm currently purging, re-organizing and packing to downsize, I'll appreciate any tips you or others have!! It really is an emotional connection, isn't it? I'm grateful that I feel little attachment to other physical 'stuff,' but still feel weighed down by the boxes/bins of books, files and keepsakes!!
My current thought process is to begin by weeding out the books that do not specifically relate to something that brings me great joy. I love to cook and garden so books within those subjects, more specifically the ones I designate as "nice", get to stay. They rest are outta here. Ok, except for architecture. I also love architecture...
Gardenarian
5-24-12, 4:13pm
I feel like I'm doing really well with cutting down on books. I probably have about 1000. Which is about half as many as I had last year. I've been weeding them (it gets easier every time) and taking them to the used books store, where I get credit. Take in 100 books, get credit for about 30 used books, or about 10 new books. I feel like I'm trading up - taking out those things that I've grown out of and exchanging them for books that will add more to my life. I hope to get down to just one wall of book shelves.
Books will always be a big part of my life and I want to compose and organize a collection (ever-changing) that will be a source of pleasure, edification & enlightenment, as opposed to a static pile that collects dust.
If you find some wonderful place for them to go, like the local library (ours sells most donated books for much-needed cash), would that make it any easier to let them go? Plus the tax deduction... ? :-)
flowerseverywhere
5-24-12, 11:25pm
Anyone else have a g-pin that, despite all logic, they just can't let go of?
no. we are getting ready to put our house on the market. We don't know where we are going. If I had my way we would sell everything and just take off, maybe RV life, maybe get an apartment and start a new life.
I have sold, trashed, donated and given away more than a moving van full, but I have been married almost 40 years. One of the more difficult things were my quilting books. I finally tore out the pages I thought I wanted to keep and donated the rest of the books I didn't tear apart. From two shelves of books to one binder. Between the digital downloads at the library, and the actual books I can take out I don't need them.
DH is having a harder time. But really. We don't need that stack of vinyl scratched records now that we can download the songs digitally remastered for free from the library.
We will keep our handcrafted oak furniture, and our cherry bedroom set we got from Ethan Allen 25 years ago because I don't think you could match the quality today. So a bedroom, dining room and living room of furniture, the clothes we actually wear, handmade quilts, tools and pottery I have made with some cooking stuff is what I would live with if it were up to me.
I had an extremely hard time letting go of my books and my zillions of cassette tapes! I never did spend the money to get the gadget that would convert LPs and cassettes into CD's or mp3 files, but now I see that a lot of them are available as mp3 downloads. I figure, if I REALLY want to hear them again, I should be able to find them somewhere online.
Books and music were indeed my major source of gazingus pin spending, and I stopped buying them once I learned about the concept of gazingus pins. I also had other gazingus pins categories (scarves, jewelry, cosmetics, body care stuff, vitamins), but I didn't have any real problem in letting those items go when I wanted to declutter (and eliminate the evidence of my uncontrolled gazingus-pin shopping habits). But man, letting go of those crumbling old cassette tapes was the absolutely last thing I did, and only because we had to move across country in a major hurry and didn't have any real budget for moving. Now I just stay out of bookstores and music stores...it's a tough habit to break.
Books for sure. I've still got two boxes of them in storage that I haven't looked at in a year. One is a set of Mark Twain's writings I inherited from my grandparents. The other box I need to look through, and either let them go or find room for them if I'll really read them again. Doubtful I guess, if I haven't needed them in a year.
My goal for the next month is to let the storage space go. So I'll be going through everything there and deciding if I really need to keep it. If so, I'll make room for it in my apartment. Otherwise I'll sell or donate it.
Maxamillion
5-25-12, 7:35am
I've got a whole wall of books. I didn't realize just how many I had until the last time I moved and I grouped them all together. I was rather shocked. I ended up donating a stack of magazines and a small bag of books to Goodwill and even that was tough. I'd like to get down to at least half of the amount of books I own now but I don't know if that's possible. I sure don't want to lug all these with me the next time I move though. The other g-pins I have are art and craft supplies and my toy collections (dolls, ponies, and legos).
Fabric, art and craft supplies...I've pared down my fabric collection some, and i'll probably never use any of it, but for some reason I just like having it around. I don't have any trouble with general decluttering.++!!
I feel like I am constantly battling too many clothes although I only shop at thrift stores and not that much. I use the library almost exclusively for books so don't own more than a few boxes worth. I fantasize a lot about selling the house and moving to a new environment - what would I keep, what would I give away?
catherine
5-25-12, 12:40pm
Well, books for sure, but my biggest decluttering roadblock is sentimental stuff, and any written history in the form of journal entries or letters or even random notes. I still have letters written to me by my family and friends going back to the 60s. I feel like it's history, and therefore worthy of documentation--for what reason--who knows?? I just started being able to throw out photographs and be more discerning about pictures that are worth keeping vs. those that aren't--but I still have boxes and boxes of all my old Daytimers, diaries, old report cards and letters of recommendation and award certificates and cards from deceased family members and old playbills from plays I've seen and even the mortgage documents from my great-aunt's cottage. Thank God we had three floods in our basement that ruined a good bit of stuff, but the rest I just can't let go of.
Sure do... my G-pin is all things glassware/crystal.
Sigh :help: I'm once again decluttering. Books are my thing. I've gotten rid of tons of them in the past but acquired more. I don't watch tv and haven't owned one in years. Books are important in my life. I've gotten rid of a few, but not many. I think I've just decided that I need to keep them and find ways to store them. The books I like are often not available at the library, or when I want to look up a poem or passage I've read, I'd have to drive to the library to get the book. Or perhaps the book's on hold and I have to wait for it. No, I want to look it up then and there. Books are tools, like my gardening books.
On the other hand, there are lots of other things I do need to get rid of, things cluttering up my life. Dishes are one and can be a g-pin for me. I just gave a nice set of glasses to a friend. I rarely used them. Guests will have to put up with my everyday glasses. :)
Also, office supplies. I got many of these things free when office supply stores used to give away free stuff each weekend. I keep thinking I'll need it. How many of these things do I actually need? The rest can go to charity.
The hardest thing is odds and ends. It's much easier to decide on pruning a category down to size (like dishes). Odds and ends are hard for me.
Ok, thanks for this post. It will help me progress toward a simpler lifestyle.
Tussiemussies
5-29-12, 10:11pm
Mine is books, craft supplies, kitchen appliances and all that runs a kitchen...don't think I will be giving those up anytime soon!
flowerseverywhere
5-30-12, 9:42pm
all I can say is keep going. We are getting ready to move and I feel so free and unencumbered with all the decluttering we have done in the past few months. Just this week DH sold four large items for $975 on craisglist. I made two trips to Salvation ARmy and we also are making a trip with some excess furniture to one of my neices apartments. Like a pickup truck full. If you see a truck that looks like the Beverly Hillbillies driving down the highway honk, it might be us.
I feel so free and our house looks great. Why do we hang onto all this stuff? It is only stuff.
Books. I've been in the pairing down process for quite a while now. There really wasn't anything that I minded getting rid of and quite a bit that felt really good to let go of. Then I got to the books. I have a lot of books. Almost all of them are in boxes right now because we're in housing transition so it would be the perfect time to let them go, but I just can't seem to do that yet. Anyone else have a g-pin that, despite all logic, they just can't let go of?
What is special to us and makes life worthwhile has nothing to do with logic. My beautiful and much-loved cat makes no sense at all economically, but my life would be poorer without her.
I love books, and have moved quite a few times. I've given many books away and have ended up buying replacement copies of quite a few of them. There is something really comforting about being able to lay hands on a favorite to re-read without driving to the library, paying for a download, or getting a digital copy from the library for a short time. I don't know what the future may hold, but my books are staying with me if at all possible. If my house ends up looking like a library...well, that would please me very much.
To my way of thinking, simplicity isn't about decluttering or pinching pennies, it's about making room for your personal priorities.
Please note that I am not a hoarder. Since I retired I've given away more than half of my clothes and paid 1-800-GOT-JUNK to haul away several large pieces of furniture. I prefer a simple, uncluttered living space and things that get in the way are likely to find themselves on the curb on trash day.
Just because you've got a lot of something doesn't make it clutter. Being obsessed with decluttering is every bit as materialistic as heaping up stuff in the guest bedroom. I know that moving books is a hassle, but please consider that the hassle may not be too high a price for something that you value.
AmeliaJane
5-31-12, 12:14am
I travel relatively light in terms of books, because I have always been a big library user and with a few exceptions, I tend not to reread books. However, recently I have been picking up quite a few used books through Amazon--often for instance, the third book of a trilogy when the library only owns the first two. This weekend I divided my collection between "keep forever" and "just visiting" and put them in separate bookcases, which will remind me to clear out some before I buy more, and also make it easy for me to find what I want. In the process, I also found a few more books that I was ready to let go of. I have moved four times in ten years so I had purged fairly regularly. One thing that helped was, as we've been discussing in another thread, "the power of half." My first screening was to divide the books into "love" and "like"--then I went through the "like" pile and found a number of things to return to the universe. Luckily my employer has an annual book sale for charity so I don't have to make a special trip to donate books.
To my way of thinking, simplicity isn't about decluttering or pinching pennies, it's about making room for your personal priorities.
And that's it in a nutshell isn't in Jemima? +1
"What is special to us and makes life worthwhile has nothing to do with logic. My beautiful and much-loved cat makes no sense at all economically, but my life would be poorer without her."
Jemima, your post bears repeating. What makes life joyful--as opposed to a dismal death march--is up to each of us to decide for ourselves.
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