Comment by Tabatha:

i can see how letting purging stuff can get compulsive, that’s why i keep the the things i enjoy like books, and i just want to get rid of anything that doesn’t make me happy and feels like a distraction.

Comment by Jo:

If I have to dust it or iron it .. out it goes! To Goodwill or to someone who may need it or like it. Yard sales are a fun way to get rid of “stuff”, too. Or eBay!

Comment by Corrine:

Like the one thing in one thing out idea. I think that is as bad as always wanting to buy something. I’m with you on this. I get rid of stuff if I don’t need or want it but I purge for a reason and not just to purge.

Comment by Beth:

So true!!! Wonderful post and wonderful blog. Thank you so much for your gentle approach to simplicity.

Comment by Ria:

Agreed. I am trying to live a simpler and more frugal life, but there are some things that I own that I’m quite happy with and don’t plan to give up, even if they are luxuries and unnecessary even by my standards. I don’t think that owning everything will make me happy, and I think that owning nothing would make me miserable. I try to find a balance. I own what I need, and what I like that I can justify. (And justification must come in a better form than, “Everyone else has one.”)

Myself, I’d rather find a new use for a lot of clutter. I have bags of old clothes sitting in my back room that will, at some point, be turned into blankets and rugs and bags. They may be taking up space right now, but I think that turning them into something new will be better for me, emotionally and spiritually, than giving it away. Remaking them will keep my mind and hands busy, and then I get the satisfaction of seeing something new that I made, something that is now useful when it used to be useless.

But if it has no use or reuse, I will often throw it out, or give it away to somebody who needs or wants it. Just because it doesn’t have a use to me doesn’t mean that somebody else can’t get some good from it.

Comment by Jackie:

Oh–thank you so much for such a sweet, balanced view!

Comment by Kelly:

I’ve never been a packrat, but after 8 eight years in the same place, things accumulate. When I realized things needed to be reorganized too often or looked for in too many places, it was time to purge and reorganize. I started with the paper – paid bills, previous year’s policies, etc. It’s now down to one file box. I’ve been through every closet, drawer and cabinet once so far and purged (donated or trashed) those items I no longer used or didn’t even remember having. That was round one. I wasn’t terribly hard on myself, but the house is more organized, I don’t waste time looking for things, and the house is easier to clean and almost look forward to doing it. There is no longer the panic when out-of-towners come to visit either. I don’t have the desire to just buy stuff because I can. It has to pass the needs test first and usually has to pass the one-in-one-out test too just to make sense to me. I save money, time, and the angst of where something will finally go. It’s been great and I don’t miss any of the stuff that’s gone. Now I look around and realize I still have stuff that I thought I loved or used that I don’t. Now I’m on to round two. There is no deadline or pressure, just an ongoing review of what I surround myself with. Life is easier and lighter in a way. Just another perspective, if it helps anyone.

Comment by Anna:

I like this. It’s balanced, and it helps with questions I’ve been asking myself. Husband and I built a 2001 sq ft house (I’m still trying to find that one extra square foot) and even though we’d gotten rid of a lot of stuff, it’s still fuller, particularly in the closets, then I’d like. But we both work a lot from home and so there’s more trappings to that. We had simplified a lot because even though our house is bigger, we have no garage, just a garden shed, and so the amount of stuff we cut back on from a very cluttered two car garage and 1470 square foot house is amazing!

But your posts is a great way to walk in between as it were. And I get permission to not feel guilty because I don’t live in a a one room cabin “off-the-grid” :-)

Comment by Annie:

My daughter and I live in a 720 sq. ft. paid-for mobile home. While there will always be a need for some things, purging and minimalism have given us a therapeutic way to control clutter.

Honestly, when my daughter is visiting her father, I could happily live in a much smaller place than this. Most of the living room is taken up by daughter’s beloved pets while I spend most of my time writing in the kitchen. I could cut this space in half and be more than content, provided I could keep my washer and dryer lol!

I used to be quite stressed because of all of the stuff in my life. This same stuff may give another comfort and pleasure but I found it uncomfortable. We each have to walk our own path.