Paper is like rabbits it multiplies when you back is turned.

We just down sized to a place 1/3 the size of where we had lived. When we sold our home, the close was in 3 weeks. Three weeks to pack up and move before the closing completed. Boxes were stack in the single car garage and high as I am tall. Unpacking, I discovered we had 35 boxes of paperwork and not the file size boxes but large boxes. The lateral filing cabinet was emptied during the move, and now sits in the garage. As I unpacked, each file has been gone through and either place in the single file drawer of the desk, scanned or shredded.
I sat with an all in one printer/scanner with a document feeder and scanner, everything we needed to keep the information on is scanned. I replaced the sorted paper back into boxes recycling or shredding. With the volume of paper, and lack of space, I did not even attempt to shred the paper myself. Nor did I look into a neighbor hood shedding day. I took the boxes, as I filled them to a place to be shredded. Just the number of boxes was overwhelming. I had eliminated 12 other boxes of paper the summer prior to the move (checks and registers, old unused check from closed accounts). Now you ask why we had so much paperwork? We saved every bill and piece of paper relating to our homes, business and investments. Prior to our marriage my husband saved everything, bills, envelope, return envelopes, even some old ads. Over 50 years of paper. Well, I am happy to say it took me over 3 months to sort all 35 boxes, And what did I find last week, as I work my way to the end of the boxes? Two more boxes of old files. We have been here almost a year, my husband has had surgery twice and also broken his arm. We are now dealing with physical therapy. The down size is a process, our collections I am slowly going through.

My advice, clear out you paperwork as you go along. the computer today give you options we did not have years ago.

Some of our collectables are being sold online.
WhatnotGems.Etsy.com

Trudy - I so relate to your story. I moved out of my home state where I also ran a successful small business for 25+ years.
I purged as much as possible before moving. It seemed like a lot to me. Ad agencies save everything under the sun, original art, copies of all the edits, color corrections, media kits, ugh....the list goes on and on. I smugly thought I was ahead of the curve.
When the house sold two years ago this month, I drove back with the task of final packing. Mind you, my husband and I had already made two trips to lessen the impact of the final move and to get some much needed furnishings here.
I have never worked so hard in my life. Furniture, home accessories, kitchen and clothes?
No biggie. The office? Oh dear. Sorting through client invoices, accounts payable for both clients and the agency, plus all the printed samples, master, VHS and cassette tapes. Oh yeah, and my favorite, all the tax returns for myself and the business, plus real estate contracts and the like.
On the day the movers arrived, the entire curb was filled with recycling from one driveway to my neighbors driveway, three to four bags deep. Trash, recycling and yard waste containers were overflowing. Add a few more bags of trash and numerous paper bags of leaves from the yard. It was quite a site!
The irony? When we finally settled on a home and I was able to unpack for good, I ended up purging a great deal more. I recently sold the large 4 drawer lateral filing cabinet and am now "metal free" in the house. Feels wonderful.
There is still more to do, but at least now it's manageable. The worst IS behind me. I would sure hate to leave a job like this to anyone. It's part of the reason I've been so focused on this process for the last four years.
My advice is similar - take a "no prisoners" approach to paper. Stand at recycling bin when you get your mail. Bring in ONLY the necessary. Put all of your personal/business tax forms in a large Rubbermaid type container. I keep each year in a notebook. Recycle newspapers, give away magazines so others can enjoy, and recycle the zillions of retail catalogues that arrive this time of year. Go thru them quickly, if there's something that grabs your attention, tear out that page. 9 times out of 10, you never order it. Shred all utility/phone bills. Better yet, sign up for e-bills so you don't get the mail in the first place.
Sorry to be long-winded, just wanted to share my experience and hope that it helps somebody else!

I need to get rid of clothes I haven't worn in two years!

I am a neat-freak and have helped several friends reorganize their spaces, and habits.

I am absolutely SHOCKED to hear so many people claim paperwork as their main clutter. In these days of opting to go paperless via computer, there is really no excuse unless you own an office that in some way requires hard copy. I initially downsized from an office (of 30 file drawers) to 3 file boxes, and am now down to 1/2 box. Not much paperwork is truly as "important" as we think. As far as junk mail is concerned: send it back immediately and ask to be taken off the list. Most of the time you can even use their own self-addressed, stamped envelope. If not, pay for a stamp. They have to remove you if you ask. It is way worth it, not only for environmental reasons, but because these lists grown like crazy. Having used this method, I get NO junk mail.

I PURPOSELY have built LESS closet and cabinet space in my various houses. It is a fact of life that you will fill-up the space you have no matter how big it is, Having limited storage, and heeding the constraints, is the best way of limiting your excess. This applies to extra storage furniture, trunks, etc. as well. More space always equals more stuff, and since the converse is what we are after, it only follows LESS storage space is better. And think about it: if it is "stored" how much do you really "need" it?

Once you discipline yourself to go through a major purge, you will probably find that you actually WANT even less stuff. If it was not actually burdensome to be buried in junk, no one would be writing these comments!! I have found, once you "lighten your load" the most important thing that occurs is that you feel less ATTACHED to "stuff" which is the real obstacle. Every few years I get rid of ever more stuff as those things that initially I thought I "could not live without" become less important.

But this also requires adopting some new habits...

* Be sure you LOVE everything you look at, or put on. Not simply like, but love! Also, what I have done with something that I do love, is give IT to someone I love. Works great as most people do want stuff.

* Never bring something new into your house without eliminating something old. A new blouse? An old one goes. Ditto with everything from the kitchen to the garage. Think of your house like traveling with a backpack you cannot continue to overload.

* Make a point to let everyone know that you ONLY want consumable presents. Period. This is actually much easier than you might imagine. Think: flowers; perfume; wine; specialty foods; dinner out; tickets to a game or the theatre; a massage or facial, even travel. Great memories/no clutter.

* Don't buy impulsively. When I shop for "things" I walk away from a potential purchase for an hour or so. When I come back, 95% of the time I have changed my mind. And this is also really important: learn to appreciate looking at nice things without the need to OWN them. Better yet...don't go shopping. Spend that time getting rid of clutter at home!!

Every Spring and Fall, the change of seasons provides us an opportunity to go through our houses and 'de-clutter'.
Given we are in Canada and have very cold snowy winters and very hot steamy summer periods, this means two sets of clothing and foot wear.
And, as our kids, or grand kids grow older, they can outgrow many items; clothes, books, games.....
Setting up a weekend or two to go through the house, twice per year, working room-by-room is wise. We set-up boxes in the categories - 'sell, donate, demo' and toss in accordingly.
Some of us are better at this task than others!
The indecisive, the family members who are attached emotionally to everything- are best to banish from the household!!!

As a Design/Build firm, we also ensure we collect the names/contact information of organizational and moving suppliers whom previous clients recommend and current clients can call to help with their pre-renovation/new build de-cluttering and moving.

We will also provide these services for our clients when staff members have time or we can make bodies available to just lend a hand to a client whose couch is too heavy for his spouse!

It's great to get organized. It's fun to clean and keep life simple.
Keeps your head clear and imbues your space with spiritual clarity, balance and harmony.

I keep a box in the trunk of my car for donations. Each time I fond and item to donate into the box it goes. Donations are dropped off the next time I drive by the Salvation Army. Less overwhelming on the little stuff.

Go Trudy & Lisa...great job and great ideas!!!

Good idea Trudy, except I downsized my car when I downsized housing so would have no room for shopping if I had a box in the trunk :-)

I drop it off before the store...

Great idea to have a box in the truck (if theres room). I have a box in the mud room by the door, when it's full off to the Salvation Army.

OMG - Clutter is my bane, my biggest challenge, and 80% of my To-Do List! I'll just address one area of it here - the 4 children's school papers and art work.

I had a good plan early on (kids are now 13,15,19, 21) (all boys). I have a large plastic box for each child. During each school year, I had a file size box and dropped all their papers in it. At the end of the school year and before the next school year, i went through and purged the box. I kept the special artwork, things they wrote, and stuff that was so dang cute. It lives in the plastic boxes.

I also let them go through the throw-out pile and rescue anything they wanted. (Very little was ever rescued.) And now there are 4 boxes of school work for each child.

So this all worked ... until all 4 were in school. And i have fallen behind. I am behind about 5 years on going through the boxes. Though i recently did "7th grade" for my youngest and loved the trip through his year. I don't save as much at this age. But it was so fun that I cannot wait to do the other years.

And it all comes down a matter of time. Once soccer season ends, maybe i will schedule 1 box every Wednesday and Sunday night. Then I can get though the languishing boxes in a matter of 2 months.

Be judicious. Only keep what exemplifies them. Writings, drawings, a progression of papers (like descriptions about their family that they wrote every year, etc.) Toss worksheets. It could be culled down even more. But someday.

Now someone needs to address photo clutter!

About paper: Know that 80% of paper that is filed is NEVER LOOKED AT AGAIN. This is how I handle getting rid of paper: Take the plastic bags the supermarket gives out. Grab up enough paper to fill one bag. Bag the rest of the paper THE SAME WAY. Tell yourself that you only have to go through ONE BAG OF PAPER/DAY. But that's actually easy, so you'll do 2 or 3 bags at once. You're on your way!!

STEVISWORLD/KELLYBRINK: STEVIS: When can you start here...just one room, my bedroom...the piles of papers I've clipped, torn, copied, etc. of must-have-check-investigate ideas. I go through them but little is thrown away. Trying to train myself to use a notebook instead...much less mess. KELLY: Start by throwing away pictures that do not have people in them or of people you no longer know/see/remember/care about, etc. This will help a lot. Toss the duplicates or give to another or the local historical society. Get a box for each child and one for yourself, hubby, and mixed...sort the pictures into the boxes...give your children their boxes now or when they leave home to take w/ them, add to, or delete themselves. Digitize is another way. Albums? I've not passed the boxes stage here. There's a Houzz article w/ comments on this topic...the comments are fantastic, espec the ideas for digitizing. Good luck...send Stevis.

Frist off, I would suggest you get ALL clutter (and TV's!!) out of your bedroom. Bedrooms should be restful. Actually, if you remove it, then you will have to find somewhere else to put it. That alone could get you organized. What I have done with things I clip is make sure they go into a designated file folder, e.g. gardening. Going to the effort to make files will probably help you realize most of it is a bunch of stuff you will never use and you will end up getting rid of a lot of it. Or maybe here is where a notebook could be handy for just a short notation or cite. If you stack-up too much stuff to "investigate," it is probably overwhelming and works as a deterrent rather than an inspiration anyway. Also think of how easy it is now to find virtually ANYTHING on the Internet. Wait until you are beginning a project and THEN go on-line for ideas rather than clipping more stuff.

THE KITCHEN!!! needs a major overhaul so I can get to baking and start raising money for the local animals that need adopting. It's a big job, but how do eat an elephant? ONE BITE AT A TIME. Time to start nibbling, TOMORROW! Watch out cupcakes, here I come!

add a photo? not on your life! perhaps the AFTER.

paper... it seems to multiple in the middle of the night - my biggest clutter issue.

but here are my "clutter clearing" mantras:
1) if you don't love it or use it - get rid of it. (full disclosure: i do have some mementos packed in a box in the basement - so even tho i don't use them, i do love them... they're a part of my "history")

2) PAPER - do your best to keep up with paper as it enters the house. if you don't have one, get a paper shredder, and have it over a recycle bin so you can get rid of stuff before it has time to create clutter. and have a filing system for bills/statements, etc. you need for taxes and file things as they're paid. amazing time-saver at tax time.

3) MISC - watch for stuff that you don't want or need anymore and get rid of it on a regular basis. i keep a paper grocery bag in my closet - as things either come into the house that we know we don't want to keep, but could be useful to someone else (like a freebie from a charity, etc.) - it goes in the bag. when the bag is full, it goes to the good will drop off - and we get a tax deduction.

4) CLOTHES - if you have not found an occasion to wear it all year - out it goes (unless it's something for an occasional event AND it still fits, AND it's still in style)

5) ONCE A YEAR CLUTTER CLEAR - go through every closet, drawer, and cabinet to clutter clear once a year - the whole house - like on a 3-day weekend - and when you're done, take all the stuff that's going to good will, etc. (or toss, like expired OTC counter medicines, etc.) - i swear i feel lighter on that sunday.

4) RULE - never get rid of anyone else's stuff without their permission.

5) FINAL TIP - if you're having a hard time "letting go" of something (a waffle iron that was gift that's still in the box, an expensive pair of boots that hurt your feet, sporting equipment you never use) - sometimes it helps to see the thing you're oddly attached to - "moving on to new happy life" - with their new owner. it sounds funny, but sometimes it can really help me to release my attachment - "i'm going to let this thing out of the closet, finally, and move on to a new place." weird - but i swear, it works!

Started out with two boxes of Halloween decorations. Purged! Put away only one.

pcmom1 - did the same with Christmas decorations last year. Sold old/no longer used/good intentioned gifts on ebay and just about got rid of everything in one season. I'll do it again in a few weeks but it will be a lot easier this year.

I live across the street from a hoarder like you see on the hoarding shows. I've always been one to sort through things on a regular basic, but when I learned that she wasn't just a slob, but a full-blown hoarder, it has helped me realize the importance of keeping up on things around the house.

Agree with many Houzzers regarding the paper clutter. I have notified every junk mailer I can think of to remove me from random mailings, but I think every new business, somehow, gets me on their list. One of the worst offenders is my Insurance carrier, they insist on monthly summary mailings, along with mailings for healthy tips, bills, etc. Am constantly shredding personal info from junk mail. Very frustrating.

STEVIS: Thanks for the advice. Nothing extra in this bedroom but the paper...contemp w/ only necessary furniture and no dressers. As a former librarian I have no problem w/ the mail (junk mail to the trash), bills (keep the last one and when next comes w/ balance of 0, out it goes...keep a 3 X 5 card for utilities outta curiousity), receipts kept in date order until cleared by credit card. I have one two-drawer filing cabinet for my "stuff", only seven years of tax returns, etc. I know how to organize, and I know how to weed, but I guess I have some idea I need to read everything, check into everything, know about all of this and that, and the slips of paper and tear-outs pile up. I have created my own library since I no longer am at the other daily. I have canceled alla my magazine subscriptions except three and one of those may go too soon. I no longer take a newspaper as I'd clip at least three things outta every issue. I just have to tell myself there is no time for alla this that I keep...no time to read it all and more will be coming daily...it's not just mail but things one sees and hears on TV, Internet, etc. I know my children will pitch it all w/o the first glance. About the Internet...I'm what might be considered a professional searcher, but searching the Internet for some things can take a lotta time...often the file is faster. Enough...again, thanks for the help...need to just get a new attitude about my paper piles. I too also help others weed and organize. I have no/none/nada problem tossing your stuff and even compromising w/ you, but my paper seems so important. I have to change MY thinking. One other thing, I wonder if some of us have these issues because we were raised by a parent/parents that have been poor and lived through the depression? Convenient excuse?

One of my biggest problems is getting rid of old clothes. SO I've decided to start wearing old items and if they don't fit or are uncomfortable after wearing all day it is easier for me to get rid of them!

Kaaren Baumgartner I have gone from 11,000 books to roughly 800 it is hard to part with them. Donating the to the local library for the annual book sale, helped me part with them.

Front hall closet!! We don't need all that stuff. Can't wait to donate / eliminate...and hopefully redesign the structure too.

Instead of a basic (67" wide) reach-in closet with BI-fold doors, we're thinking rip all that our and replace with half armoire (for closed storage) and half mud room-style bench + hooks and shelves.

Congratulations to everyone who is attempting decluttering at any level. It is hard work, sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally. Whether it is paper, clothing, photos, kitchen items, books or boxes of stuff you have not looked at in years, I say just do it. Start with one drawer, one shelf, one cupboard per day. Eventually, if you keep at it, you will be fully decluttered and organized.

You'll feel so much lighter and happier. It brings such joy to open that clean and organized closet, drawer or cupboard. And to do away with the visual clutter brings great calm into your home.

We have been decluttering our home, one room or space at a time, for the last 8 weeks. Every closet, drawer, cupboard, box, photo frame, bookshelf and surface space. What we now have is an organized, decluttered home that only holds items we NEED, USE, or LOVE.

Once my husband could see the progress I was making (around week 5) he jumped on board and began helping. Now our final project is the garage next weekend.

After that, if we don't NEED it, can't really USE it, or don't absolutely LOVE it, it doesn't enter our home!

condomary ,maybe put a - in your name ?

Donating so someone else can enjoy it is a great motivator. makes it a lot easier.

@Anne Van Dijik, and 'a' would be too cluttered

TRUDY CONNOR AND OTHERS...sooooo proud of you girl! Now, USE that library you donated to. It's free sorta, you pay your taxes for it. The library can get you about anything even if they don't have it...just ask...Inter-library loan! If they keep the books you donate or selling them to others, it helps their budgets, more for you and me. If you loan books to friends, you can now start keeping a list of favorites w/ authors and maybe call numbers. You can then send your friends to the library for the and reduce your clutter. How often, w/ so many good books out there, do we re-read the shelves full we have? I keep very few. However, they don't want your ole National Geographic Magazines, nor your old encyclopedias, or your Reader's Digest Condensed Books. We get too many and are not into passing out old information. Everything changes over time. I personally am not into shipping books to poorer nations...books are heavy and postage is costly. If a library seems to have things, shelves packed w/ books, you have no case to justify budget increases to buy what your patons really need, recent, up to date, fresh and clean. You have books but they're not what the patron seeks. That's why weeding of a library is important like weeding a closet. Enough...I could go on forever about libraries fulla old books going nowhere. Still thinking about my paper piles and telling myself to just let it go...no time for alla that...just no time...has taken up too much time already. Go Houzzers...

The dreaded shred pile....ugh!

My mother was a horder. When she passed, we found a U.S. Income tax form from 1942. She paid 48 cents in taxes and was able to deduct her waitress uniform. Now that cleaning out was a task.

think of it as archaeology. Nowadays we may keep TOO little (.think handwritten letters, photo albums...remember those?)

@condomary. I meant "-" as in condo-mary.

We are building a new house with major emphasis on specific spaces for specific needs (books, office, etc.). When we move in everything will have a designated place & what doesn't have a place will not be coming into the house. Can't wait to see if it works.

Keep it simple so when you are finished you can say it's DONE.

E.G you open a drawer, place 4 boxes on the floor. Pick up an item and decide to put it in box

D- donate

O- original place to stay

N- not original place

E- exit to rubbish/ recycle/ replace

So from my wardrobe I Donated what no longer fitted. Kept the jumpers for winter as the Original place. Moved the 1 shoe, sunglasses , and magazines as they were Not in their original place and grocery receipts, old newspapers , costco mailers Exited to the recycle bin.

When I was done, I glanced over to my drawer and decided Rome was not built in a day! A cup of tea though could be made in a minute.

Decluttering can have an energy all its own. I start by emptying out a drawer and making decisions about what will stay in the drawer and what will go. It looks so good, I decide to do ANOTHER drawer. And I am on my way!

I took the three huge boxes out from under the bed and managed to store all the clothing on an upper bar in my partners wardrobe (we have 10' ceilings and it was all his stuff) now I don't wake up sneezing in the middle of the night from all the dust trapped under the bed!

Next up: the hall closet is in decent shape except for a shoe rack. All our shoes are just piled on the floor. Also, there's a window fan in there from our last apartment that doesn't even fit in our new windows!

When that is in order, the office closet is... Well, it's terrifying. Drawers full of cables, sewing supplies, boxes full of unfiled paperwork...

The hardest thing for me is that I LOVE getting rid of stuff. If it's unused and unloved it's gone. But my partner... It was a gift, or it belonged to his dad, or maybe he'll need it some day... And so we keep the suit he never wears with the pants that won't button, and the cables from old computers we don't even own anymore and the Chargers from old phones, and the three bottles of cologne he's allergic to but which were gifts from his grandparents or ex girlfriend...

To give him credit, he has allowed me to turn dozens of his favorite high school tshirts into a quilt (which languishes in a box because neither of us want to use it) and has ditched a Couple bags of clothing. But the remaining clutter still really frustrates me and I dislike feeling like I'm pushing him to get rid of stuff but he doesn't seem to get any joy out of owning it and it actively makes me feel claustrophobic and stressed.

The best I've managed so far is small de cluttering sessions- half an hour or one drawer at a time, and then storing things in such a way that they're concealed/not gathering dust. If anyone has any ideas for helping loved ones get on board with decluttering I'd love your tips!!

I have the same problem. "You're always trying to get rid of my stuff!" my spouse says. He has a lot of collections, but doesn't look at them (or dust them!) Our religious institution has an annual clothing drive. That seems to spur my spouse into letting go of clothing. And once I put my foot down and said, "The lighthouses have to go!" and some of them did.

Haha :) I'm glad you're making progress! A little bit at a time seems to be the way to go. I find it freeing to ditch a ton of stuff, he finds it stressful, so one or two things and then a beer. Keeping the house super clean and uncluttered seems to make him notice all his *Stuff* more too. It just starts looking out of place. I really do have to find a nice basket or something for him to pile all his receipts/bills etc into. At the moment he just throws everything onto the book case or the bedroom windowsill (when he empties his pockets at night) and then scans/shreds/tosses a small mountain of paper every couple of months. I've recently cleared out our entry way and added a couple of shelves for wallets/keys etc and have dedicated a shelf to all his random paper. It's above my eye level but it's still a pile of clutter. I'm still training him to use the entryway. Last night I watched him walk through the entry way, through the kitchen, where he threw his coat and sweater onto the table, into the living room where he put his bag on the floor, and sat on the couch to take his shoes off. Entryway has a bin by the door to dump bags in, a bench to sit on while taking off shoes and hooks for jackets. I'd prefer to put bags and jackets in the closet but I figured, lets make this *easy* to start with.

Sigh.

He'll get there eventually.

I am not sure you can change a husband, Mine is now objecting when I put my own mementos up for sale. I have boxes of his items, they are being put back into boxes and staying in a corner of the garage. I have no room indoors to keep them. 7 boxes of airline manuals all out of date, he will not part with them. (they have not been used in 20 years..

di0spyr0s - this is how I got my husband on board, might work for your partner too.
I gathered all his "collectables" into one "non public" space room, (a spare bedroom) and gave him ALL the wall space. Bought some floating shelves, display cases, photo frames, etc. and let him pick his all favorite items to arrange and display the way he wanted them. No judgement or suggestions from me unless he asked for it.
Of course, it took him several days to do this, as he had to touch and tell the story about each item. But in giving him the power to decide what was display worthy, how the display was arranged, and what non-display items could be either boxed or discarded, he took ownership of his items. This is now "his" room as it has his prized items adorning the walls, but still functions as a bedroom.

As for your collection of old computer cables, phone cords, etc. I bought a 15 pack of clear storage boxes with lids at Costco- $17, and corralled like items into the boxes, used blue painters tape and a black sharpie to attach labels to the front of the box, and was able to store these items on a top closet shelf.

And for shoes, my husband suggested a three tier shoe carousel we saw at Bed, Bath and Beyond -$30. It stands about 3 feet tall and easily fits into our hall coat closet. Each tier holds 6 pairs of shoes, (18 pairs total) and the tiers spin so you can get at the shoes easily, and we use the interior portions of each tier to hold shoe polish and brushes plus spare shoelaces.

Hope this helps.

Does your hubby have a man cave? Maybe one with an aviation theme? This could be a way for him to chose a few of the manuals to display:

Thanks for the tips! Today I watched him carefully out his bag where it belongs, then walk past the coat closet and into the bedroom where he left his coat and sweater in the bed, back past the coat closet again and into the living room where he sat in the couch to take his shoes off, and then back to the coat closet to put them away. Two out of three ain't bad, even if he did walk through the whole house to achieve it :) I've been looking into a shoe rack or some wire wall shelving for inside the coat closet, but I'll check out the carousel too!

On advice from further up the thread I read the konmarie book on tidying. Really inspiring! It's a quick read but it has me super inspired to clear stuff out. She suggests taking all of one category of items- all your clothes, for example, spreading them out and touching and handling each thing asking "does this bring me joy?" I spent 40 minutes going through my shirts and pants this evening and have an entire garbage bag to take to goodwill. She makes a good point in that if you enjoyed buyin an item it has already served its purpose of bringing you joy when you bought it. And that if you've discovered you no longer enjoy it its served a second purpose of teaching you that you don't need it. I found that made it much easier to let go of things. (Not something I thought I needed help with! But I have two completely empty drawers now and some empty space on my clothes rail!!

took everything off the shelves in the office, adjusted them to the right distances, and put things I need to keep but seldom use on the top shelf. I still have some stuff on the floor and a bit on the desk, but half of the shelf space is empty (and a big garbage can is full) and there is room for another shelf ! It should fit easily.

pcmom1 the Man cave is full of model planes, photos and a DC10 stick, tennis and golf mementos. The manuals are in dark blue binders, the binders allowed revisions to be inserted as they came out.

I am a professional organizer. If anyone lives in toronto, I'm happy to help!

MIDMODFAN, LISA ROGERS, & MARSHA BOND = (FIRST - My apologies in advance for such a long post!) Thanks for your comments. Midmodfan- everything I said was the truth. The basement is loaded. It's not like on Hoarders, but it is FULL! But there was no way I could "not accept" the truck full of stuff. I may as well have slapped her face! I come from a family where the story changes depending on who you talk to, backstabbing & betrayal the family hobbies- think 9th grade. Let me put it this way and maybe you'll understand. After my mother sent her RSVP for my wedding, I had to hear from my sister she wasn't really coming. After a lot of back and forth, she finally said she would (but then again to my sister that she wouldn't). On the day of my wedding I still didn't know if she would show and finally made the decision an hour before the ceremony to ban her - so I could finally relax and not worry about things turning ugly later. The reason for all these histrionics? Because upon announcing I was getting married, I didn't run to her side and ask (beg) her to be by my side and help me in making all decisions for the big day. Mind you she lived outside Vegas and I live on the east coast! In other words my mothers a narcissist. She is incapable of thinking of how anything affects anyone other than herself. At the time we did need some of the stuff, my husband and I, we both had our own one bedroom & studio apartments, and were converging into a 2300sq. ft home ( 2 bedrooms & a bath upstairs, and 2 offices, a living room, dining room, kitchen & bath downstairs. I myself came with just enough stuff to fill my own office and provide the bed for upstairs. So we did need a few things. But we were talking about it about a month ago and came to this realization - An 18 wheeler full and when you break it down it only had enough actual furniture to fill the living room and one office or bedroom. The rest was boxes of stuff (including an entire Mikasa dinnerware setting for 8. I mean an 8 piece setting of EVERYTHING, including 8 coffee, 8 expresso AND 8 cappuccino mugs, salad, dinner, and desert plates veg bowls serving plates everything. And your right had she asked I'd have said NO, we were getting married a year later and would acquire what we wanted then. (I found out the stuff was coming when it was halfway across the country) I knew this Mikasa pattern very well, everyone in my family had it - but I always HATED it. I have different taste and this was my definition of ugly - beige/light brown with peaches and fruits in muted colors. (I ended up registering for a bright cobalt blue set at crate and barrel, with all extra pieces in pure white). But should I ever have a garage sale or try Craigs list, I don't know how I could sell it - who would be prepared to make such a HUGE purchase? I'll have to list it at a give away price. The rest of the boxes were filled with odds and ends of stuff from the house I grew up in, in other words- junk. The good pieces of furniture she sent were still a bitter pill to swallow. When I had put the living room together, I looked around and thought "Oh god, I've moved back in with my parents!" I have very eclectic tastes, my mother does have good taste, very good. But she's Ethan Allen(american colonial/modern) where I'm Ligne Roset (modern/industrial). Where I like to mix art deco with modern/post modern pieces, she, sadly, didn't have anything like that to put in the truck. Yes Marsha, she was very inconsiderate, but saying anything would have done nothing. When she was getting rid of her minks she had to choose between my 2 sisters (I lived in Europe). The first sister had a husband who works at one of the major casinos, they constantly have to go to all the parties and events the casino holds, the second is a stay at home mom with 3 kids. Her husband has a massive income but with where they live and their friends, she has NO use for it and told my mother so. However grace had not smiled upon the first sister that week so mom didn't want to be nice to her that day. And therefore when the second sister woke the next morning, after telling mom she did not want them and could not use them, and then listing the reasons and ways that first sister could, she opened her front door to find two giant cartons waiting for her..............Ahhh welcome to my world. (well old world. I finally could take no more and broke contact with this particular group of asylum inmates back in 2008. My life is very peaceful now.) Thanks for listening. PS-(1) I will read that book and (2) Yesterday my husband found and brought me the business card of a professional organizer, I am going to call her Monday morning. Wish me luck! -cause I've given up, if this doesn't work I'm running away!!! Lol :o

Alice, sounds like all these people live in quite a ways away from you, so that gives you the freedom to do what you want with it. Thoughtful husband, the professional organizer will be a great help. Regarding the nice furniture that doesn't fit, there is a charitable organization that is nationwide "Assistance League of ______ (name of town in the blank) their proceeds go to foster children, program called Operation School Bell, They will come to your home and do an estate sale and split the proceeds with you, what doesn't sell they will take to their thrift store and sell. Good Luck.

Trudy, dark blue is not a bad colour. Can you work WITH it?
Other than that, a shelf close to the ceiling can hold a myriad of things you don't want to do anything with.