I've only regretted getting rid of two or three things in all the decluttering I've done- and right now I can't think of what they were so they must not have been that great.
It is so freeing to get rid of stuff! You will just feel so much lighter!

I find the decision making process involved in decluttering very difficult. It has become more, not less, difficult for me because I miss some of the objects I discarded or donated in the past. I did not realize how downright shabby a lot of new furniture construction is before I got rid of several old upholstered pieces. I wish I had invested in modifying and reupholstering, instead.

Ann, at least you have an excellent sense of humor about the whole process. Congratulations on the new windows and on what will be a wonderfully decluttered home. Lucky you!

You have company. Take heart!

I have to be in the mood to declutter or I end up moving things around and reminiscing.

The only thing I can say I regret getting rid of was an old (?), large, school desk I used growing up. The desk and chair were separate. The top of the desk, seat, and upper seat back were wood and the rest was metal. There was a large opening in the desk for your things. I was in a mood when cleaning out and took it to the local thrift place. I didn't even get it out of my vehicle right and someone bought it. My thoughts were I'd just buy another desk someday. *eye roll* I haven't seen one like that since. It would be perfect, like it was for me, for one of my kids. I also realized after the fact that I had some sentimental attachment to it. Yeeaaahhh, I'm still bummed about that when I think of it.

Other than that, it's so freeing to get rid of stuff. I was just up in my attic the other day and decided it was time for a purge again.

That's exciting about new windows! You'll get to enjoy them in a lighter house. :)

We decluttered about 3 years ago when we moved out of our house for a whole house reno. Everything had to go into storage. My Dh is a packrat and I am not and I loved doing it. I found it so freeing to get rid of so much junk that was not being used and was taking up space.

We've been in our house since 1989 and when we moved in we had a 20 month old and a 6 week old and we pretty much threw stuff everywhere and there it stayed until 2010. We had wedding presents that we had stored in my MIL's (not enough room in our previous home) and we moved them here, put them into storage and never opened them until I was purging. What to do with 3 fondue pots, now-ugly vases, etc. So much stuff went to goodwill and the thrift store.

When we moved pack in after 6 months we went through the same thing. There was stuff that we had packed away that I never missed and so more stuff went.

We now have a rule - nothing gets bought for the house unless it is replacing something that no longer works, either it is broken or the old one is no longer useful.

I meant to add, although you are getting rid of things you always have the memories of them and that is important. (like those maps/brochures from our Europe trip in 1983 - yea in the garbage - they're outdated and we have the pictures)

If there is something over which you are torn as to whether or not to throw out, take a picture of it because it takes less space and you have a really good reminder of the piece.

I was decluttering the mudroom about two months ago and came upon this San Francisco 49ers flag that MIL sent my boys at some point in time (dh is from San Fran, we live on the East Coast, but the boys cheer for the 49ers). This stupid flag has served no purpose except for me to constantly be finding it laying around the house. Every single time, I put it in the mudroom. One day, I got so sick of it that I stuck it in the bag for Purple Heart donations. Never though about it again.

So of course, the 49ers are now in the Super Bowl and would you believe we live in Ravens territory? My neighbor has a huge purple Ravens flag flying so ds said we need to get our our little 49ers flag and put it in our flag pole. OMG! I didn't have the heart to say I threw it out. Who knew they'd end up in the Super Bowl???? I asked him if he knew where it was and he said it was in his bedroom. I asked if he was sure, and he said yes, he knew exactly where it was. So then I asked if MIL had given them each a flag, and he said yes. So phew. I *think* I might be off the hook. He hasn't remembered to get it out and hang it outside yet, but my neighbor just put up his flag today so I'm sure as soon as ds sees it, he will go looking for his flag and I'm so hoping that between my boys, they do have a second one!

Aside from that, I love when Purple Heart comes and I can get rid of things. I keep a huge shopping bag in my bedroom at all times and put things in there as I find them - mainly clothes my kids have outgrown or never wear, but even random household things (like that flag!). One day, I went through a huge decluttering fix and had over 15 bags and boxes out front. The scary thing is that I couldn't even tell I got rid of anything. My new mantra for 2013 is to stop being a consumer and for anything I do buy, I have to get rid of something.

The day I got rid of the 15 bags, I had gone through my closet and got rid of so many things I didn't realize I still even had. I still had things I'd worn to work from when I first graduated college! I thought I had gotten rid of them long ago (10 years ago we added on a new master so I had to remove everything from my old closet and got rid of most of my old work clothes then). I also had clothes that still had the tags on that I obviously never wore. And I'm not even a packrat, really! I just have a big closet and hadn't seen the back of it lately, apparently!

I just read a BRILLIANT blog entry that pretty much sums up for me what decluttering is all about-why it's so hard and a great tip on how to move forward. I am copying out all of it so the attribution is clear. Love this.

Your Awesome Stuff? It's Just Stuff
Musings on Decluttering from The Non-Consumer Advocate by Katy

Decluttering. Overwhelming, yet boring. Anxiety producing yet cathartic. Simple yet multi-tiered.

Why, oh why is is so much harder to get rid of stuff, than it is to acquire it in the first place?!

I'll tell you why. Because once you bring something into your home it imprints on you. It becomes your responsibility, and that sense of responsibility takes over.

"Can't just throw this advertising ball-point pen away, I have to make sure it goes to someone who can use it."

or

"This enormous platter probably has some value. I should open an eBay account and sell it."

or

"My great aunt Ethel gave me this set of cheese forks as a wedding gifts. I love her, therefore I should love the cheese forks, even though I've never used them in twenty years of marriage."

or

"I should keep this huge pile of scrappy towels, as I might need to clean up something messy some day."

Multiply this by a thousand, and you've got an insane number of decisions to make. And if it takes you an hour to get rid of each and every unused and cluttery item in your house, you will never get to the point of a decluttered home.

How do I know this? Because I have gone through this, and continue to go this this mindset. I see potential in less than perfect items. Those thin magnets that come attached to the phone books? They would look cute Mod-Podged with old maps. And that wobbly dresser I plucked from a curb? It would be super easy to re-glue and turn it into something spectacular.

The creative mindset that sees potential in everything is the same mindset that creates a home overfilled with stuff.

The answer for me lies in being hard on myself. This may sound borderline masochistic, but being my own taskmaster is the only method that works. I've even noticed that being in a bad mood actually aids the process, as it cuts the sentimentality in half. (Not that I'm ever in a bad mood, as puppy dogs, butterflies and baby unicorns usually float through my clutter-free home. Oh, who am I kidding?)

And once I get an area decluttered with a system for order in place, I want to keep it that way. My bedroom closet, with its matching Goodwill wooden hangers is a pleasure to behold. Everything is easy to find, and easy to keep clean. And that drawer organizer that I made for my desk? It's as tidy as the day I first placed the sharpies into their own special cubby.

Hello, lover . . .

Do I have an answer or specific advice for wannabe declutterers?

Yes.

Recognize that the stuff in your home is just that. Stuff. Some of it useful, some of it beautiful and some of it with potential. But it's still just stuff.

And what would happen if you did get rid of something that you later needed, would the world come to an end? Or would it be possible to borrow that infrequently used item from a friend, neighbor or family member.

This is all coming from me, the woman who salivates over the perfect lamp, the perfectly textured cloth napkin and studies the weather forecast for possible spray paint friendly days. (FYI: between 50 and 90.) I love my stuff, but I know it's just stuff.

And after countless donated loads of stuff to my local Goodwill, I have zero regrets.

Because once it's out of my house, its no longer my responsibility.

Ahhh . . .

Do you have a hard time getting rid of stuff once it enters your house? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."