Letting Go of the Old Things

probably, but there's no telling. It could be alot of things...some people are just 'pack rats'! Trust me...my husband is one! I always ask him if I am trying to get rid of something he has had for awhile. If he says no, then I tell him I'm going to pack it away for awhile...then a couple years down the road, you can ask him again about it. Usually my husband realizes he doesn't miss it, and he'll let go. If he is concerned about it costing money, then you could list a picture and price on craigslist.org to see about selling it. Hope this helps.

My husband has the same issue, but only because his family doesn't get rid of stuff. He's gotten better about it, but his story is kind of irrelevant. What I always do if I don't have room for something, and I'm having trouble getting rid of it is that I take a picture of the object, and I write down its story. I write down why it was meaningful to me, and what the memories are that I have of that thing, and then I put it in a scrapbook of sorts. Then, I can get rid of the stuff without "getting rid of the stuff." Hope this helps! Good luck!

My late husband had that problem. My fiance has that problem. They both had humble (not poor) lifestyles in their childhoods, but then so did I!! After having to clean out the garage, attic, closets, etc., by myself after my late husband's death, I decided not to let that happen again. So, with my fiance, I laid down the rules about stuffed attics, garages, closets, unpacked boxes full of junk from previous move. I told him it really unnerves me to live like that or even see it. We have three garages, no basement, an attic. Told him he can have two garages but if the one next to mine is messy, he has to build a wall. I have to approve everything that goes in the attic or closets. I remind him constantly: You wanted a workshop so don't fill up your work table with junk. Do you really want a big, broken garage door opener to "work on some day" or do you want to be able to find what you need? Or: is it agreed that if you don't use that in 2 years, then it goes? If you both watch that cable show about all the couples (male and female) that struggle with this same problem, you'd laugh. Some are so bad that one of the two can't sleep on the bed because it has piles on it. Or, the teen's won't have friends over to visit out of embarrassment. I think hey have to have a goal to replace their fear of "But I might use that one day." A yard sale with a goal of having a room redone or a specific vacation trip might motivate him. On this show: First, they agree to change. Then they cry. Then they get mad. Then the team pushes them ever forward, have the garage sale, redo their room, then everyone's happy. Repeats itself every time. Good luck. There are books on this too. Once they let go of a few things and realize they don't miss them, I think it isn't as hard as they thought it would be.

My mother has the same problem. She holds onto things because they bring back memories or she "can use them someday." When I found myself starting the same behaviour, I started watching Clean House on the Style channel. The show motivates me to want to go through my piles so that my home doesn't end up looking like those on television. After watching the show, my mother started donating items to charity. She realized that there is someone out there that actually needs those items more than she does.

A huge, resounding YES to this. It's very hard to let go when you have a traumatic childhood. One thing I found helpful was watching some of the organizing shows on HGTV - specifically Clean Sweep w/Peter Walsh. He dealt with a lot of the emotional stuff entwined with clutter and just watching the show helped me let go and get rid of some stuff. It's also easier to get rid of things if you can give it to someone who needs it more. If he knows he has a problem and is willing to change, have him check it out. Good luck!