Is it hard for you to throw things away?

Question

I was just thinking this weekend about throwing EVERYTHING away I wasn't using. Then, last night I asked on here about help with my lower arm hurting from the computer. They advised me to get a brace for my arm. A few years ago, I broke my wrist and wore a brace. Guess what! I kept it! And I remembered where it was from just going thru a drawer. NOW what do I do???? lol Should I throw everything away ..or keep everything? You never know what you might need...like an arm brace. "What a revoltin' development this is!"..(Remember "The Life of Riley"??) lol

I'm down to pretty low. I live in a camper...so how much can you keep in a camper?? But still, I don't want it to rot from not using it. I take stuff to Good will...but some things are just really hard to throw away or give away. I don't have a bunch of stuff piled up like you see on those shows. Just stuff in cabinets.,,and clothes.

Answer 1

Well I see that you and I have something in common, we both live in a camper. Mine is a 8' X 30' travel trailer. You are right, there is not much room in one of them, that is for sure. But I myself do really have more "junk" in here than I really need. But then again, I see something that I am going to throw away and the next thing you know, I end up using it.

Now my mom or the other hand, she is a pack rat from heck. She can not throw anything away. I live here on their land with them to help take care of them. Some of that is in my profile. There is 2 acres here, she has almost all of that land covered in everything that you can imagine. She has a reason to keep everything that is here. The really sad thing is, she has even been known to go threw MY trash that I throw away from in here, and to make matters worse, KEEP IT. I have learned the hard way to NOT take my trash out until the morning that the trash is picked up, that way she don't have time to go threw my trash. I don't think that there is a person alive that keeps more stuff than my own mom. She can't stand anything to get thrown away. She will go as far as cutting the buttons off of a shirt that has holes all in it before she will throw the shirt away.

Answer 2

I know that it is hard, people get an emotional attachment to things that others would deem useless. Everyone does it every once in a while. All you have to do is just really evaluate everything you have and throw away what you absolutely do not need. Don't worry it's not a medical problem or anything like that. Just throw some stuff away, if not put it in storage, believe me I know how you feel.

Answer 3

Oh dear me, I am the worlds worst about not being able to throw things away. I came up with a fine solution about five years ago however. About once a year my daughters ( they aren't kids, they are 47 & 48) come over and help me decide what I should keep and what I shouldn't keep. My house is always clean and neat but I go to garage sales and resale shops and many times end up with things that I don't need. They end up in a closet. I will have a slumber party for my daughters and grown granddaughters and we have a ball! They take some of the stuff, we decide maybe this or that particular thing would look good somewhere in my home and rearrange a little. The rest I give to the church and a homeless shelter. We have popcorn etc, watch movies and I get rid of things I should never have bought in the first place.
It works for me.

Answer 4

If it were up to me, I would own every "treasure" I have ever had, including clothes that will never come back into style...but there is a rule in this household...If it has not been used for one year, (exception is tools), then it either goes to a yard sale or is tossed/given away...The garage, as a result, can actually park two cars now! That is an accomplishment! Have I regretting throwing some things away..you bet, but..guess what, they can be replaced easily, then tossed again. I found that, by keeping everything, I never knew where anything was, so I ended up buying it over again anyway. so why bother, it just makes more and more clutter to work around. Love and peace, Goldwing

Answer 5

Why not have a patio sale outside your camper? Or ask the
trailer park manager to have everyone get together on one
day to have one and invite the public in? Lots of people stop
on an impulse and will walk off with one of your 'treasures'.
It's fun, and you can pick up a few dollars for the work involved.
I've learned how to leave things when I've moved out of
state many times. I've also had almost yearly outside sales
to cut back on clutter. I have learned the hard way, never to
get rid of things in the medical line, that you can re use. As
sure as life itself, you'll soon need that crutch or cane or
whatever. I've even still got two good pair of gardening
gloves. Not that I can get down to dig in the dirt anymore, but
I can give them to someone who needs them, when I find them. There are people in my family tho, who don't throw a
thing away. So their garages are packed to the brim. Some-
times, you have to learn to part with stuff you haven't used in
years and toss it all out. Donate or sell it, to someone who
can benefit while they still can. I've got clutter, but I'm not a
'hoarder'. And I'm already thinking about a sale next summer!

Answer 6

Heavens, yes. But I know that I would be embarassed and more upset if an organizer told me to throw everything out.
If I clean out, at least I get to have control over what goes out.
I recycle the paper every week.
I recycle the magazines every month--a neighbor loves to read them or an assisted living facility will take them.
I throw out junk mail when it arrives and I try not to sign up for free info, especially when I can see it online.
But I'm bothered when I cannot think of some one or agency that I can send all my unused items to.
So, yes I have a hard time throwing things away. Have fun!

Answer 7

Denie, ya live in a camper so how much stuff can ya have? Ever thought of a storage unit? They have different sizes and different prices. It might be worth looking into. Also, these things called'pods" are also a possibility. 3rd, is a yard sale. Ya know what they say, 'One mans' (womans') junk is anothers treasure so why not a yard sale? Only thing is DON'T HAVE IT WHEN ALL THE REST OF THE TOWN IS!!!So my advice is have it when the weather is nice, not to hot or too cold.

Answer 8

I wish I could say no.. but I am a little OC on those things... Would you believe I still have grocery receipts from years and years ago.... I dunno.... I seem to think that if I throw them away, there will come a time when I would need them and I won't have them anymore and that would be just too bad so I end up keeping them instead - - for later!(whenever that is!)
I get sentimental about certain things too, like little pass-on notes I had with a few close friends from high school and letters and whatnots... The good thing about these little precious notes though is that later on, I have funny nothings to read and remind me of the good ol' days... but not all of the things I tend to keep have that much significance on my life... (like, the receipts?? hehehe..)
I need to get rid of a few things and unclutter my closet too but I get a weird feeling that if I throw or give clothes away, there will be a time when I would want to wear them but I can't anymore cuz I no longer have them.... Waaah...
Can we take some sort of therapy to heal this "weirdness", I think that there is a deeper cause to all these "keeping things" aspect of our personalities..... I really need one badly...

Answer 9

We have wall to wall toys in the basement, not just both grandaughters ,but my daughters too and she is 32 ! The only thing I tend to pack away are fabric and yarn and patterns. My husband is a different story . He also as someone mentioned is obsessive compulsive and he is the KING of pack rats. I have tried going through with a big box and putting everything he doesn't use in it. I don't throw them out .just try to make room on the floor so he won't fall and break a leg. Eventually everything makes it's way back , so now I just shut the door to his inner sanctum.

Answer 10

Yes indeed, I tend to hang on to anything that might come in useful one day! I have a good sort out twice a year, with the change of season and try hard to be ruthless, starting with clothes. I'm in the middle of one of those sessions now it isn't going very well.
The only thing I am very good at giving the elbow to is the junk mail, it goes straight into the recycling box without a moment's hesitation.