10 Things to Toss with No Regrets

[Texasmujer]

1. AN OUTDATED SELF-IMAGE Who you were a decade or two ago has little to do with the woman /man staring back from the mirror today.

2. CLOTHES THAT NO LONGER FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE Clothes can be a wistful reminder of days gone by. Someone else is bound to love htat dress you once treasured, onad the profits from a consignment shop or yard sale can go toward buying something great you'll wear now.

3. WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA'S The flip side of a negative self-image that no longer fits is that unrealistic childhood dream we've outgrown.

4. DISASTER DIET SOUVENIRS We all have dieting skeletons in our kitchen pantries---the bottom shelf packed with low-carb munchies or protein shakes. Give that stuff away or throw it out.

5. THE MAN YOU DIDN'T MARRY Trinkets, phootos, and love letters from past bouyfriends may seem harmless; but they may also be symptons of internal clutter that could be hurting your marriage.

6. NAGGING EXPECTATIONS Most of us have something we wish we could change about our spouse.

7. OLD GRUDGES Everyone has someone who did her wrong lurking inthe past---Most of us have grudges we hold onto for years. When it comes down to it, haven't we all made mistakes?

8. PACK-RAT ATTITUDE Many of us can't bear to think of our mementos as garbage. Finding a second home for keepsakes can soften the blow; you can usuallly give it away.

9. BOOKS YOU'LL NEVER READ There are plenty of places that will be happy to have your old books: nursing homes, hospitals (volunteer staff, to loan to visitors), high schools for underprivileged kids where they will actually be apprciated.

10. YOUR TO-DO LIST lEAVE THE LIST FOR A DAY---THE IMPORTANT THINGS WON'T BE FORGOTTEN.

[HollyElise]

Oh i like this one! Did you find it somewhere, Texas, or write it yourself?

I like that it includes non-material things.

I've been trying to lighten up my material possessions again, and get rid of some clutter. I think i'm much better at it than the average American, but that's not saying much.

My biggest clutter, i think, is paper. I just HATE going through it, so instead i kinda sorta have it organized in bags. When i do go through a bag, it seems to take soooo long to go through it and i don't throw out enough. Can anyone give me some tips on this?

[Texasmujer]

Ya'll better not think that I have no problems...the ideas I submit apply to me as well! I have to admit that I tend to hoard everything---ESPECIALLY PAPER---I save every little thing that is written...and soon enough, I'm buried under all these little bits of paper. If that isn't bad enough, I save the newspaper to donate to the local animal shelter---and THAT paper is piled everywhere---this gets cleared out periodically. The only system that works for me is to be brutal about paper information...I've been fairly successful when I throw away things BEFORE they even come into my living space. I wish I could have a better idea! The TRUTH?: The information I submitted here was in a pile of papers on my desk...I just reached a point of clearing out all the "stuff"! Now, if my name were "Martha"...

[HollyElise]

If your name were Martha, you'd now be picking crabapples at the penitentiary, so thank goodness you're not!

And as for the paper... I swear it breeds in dark places! You ever notice that?

[Texasmujer]

Yeah, if I were Martha and picking crabapples, I'd ALSO make them into some delectable dish that would curdle one's insides...and feed it to the warden. The paper breeds fster than rabbits, I swear! I'm lucky it isn't
radioactive!

[Marissa]

It is so good to hear the paper thing isnt just me! I was beginning to think it was only me! What I have been doing lately is I throw paper stuff away immediately. If I dont set it down it wont accumulate! Straight to the trash, which usually is from the mailbox straight to the trash. The only things I keep are the bills I need to pay. Which go in an organizer box. (Paper breeding is stilted in trash bins..lol)

[PRgirl]

Paper clutter sucks! It is mostly junk mail and business mail. Bills, and letters from friends are the only paper that counts. And once you pay the bill you should toss it in my opinion. Magazines once read. Toss. Books read unless you read the classics and love the book as the top twenty of all time. Give away too. Or borrow from library and take back. Cookbooks keep the real recipes you like and give away the outdated ones you no longer use.

Besides real cooks just taste and test as they go along, or have the good recipes memorized as it is. If a new recipe, then clip it and keep it til you know it by heart and then toss too. Paper freedom!!

Same with clothes, shoes, etc. use it or lose it. It becomes a nightmare of problems otherwise. I have a rule about keeping my car free of all clutter. I HATE clutter in my car. Don't know why. I can tolerate a little in my office, but none in the car. Don't know why. I like to keep the seats clean and the rugs in the car clean and so on. I hate trash filled cars. I also hate overstuffed clothes drawers.