Too Much Stuff!

Woman's Day, January 2009

When you're trying to declutter, some things are easier to toss than others. That '80s sweater? Buy-bye! But what about the pasta maker you never use? You know you should get rid of it, but it never quite makes it to the yard sale. Whatever your reason for clinging to stuff, parting doesn't have to be such sorrow. Our experts' advice can help you handle tough-to-ditch clutter once and for all.

Emotional Attachments

Items from your past, like the macrame potholder your child made at camp,represent sweet memories, so you hate to let them go.

Think big. When you're tempted to keep everything your kid brings home, try this visualization exercise from Scott Roewer, owner of Solutions by Scott, an organization firm in Washington, DC: "Imagine how the volume of stuff will grow until your child is 18. Suddenly keeping only what matters is easier to swallow."

Go high-tech. Use a scanner to create digital files of paper ephemera, like letters; toss originals. For bulky items, take digital snapshots and compile into a photobook at Blurb.com.

Repurpose favorites. One woman hung on to a beloved maternity dress for 13 years before Regina Leeds, author of One Year to an Organized Life, suggested she frame a swatch of the fabric and a few other keepsakes in a shadowbox. "Now she has artwork and more room in her closet," says Leeds. Another option: Make a memory quilt. At online crafts store Ticche and Bea, you can order a kit to help you transform baby clothes, concert T-shirts or college sweatshirts into a fun patchwork quilt ($35 and up; ticcheandbea.com).

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