I am currently reading "The Clutter Cure" by Judi Culbertson. My girls have gone to college, and I am working (very slowly) at decluttering my house.

There are other reasons to do it: I'm in danger of foreclosure, I'd like to have a work room for my hobbies, I'd like to cook in the kitchen and find stuff easily.

One of the reasons is I'd like to be thin. Somehow it's in my brain that my weight is directionally proportional to the amount of clutter in my house, and if I can take care of one, I can take care of the other. If I'm cleaning, I'm not eating. Or something like that.

I feel sad about the woman whose stuff ended up in the dumpster, though. I hope that some friend or relative, somewhere, has a photo of her, and her name written on the back, and it's too bad that apparently none of it went to St. Vincent or Salvation Army Thrift store, where it might have blessed someone else's life.

As for the multiplicity of stuff, I remember a columnist who wrote that, when there was only one or two designes of jeans in the only store in town, he had no trouble finding one that fit. Now he lives in a city, where there are jean stores in every mall and in every big box retailer, and he can't find a pair that looks good.

What a great feeling. I have gotten rid of a garage full of stuff and made $1500. Now I look at my home once a week to see if I can rid some more treasures. If you do not use it once a week why do you have it? I want to use my time to do things I enjoy not cleaning and putting away stuff.

This has been a growing source of conflict in our marriage, culminating in a "divorce purge" last year. It was extremely cathartic for me, but very much against my spouse's disposition. The notion of "purity" of living, that is, focusing on the essentials without buying into consumerism has been a goal of mine for several years. The freedom of reducing your "necessities" to just what you can your can carry (or at least fit is a car) brings attention to what really matters in life: food, shelter, community and freedom.

I applaud you for having these types of news reports. Certain people are hanging on to "things" because they don't, or can't depart with them. Let me tell you this, after a 29 year marriage in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, large family room, kitchen and living room, basement, 2 car garage and a pool, I had to let it all go! I could no longer afford to maintain the house, yard and pool. I had to sell, give away, donate all those "things" I had collected. Everyday I had a yard sale, gargage sale and moving sale in preparation to move and as I watched people grabbing up their new "finds" I cried in desapair to watch them leave. I cried when the keys of the house were finally turned over and as I drove away from the one thing I had worked so hard for. My house, my home, my haven for my family who was now all on their own and now one there to care for. I can also tell you that all those "things" today mean nothing to me! Did I miss them or do I now? Once in while I find myself thinkging I used to have that certain something to help me with a particular task, but oh well, I'll use something else. I now live in a two bedroom home with one bathroom, no basement or pool the garage can only fit one car, but I have never been happier! I am free from all the "things" that my daughters would not want if I suddenly died, and yes, when you die you house will fill up with people looking for "things" to buy then most will be given away, donated or end up at the curb on trash night. I encourage everyone to start cleaning the clutter now! It might just save some time and tears.

We've been decluttering our house for the last year, calling it "Downsizing without Moving." I've cleaned the house and basement this way, donating some to Goodwill, selling other things at a consignment place, and throwing the rest away. Now I'm going through rooms again because I'm slowly finding more things I can live without. Once I began doing this, it has become easier and easier to clean things out. Now if only I could get my husband to declutter the garage and outbuilding.

In 2003, my wife and I inventoried our possessions of 42 years of marriage. After 3 months of boxing and bagging...three garage sales later...we emptied four closets, two of our three china cabinets and basement storage unit, delivered 30 black garbage bags of good used clothing (six Armani suits, two tuxes, thirty dresses, many, many coats, etc.) to Goodwill, disposed of half of our furniture, all of our collectables, china, and assorted dust collectors, over 500 books, c.d's, old video tapes, two extra t.v.'s and just about everything we haven't used in twelve months. Gawd...what freedom, lol.

I recently divorced after more than two decades of marriage. I have been wanting to get rid of "stuff" but the split started the process as we had to divide up our belongings fairly. My small (1200 sq. ft.) home that used to house six of us, now seems bigger with just me and three of the four kids here half the week (one went off to college this year). The pump was primed and I went through dark corners of the basement that hadn't been looked at for years and I tossed a ton of stuff. My oldest son helped haul things up the stairs and out onto the patio in three piles: garbage, Goodwill, and Other. The other pile was for certain things that I thought particular friends or family could use, but most of it went in the first two piles.

An article I read recently spoke of asking yourself how hard it would be to replace something if you tossed it. Use that to help decide what to keep. After reading that I got rid of a large pile of "skinny" clothes that I was sure I would fit into again some day. If I'm ever that size again, I will simply enjoy a bit of shopping.

I bemoaned our small house back when all the kids were living here and the two dogs and then the kids' friends would come over - now I am glad I never got a bigger house. I don't want to clean it. I don't want to heat it and cool it. I don't want to maintain it. I am blessed with what I have, yet I still have too much and look forward to more cleaning out and throwing away.

My husband and I sold our 2000+ square-foot home on a full basement, two-car garage, eight acres, and six-stall horse barn--all packed full of "stuff" we had collected over 42 years of marriage. Over a period of three years, it took yard sales, giving it away, and donating it to charitable organizations to get rid of it all. Each load we hauled off was a little more load off our minds and seemingly, off our shoulders. We bought a 37-foot motor home, downsized to only necessities, and now home is where we park it!

When we retired we struggled with what our next move would be. We knew we wanted to leave our then-current residence in south east Michigan but didn't really know where we wanted to settle. We had enjoyed many locales on vacations but realized that staying in a place for a week or less didn't give us an understanding the place or the people who to live there.

We sold our 3500 sq ft home, got rid of lots of stuff and stored what we've come to realize was way too much! We filled our two cars and set off to "condo-hop" and house sit our way around the country. We spent the winter in a wonderful furnished condo overlooking Lake Michigan, summered in a furnished apartment near our daughter's family and grandsons in Chaska, MN, did a houseboat vacation with them in northern Minnesota, traveled across country to the Black Hills of South Dakota, house and dog sat for a month in Colorado Springs and are now back in West Michigan in the same condo as last year.

At each stop, we've gotten rid of more stuff and still can't believe how much we cart around! We've learned that a 1400 sq ft condo is plenty big enough and that with all we've gotten rid of, we have way more "stuff" than we need. We've enjoyed great places, met great people, gotten involved in volunteer opportunities and learned how much life there is to enjoy.

Not sure where we'll go next but really enjoy the freedom to decide where we'll be, for how long and what we'll see and do there and along the way!

Great topic! Just in the last year I have had to help my mother move closer into town due to health. It took 3 months and many trips to get the stuff she had boxed to save sorted and dispersed. Some sold some given away. I am now having to do the same with my father (separate household) due to his health.

It made me also realize that I didn't want to wait until I am older and in failing health to see how all this stuff is keeping me from getting out in Life. I am in my last week of work so I can spend time with my parents and my three kids in college. I will also hope to travel with my husband when he works out of state. I plan to begin my cleaning out of stuff so as to free me up to make going to family and travel easier. I hope to get some ideas on how to get started and to keep it going.

What are we supposed to do with grandma's Haviland china and Waterford crystal and mother's tea cup collection and their heirloom jewelry and precious needlework and works of art that hold absolutely no interest for our kids?

In addition to those things, I have a trunk filled with the family archives, photos, documents and letters that my grandmother believed important enough to haul around with her for 70 decades before she passed them on to me. My sons couldn't be less interested.

After caring for it all these years, does it all just go into the garbage when I die?Will Good Will stores soon find their shelves filled with once-treasured and valuable family china and crystal when silent generation and baby-boomer heirs realize their kids don't want to be bothered with taking care of stuff that can't be washed in the dishwasher or doesn't fit into their casual lifestyles?

Is the only solution to use the "good stuff" until it breaks and turn the china/curio cabinets into firewood?

Living with less ... giving with less.

This year I decided to "spend" my time and money doing more canning of fruits and vegetables (including jams, salsa, dill pickles, sauerkraut, and dilly beans) to give as Christmas gifts. Remembering days gone by when my mother and grandmother canned fruits and vegetables in order to make it through each year, I thought that it would be nice to give home canned product as gifts.

I purchased baskets for very little money from the Goodwill. I purchased the fruits and vegetables from the local Farmer's Market, VFW, and fruit stands. I obtained my jars from family members and friends who were no longer using them, or at a local auction house. I found canning books at the Goodwill, Salvation Army, and bookshops that sold used books.

It's a good feeling to be able to save money and give something you've made.

After my 54 year old husband husband was downsized, months of resumes sent to virtually no result and unemployment benefits depleted, we were out of options, save one: sell our home, sell most everything else we owned, including both paid-for cars, and use the proceeds to buy a used RV.

That mission commenced (ironically) Labor Day, 2009. By January 2010, we left hometown and family behind and hit the road with a 34 ft. RV and our two greyhounds. I daresay, domestic downsizing accomplished in a skosh over three months in the midst of a burst housing bubble could be one for a record-book.

Mobility allowed us to join the workamper culture, i.e., the temporary/seasonal work force few know exists. Jobs available range from private amusement parks, national and state parks to Amazon, beet harvesting, Christmas candy sales, product demonstrators and myriad other income generators paying more-or-less minimum wage. As a freelance writer and editor, my career was portable, yet erratic, so positions were applied for as a couple. It constituted my first "real job" in over two decades.

Thus far, with tight budgeting, earnings have exceeded expenses, despite RV repairs and maintenance, pickup repairs and maintenance, a broken arm necessitating a trip to the ER and no health insurance coverage. It appears we'll end this first workamper year in the black, albeit barely.

How long two fifty-plussers can continue this 21st-century Grapes of Wrath with on-board air-conditioning is a question we don't ask aloud. Family we miss, but not the stuff sold for pennies on the dollar. Living small and simply is liberating in in unexpected, wonderful ways. But anyone who thinks the middle-aged, middle-class has not been devastated by the Great Recession need look no further than the ever-enlarging, mobile, at-will workforce who've lost or sold their American dreams to survive the American economic reality.

I think that this series is very timely considering the current economic situation. I have three children and after saving nearly every drawing and work of my older daughter, I thought seriously about where all her stuff would end up. I now save one file folder per child per grade and maybe that's even too much. I also decided to have one small storage box per child for their special baby toys and mementos. I thought about what they will want to lug around when they get to college and beyond.

Another mode of thinking I use when I clean out toys, closets, papers, etc. is "moving mode". I think about what I would keep if I was moving and it forces a clarity to pretty much get rid of everything.

Today my kids have a book fair and they wanted to go and buy books and posters. After reading Jane Derenowski's blog, I told them that we would go to the library instead and they were just as happy.

Thank you for the insightful blog and series.

Living better with less has been our mantra for the now 16 years we have been retired. It started with downsizing from a 1800 square foot home to a 35 foot sailboat…we rid ourselves of our “stuff” and discovered how little you really need to live and live very well.

Those wanting to retire in these days of falling retirement accounts should examine all options available to spend less in retirement.

We retired early, I was 49, in 1994 by employing various lifestyles of inexpensive living…they are all a lot of fun:

They include:

• Living on a sailboat in the Caribbean

• Drastic downsizing in living space

• Fulltime RVing

• Living overseas

• Park model living

• Living off the grid

Our website http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/ contains 121 pages of all original content outlining our experiences with these frugal, but fun, lifestyles.

Hope you find on site a way to still retire despite these hard economic times.

Living better with less works…we know… we have done it.

In response to the question about finding house sitting opportunities - I've found www.housecarers.com to be a great site for linking those needing and those offering house/pet sitting.  The site is administered out of Australia but is truly international in reach.  For a small sum ($29/year I think) you can register as a prospective house sitter.  You develop a profile for yourself, your background, skills, references, etc.  You can then select cities, states, locations, countries, etc. you'd be interested in sitting.  I get an email almost every day informing me of prospective opportunities to review.  We've only done a few so far but have heard of people who "full time" this lifestyle, having all their possessions cataloged in totes and kept in their Suburban.  Don't think I'd want to do it that often but it sure is fun to do it when and where we want to gain a new experience!  Hope it works for you.

Cruisers (people sailing their own boats around the world), know first-hand how to live better with less. Read more on my recent blog: http://wp.me/pGUwF-6B

Want more out of life? Get rid of more in your environment!

Anything unloved, unfinished or unused is gobbling up energy that could be used on other things. Feng Shui starts by clearing clutter in order to create space for the things we do wish to have in our lives.

Can't count the number of clients I've had that cleared out all the belongings and gifts from a past loved one in order to open up to a new relationship and within weeks found themselves in a new loving relationship.

Want a new career, love, wealth? Create space for it by clearing out the old.

Oh yes... a new life. I got the big house in the divorce in 1994 and most of the belongings – many, many belongings. I tried to maintain this two-story, 2600 sq. ft., four bedroom monstrosity for eleven years. It was not only loaded with "things", it was also loaded with memories of our three children – graduations, two wedding receptions there, grandchildren born, and years of holiday festivities.

When I decided to retire in 2004, I knew I had to sell this home in order to live off my new income. I kept important personal possessions and heirlooms for the kids, but I had a professional estate sale for the rest. It was hard letting go, but I had to get rid of half of the 30-year collection in order to fit in my new home that was half the size.

I'm glad I did it. My life is much simpler now with less maintenance. In fact, I'm thinking about having a garage sale to get rid of more things!

I have never been a fan of stuff and clutter however since having children that has changed. I used to only have a few things in my closet to wear, I have never been a big clothes shopper but my kids have more toys than they know what to do with. When I was a child you did not hear of playrooms and now everyone has one. I recently created one in my home after refusing to for so long but the toys were taking over. I hate to get rid of them because they do play with them. Christmas and birthdays are no longer enjoyable because I know that it will lead to a barrage of more toys and where do we put them. How can I get back to basics with my children?

Our family friend and piano teacher passed away at the age of 88 years. Her only child died when he was 12 years old. She was a dear lady and often talked about how her son made her laugh, how much she loved him. After the woman's family disposed of her belongings my mom saw the child's baby book and photos in the trash. She rescued them and years later gave them to me. Now I'm grown and I thank my mom for even better memories of my piano teacher.

i was once living a better style life than now. i had a good job.. i lost it 2005 when i got injured on the job. from that time on i had to cut back some. and then it got to be .. cutting back some more. i am on ss . disability and only have that one time check at first of month. i once was a collecter of many things. antiques and the like. i started selling, giving away and throwing away even. i just realized less is more. for the last 2 yrs i have cut back on material things and dont care to purchase anything new.. and cut back on normal spending.. it hurts at times but you have to learn to save for that important item that you need.. i feel so much better not having that load on me .. oh by the way on the way of cutting back i was lucky enough to pay off my credit cards and learned to pay cash for all the things i get.. i live simple and only have what really matters to me.. i have the lord with me and he helps me to get along.

When I was preparing to retire in 2008 (my husband already had) we knew we would be moving into a much smaller house with a lot less storage space - no basement, no attic.  Giving away everything that the new house wouldn't have room for felt like losing 50 pounds.  It took a huge amount of weight off of our shoulders. We still have more than we need, but we are blissfully content.   

My mother’s home was destroyed in tornado 5 years ago - fortunately, 90% of her possessions were not destroyed - the house was torn down - and became a parking lot.

The process was arduous – packing up stuff – the home was about 3500 sq ft – build in the 1800’s. We packed up everything and off it went in storage for about 6 months. She purchased a much smaller home and remodeled it and moved in. Needless to say, we had to get rid of lots of furniture, art, etc. We had an auction and sold about 60% of what she originally had. Many of the items were antiques she had acquired over 40 years -- during that time I said -- it was someone else’s when you bought it, now someone else gets to use it. We enjoyed the furniture, etc. when you had it now it can fit into their life. It will be easier to dispose of this household when the time comes instead of the larger one she previously had. When we are looking for something that we know we didn’t sell it-- we laugh and say that it is probably in a field in a county nearby. (Lots of stuff from the attic got blown away).

I came across two quotes recently that give me food for thought.

You can never get enough of what you don’t need.

When you are faced with getting rid of an item ask yourself the following.

1. Do I use it?

2. Do I love it?

3. Do I need it?

Less stuff = less worry and less stress. I’m working towards that in my own household as well.

After working for an attorney for 17 years I was fired after filing a workers comp claim against him. I had to really down size. Depression set in right away. I finally got a new job as a crossing guard at our local elementary school. Little money but the best job I ever had. It's so wonderful to get a good morning and a big smile from all.