For the sale pile items, maybe you could set a time or sale limit on things. If they don't sale within 2-3 sales, then the items are donated. It helps me to be in a "purge" mode. One time (ok, more than once), I was mad at the kids for not picking up their stuff, so I followed through on weeding out their toys!

I was going to say the same thing. Sometimes you have stuff lying around that you become so used to seeing, that you don't bother to get rid of it. Try to look at the area you are working in as a stranger, and you will find things that make you say , "What in the world did I keep this for?"

I have a hard time trying to separate my emotions from my stuff too. I have a hope chest that I have kept some of my childhood things. I go through it every now and then and usually get rid of one thing.....but not easily. I know it's just "stuff" but it's still hard!

A tip I might add----I have to wait until my "pack rat" hubby is GONE! lol

Not having emotional attachments to stuff has its downside as well. When it comes to decorating type purchases, I am incapable of committing. I always ask for my daughter's help because she has good taste. But she is enormously frustrated because she tries to find out what thing or kind of thing that I fall in love with. Practically impossible to commit to purchasing anything that isn't totally necessary and very useful.

I have a lot of empty walls.

Cathleen

Another thing that finally started working for me.....is to stop listening to other people. Everytime I wanted to get rid of something....I would call my mom and see if she wanted......she likes the stuff I give her. But then once she saw the pile of stuff that I had to get rid of......she would talk me into keeping all of it again. She is a yard sale queen. She loves to shop at yard sales....and usually finds some great stuff. Princess House, PartyLite, Tupperware, Home Interiors.....I mean she shops every weekend....and never pays more than a couple of dollars for any of these things. But she does it every weekend and buys me a whole bunch of stuff that she thinks would look great in my house. Well now I have more than enough stuff to fill an entire 3 bedroom condo......and I still have over 30 plastic containers sitting in my garage of stuff I don't need or have room for. My closets are full of stuff..........and I just can't take it anymore. I'm having a baby next spring.....and I don't want to have a house so cluttered that I won't have anywhere to put the baby's stuff. I had a serious talk with my mom yesterday and finally made her understand....that I'm grateful she thinks about me and buys me stuff.......but I just don't have room for it any longer. She is going to take all that stuff and have a huge yard sale.

just do it. No matter where you start, getting up and actually doing it is the first and hardest step.