What do you keep that you KNOW you'll never use?

[Enerchi]

My wedding shoes, and have no clue where my wedding dress is.

Got on that crazy town phase of Louis Vitton multi colored bags, but can't part with them just yet. Also have one in denim, like What was I thinking??

Welllllll.... that could be an interesting little thread to post for us to enjoy the LV vicariously thru you!!! Feel free to provide us with entertainment one day, Kaleigh!! I don't own any LV but love to gawk!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Closets full of business suits that I will NEVER wear again. NEVER!! Anyone want to help me get rid of them? Haven?? Help? I just feel like, what if I need them again. But, I won't. But, that's what keeps them here.

Oh, and whenever I suggest that my husband go through his BOXES full of wires, he just says "BUSINESS SUITS!" and the conversation ends in laughter.

I am going to try to pull some today.

I would put all of your suits in a box or a bag labeled with the date you packed them. Then, tuck them away somewhere--a closet, basement, shed, etc.
One day you'll happen upon them and realize that you boxed them up one, two, three years earlier and never missed them, and then it will be much easier to get rid of them at that point.
At least, that's what worked with DH!

ETA: If you want a more immediate result, you COULD bring all of your suits out and put them in a big pile right in the middle of the room you use the most. That way the extra stuff is so in your face, you may just want to get rid of it ASAP. This is what I did when I cleaned out my craft room. I had all of these lovely crafts that I never used, but they were tucked away so neatly and out of sight that they didn't bother me. I put them all in the middle of our family room when I really wanted to clean them out, and for some reason seeing them taking up space in our often-used family room made it easier for me to give it all away.

Oh, thanks, Haven. I will say that I know when we moved here, and they've been hanging in the laundry room closet and several other closets since then. I had to clean out one of the closets in the room that is now the nursery, so I just shoved everything into another closet. So, let's just say it's been three years already. Maybe I will try to beeline most of the laundry room closet into my car tomorrow and then head directly to goodwill.

 

[Lotus99]

Closets full of business suits that I will NEVER wear again. NEVER!! Anyone want to help me get rid of them? Haven?? Help? I just feel like, what if I need them again. But, I won't. But, that's what keeps them here.

Oh, and whenever I suggest that my husband go through his BOXES full of wires, he just says "BUSINESS SUITS!" and the conversation ends in laughter.

I am going to try to pull some today.

I would put all of your suits in a box or a bag labeled with the date you packed them. Then, tuck them away somewhere--a closet, basement, shed, etc.
One day you'll happen upon them and realize that you boxed them up one, two, three years earlier and never missed them, and then it will be much easier to get rid of them at that point.
At least, that's what worked with DH!

ETA: If you want a more immediate result, you COULD bring all of your suits out and put them in a big pile right in the middle of the room you use the most. That way the extra stuff is so in your face, you may just want to get rid of it ASAP. This is what I did when I cleaned out my craft room. I had all of these lovely crafts that I never used, but they were tucked away so neatly and out of sight that they didn't bother me. I put them all in the middle of our family room when I really wanted to clean them out, and for some reason seeing them taking up space in our often-used family room made it easier for me to give it all away.

Oh, thanks, Haven. I will say that I know when we moved here, and they've been hanging in the laundry room closet and several other closets since then. I had to clean out one of the closets in the room that is now the nursery, so I just shoved everything into another closet. So, let's just say it's been three years already. Maybe I will try to beeline most of the laundry room closet into my car tomorrow and then head directly to goodwill.

If you have old business suits, you could also see if there's a charity in your area that takes these to give to women either starting their careers or switching careers. I know we have a charity locally that does this. I think I'd feel better about giving a young woman a business wardrobe than simply giving them to goodwill. Just a suggestion. This is one of those charities: http://www.dressforsuccess.org/

 

[Haven]

That's a great idea, Lotus. I know we have a similar organization here in Chicago.

LV--THREE YEARS! Oh, that stuff is so ready to find a new home where it will be well-loved and regularly used. Think of it as being green. My DH did a similar thing when we moved to our house. He had this gigantic box filled with STUFF. First, he kept it in a corner in the extra room that we use as an office. Then, he moved it to a different corner. Finally, after over a year had gone by and he hadn't even opened it--as in, the packing tape was still firmly in place across the top, I knew it was time to get rid of it. He resisted at first, but then he realized he hadn't used anything in that box for nearly two years, so out it went!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Lotus - Thank you!!! I just e-mailed a local organization that trains people to re-enter the workforce. This will provide much greater motivation for me!!!

Haven - You are so good at getting rid of stuff! Your DH is lucky to have you to motivate him!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

I keep a box filled with clothes that I LOVED when growing up in my teenage years. I really wished my Mom would have saved more of her things (I went through an 'only wear vintage' phase) and figured my children may wish for the same. Either that OR they'll make fun of me! I also have all my yearbooks and some fun notes that we my girlfriends and I passed back and forth (do they still do that in high school?).

I do try to purge when possible. I am in the process of moving in with FI and I LOVE that it gives me a chance to touch everything and decide what I 'need' and what I don't. We have gone through a ton of his stuff (he bought a 100 year old house and the people who lived in the house before him left a TON of things even they didn't want to keep and I have been slowly but surely donating things or throwing them out when they're not usable.) and it's only fair to go through mine. In all honesty though, it feels GOOD to be rid of things.

 

[zoebartlett]

Haven, I have a feeling that if you ran a side business, helping people with their finances, and decorating and organizing their houses, you'd have a lot of customers from PS signing up.

 

[zoebartlett]

We're downsizing in a few months, going from a 1400 sf rental condo to the condo we own (just over 1000 sf). I hate moving but we seem to do it fairly often. I can't think of what else we need to get rid of but I know there must be things lying around that are waiting to be donated to a new home.

 

[soocool]

Funny you should bringthis up. DH and I are in the process of de-cluttering the basement. We have stuff packed away in huge Rubbermaid containers that were never labeled and have been going through these for the past few weeks.

DH has 3 of his own containers he will go through and decide what stays and what goes...if it were me all of it would go.

DD was here for the weekend and she found 2 of her stuffed toys from childhood that she promptly took back to school with her today.

I don't attach much value to stuff, but there are a few things that I have held onto. I have kept some old kitchen stuff (Kitchen Aid stand mixer, hand mixer, blender, Forman Grill, plates, flatware, old pots and pans) that DD will get when she moves in to an apartment next fall. I am happy that she will get use out of it and I know that she is happy that she doesn't need to buy this stuff. I have kept DD's crib (my dad made it), her changing table, stroller, playpen.... I just can't part with these, put I will give them to DD if she ever has kids.

Other stuff:

1. My mom's furs. I thought of making them into a blanket and a fur teddy bear, but I just can't do it. I put them on in the winter when it is cold in the house. It still has my mom's scent and I feel like my mother is hugging me when I have it on (just a sentimental thing).

2. My mom's jewelry. I don't wear any of it, but again cannot part with it. These are things my dad gave my mother.

3 .My dad's pipes. Dad is still alive and hasn't smoked a pipe since I was a kid, but he would still put it in his mouth, unlit with no tobacco until he just decided to put them all away in the attic. When dad moved into assisted living, my sister and I found the box and we each took a couple of pipes. They also have the scent of tobacco that I associated with my dad when I was little and he would read in his chair every evening smoking his pipe. I actually love the smell of pipe tobacco.

4. I have all of DD's dance shoes when she was younger..ballet and tap. I have been going crazy trying to figure out what I will do with these. I would love to display them somehow, but have no idea how. Any suggestions?

5. My baby shoes, my baby blanket (over 50 years ago), all cards and letters from my mom and dad, DH, and DD.

6. But the dumbest thing I have held onto are my curling irons and hot curlers that I have not used in almost 20 years. My hair is fairly short and I wear it straight (layered though it is). What's up with that? I am going upstairs right now and put them in the pile for my donation to Purple Heart this week.

 

[soocool]

Closets full of business suits that I will NEVER wear again. NEVER!! Anyone want to help me get rid of them? Haven?? Help? I just feel like, what if I need them again. But, I won't. But, that's what keeps them here.

Oh, and whenever I suggest that my husband go through his BOXES full of wires, he just says "BUSINESS SUITS!" and the conversation ends in laughter.

I am going to try to pull some today.

I would put all of your suits in a box or a bag labeled with the date you packed them. Then, tuck them away somewhere--a closet, basement, shed, etc.
One day you'll happen upon them and realize that you boxed them up one, two, three years earlier and never missed them, and then it will be much easier to get rid of them at that point.
At least, that's what worked with DH!

ETA: If you want a more immediate result, you COULD bring all of your suits out and put them in a big pile right in the middle of the room you use the most. That way the extra stuff is so in your face, you may just want to get rid of it ASAP. This is what I did when I cleaned out my craft room. I had all of these lovely crafts that I never used, but they were tucked away so neatly and out of sight that they didn't bother me. I put them all in the middle of our family room when I really wanted to clean them out, and for some reason seeing them taking up space in our often-used family room made it easier for me to give it all away.

Oh, thanks, Haven. I will say that I know when we moved here, and they've been hanging in the laundry room closet and several other closets since then. I had to clean out one of the closets in the room that is now the nursery, so I just shoved everything into another closet. So, let's just say it's been three years already. Maybe I will try to beeline most of the laundry room closet into my car tomorrow and then head directly to goodwill.

I went through this a little more than a few years ago. The ones that I knew were out of style and would not come back went first - the ones with the big 1980's shoulders. The next to go were the ones that looked a little worn. Finally, when I realized that the few last ones were never going on my body again they left the closet. It was easy to get rid of these last few after I went shopping and got a few pretty outfits that could be worn both to work and going out (only wore it for going out) that it made it easier to get rid of the old.

 

[soocool]

That's a great idea, Lotus. I know we have a similar organization here in Chicago.

LV--THREE YEARS! Oh, that stuff is so ready to find a new home where it will be well-loved and regularly used. Think of it as being green. My DH did a similar thing when we moved to our house. He had this gigantic box filled with STUFF. First, he kept it in a corner in the extra room that we use as an office. Then, he moved it to a different corner. Finally, after over a year had gone by and he hadn't even opened it--as in, the packing tape was still firmly in place across the top, I knew it was time to get rid of it. He resisted at first, but then he realized he hadn't used anything in that box for nearly two years, so out it went!

This was my DH too! I finally made him open the box and they contained notebooks from college, in case he ever needed to refer to them. I asked him in the 20 years that he held on to them, did he ever refer to them. When he said no, he threw them out.