[tiamat]

That is awfully kind to give your MIL a home! You and your wife are good people.

Of course, I really cannot talk... I hoard things and so does my husband. Our daughter is showing signs of being a pat-rack as well. We are moving to a smaller home next year and I REALLY do not see what I will do with all of the accumulated crap of a 20 + year marriage.

Tia

[Catspaw]

Tia, we're in the same boat--literally. We're moving aboard our catamaran in a year or so and we'll be tossing about 75-85% of our stuff (my hubby says, "it's not a barge"). We'll sell what we can and toss the rest. The junk pickers will have a field day.

[Auntie Mame]

Have you visited http://www.flylady.net/ ?

It's a godsend!

[CajunConservative]

Of course, I really cannot talk... I hoard things and so does my husband. Our daughter is showing signs of being a pat-rack as well. We are moving to a smaller home next year and I REALLY do not see what I will do with all of the accumulated crap of a 20 + year marriage.

Check out www.flylady.net. I have been cleaning my dad's house this weekend and I have gotten rid of some junk! He wasn't too bad of a hoarder, but I just haven't gotten around to going through his stuff.

Now, my grandmother on the other hand was a hoarder. She was so bad that she would take things out of the trash can that I had thrown away, newspapers and stuff like that. I never in my life saw so many bread ties, grocery bags, plastic containers, jars, just stuff. I learned to throw things away after she went to bed on trash night ;o) She had so much clutter that her pretty things were buried or in the back of cabinets.

I also have a cousin who is a hoarder. I cleaned her house for her and there was about 2 feet of junk on the floors. It took 3 dumpster loads to hold all the bags. If nobody intervenes she will be like the person in the opening post. At least she doesn't hoard cats thank God.

[bootless]

I tend to keep articles about (guess what?) current events and outstanding sports events. But I am culling them, and keeping the rest in those clear storage bins. Then they go into my storage area, which I need anyway, because there is no storage space in my condo.

I read (and then threw out - triumph!) an excellent article are clearing clutter. Here's the deal: Get a storage space, and put EVERYTHING you don't need on a day to day basis into it. That way, your home will be cleared, and you can function and appreciate the fact that you can function.

Then you go to the storage area and cull. Either toss, give away, or set aside to put back in your home. BUT - the longer your home is clean, the more you will think about putting more stuff back into it.

I think it's a brilliant idea.

There is also a great paperback written by the Clean Team (San Francisco) founder Jeff (??? - don't have the book in front of me) called "Declutter Your Life" or something like that. Their watchwords are "be ruthless". I had them clean my house for about a year when I lived in SF - top to bottom, back to front, a whole house in 45 minutes with a team of three. It was great!

[giotto]

We are moving to a smaller home next year and I REALLY do not see what I will do with all of the accumulated crap of a 20 + year marriage.

eBay.