I'm finding there are two schools of thought here. Those who strive to have empty space or cabinets versus those who feel that if I have the space for stuff, why can't I keep everything?

Unfortunately, DH and I are on different sides of the spectrum. I love empty space, clear counters, a desk with nothing on it (please excuse the fact that my desk is a little messy at the moment) and DH likes STUFF. He likes knick-knacky things so thank heavens he has both his own office in the house and a whole side of the garage to fill up.

His attitude is it all fits so why not keep it? My attitude is the empty space is more important to me than the possessions.

I guess my point here is neither one is the "right" way, it's a matter of finding a way to make them work together in one house.

I had a client recently who had a BIG heavy bin full of magazines. I suggested we weed some out and she looked at me in utter confusion and said - but they all fit in the bin, why can't I keep them? She ended up laughing at herself about 30 minutes later when she tried to pick it up to move it and said - oh, that's why, it's too heavy!

But if you don't have to move stuff and you have the room for it, what's your opinion?

This is my struggle with myself, right now! I, too, like my stuff! I like the empty spaces, too, but if I have the space to store stuff, then, I tend to want to keep it!

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't keep anything! I have my own "things" I want to hold onto but at the same time, I'm feeling like the space is winning for me.

It's a hard one to balance that's for sure. More and more I'm liking the empty space idea....have a long way to go to achieve that. I'm kind of a mix I think...if I have the space and it can be stored out of sight I don't mind keeping whatever the "stuff" is. But I really like the empty, open look. Haven't quite worked all the way through it yet. Definitely food for thought tho.

I figure choices to retain or release reflect life's experiences. People whose career require moving learn it's a lot of work and expensive to look after, pack, unpack and place stuff that isn't used or loved. I notice people who have had difficult childhoods seems to need more stuff to feel secure. I have friends who view shopping as entertainment and get a 'high' buying a 'find' which leaves me bewildered.

The other side of that coin is the fact that friends are puzzled by my joy from earrings that reflect the culture of our last location and based on the wonderful conversation we managed when neither of us spoke the same language. [Small pieces of jewelry are a favorite souvenir because they don't weigh much or take up space in a suitcase].

Downsizing to a condo was a life altering decision for me. It changed our self image, employment, friends, and how we entertain. If we don't use it, or love/enjoy items I don't see the point of retaining stuff that doesn't serve our needs.

Talking to my DSIL about her 10 years experience of renting a Storage Unit to save un-needed paperwork and furniture was an eyeopener. When she was honest with herself she realized there was no point in keeping the stuff. She has lots of photos of her parental home and the occasions the family gather around those furnishings. We took pictures of the stuff before it was donated but she didn't even order hard copies when she realized how meaningless it was without the people she remembers so fondly. I didn't say it but cripes it was a lot of money gone. Stuff has costs. How many sf of your home is devoted to storing stuff that isn't needed, used or loved.

The late comedian George Carlin did a routine on stuff. His view was that we get stuff we need and like, eventually we have so much stuff we need bigger homes to hold the stuff. Meanwhile we can't find the stuff we want when we need it so we buy more stuff!

The first thing I did when DH and I moved in together was talk him into getting rid of his storage unit. He had lived with someone previously and she broke up with him and asked him to move out. He was very upset and just took everything to storage and didn't deal with it. He admitted that a lot of it was stuff he didn't need. It was $110/mo which is way too much to waste on things you don't need or love.

We've moved more times than I can keep track of but unfortunately for us, the company usually paid for it so we didn't "have" to get rid of anything really. We did toss a lot simply because it feels good to me!

Cyd, I love the earring thing.

I think it would be easier for me to declutter more if I felt that there was a need to do so, such as downsizing, moving, need the space for something else, etc.

I don't see my stuff as costing me to store it! I don't pay for a separate storage unit; everything I own fits into my present house (and garage). It doesn't matter to me how many s.f. of my house is being used for storage because the area of my house stays the same whether it is crammed with belongings or whether it is empty. I pay the same amount in monthly mortgage, whether the space is full of stuff or it is empty. In fact, the way I see it, if I am paying for the space, I might as well put that space to use, storing stuff!

I think my question applies directly to someone like you Bless. We have PLENTY of space to store stuff but what it comes down to is how do you feel or react emotionally to opening a closet and seeing it packed full and knowing you'd have to take half of it out to get at something in the back for instance? A lot of people would actually like that because they'd feel if it's full then they're prosperous.

For me, if I'd open a closet and it's packed like that or very full, it makes me uncomfortable like it needs to be cleaned out.

I think you either see it as clutter and stuff or you see it as happy memories and good things. For instance, if I had 10 rolls of wrapping paper, I'd look at it as clutter. I'd rather buy one, MAYBE two rolls that are more generic to use. Another person would look at that as a wonderful thing because they'd always have the perfect one. I have one full clear bin of gift bags. I was thinking the other day, UGH, I need to get rid of a bunch of these because I don't think I'll use them all. My husband asked me why I would get rid of some when they fit perfectly well in the bin.

I think your husband and I would get along very well.

The question is posed as all or nothing- but I think it is a compromise. As an organizer, at a client's home, I have to make sure that there IS room when I leave. If the tub, closet, cabinet, shelf and hanging rod are full when I leave, where is the new sweater going to go or the books they receive for a birthday gift?

The only way you can leave something full is if you are never going to ever get anything else- ever. That isn't too realistic. Even if you are not a shopper, things come into your life in other ways, such as presents.

Sometimes, when I go into a cluttered environment, it is cluttered because the person didn't know where to put things because everywhere they could put things, it is full of things. The closets and cabinets might be neat- even organized- but are full. So I really try to leave 15 to 20 percent of empty space when I organize areas where people tend to aquire more of that item- such as books, magazines, dvds, clothing, shoes...kitchen cabinets not so much as that isn't usually an acquaisiton area.