EXACTLY Lea! I just got a big box delivered. It's full of 8 smaller boxes and I need to store the stuff. It's nice knowing there's room in several places because I've already cleaned out those spaces.

Well, I do have empty spaces.

For example, several of the top most shelves in my upper kitchen cabinets are empty. And I intend them to stay that way. I don't like to store stuff up there, because I can't reach them that easily. For me to be able to access stuff on these upper shelves, I need to climb up onto the counters! As I get older, I prefer not climbing up on the counters.

But what this means is, I have to find storage in the lower cabinets. So, my lower cabinets are quite full of items.

I try to keep them organized with the items I need more frequently in front and those I need less frequently at the back. My 6 bowls, which I use for everything from cereal to salad to pasta, are stored in front of the set of pyrex pans. It means I have to pull the bowls out to get to the pans. But I use the bowls practically daily and the pans are used maybe once a month or so. It is inconvenient. Especially since I do have room for the pans on one of the empty top shelves. But storing them up high is even more inconvenient, to me. I could store them in the detached garage, but that, too, is a bit more inconvenient, to me, than having to move the bowls aside. And I find the pyrex pans (1 rectangular one, 2 square ones, 1 round casserole and 1 loaf pan) useful when I make desserts, etc. and do use them quite regularly, so, I don't want to get rid of them, either.

Right now, I can accommodate everything. And although my house is small and it doesn't take a lot to fill up the space, there is room for new items that might come in.

If there isn't sufficient space, then, I go through stuff and make room for the new items. But my problem is, unless I have the need to make additional room, I don't see the need to free up more space.

For example, I have one 2 ft. wide shelf dedicated for cookbooks and, right now, all my cookbooks fit into that space. If I acquire a new cookbook, I can cull the existing cookbooks to make room for it on that shelf. OR, I can move the 3 items I display on the shelf above the cookbook shelf to the upper shelf and open up a new shelf for the cookbooks. But, right now, since I have sufficient space on the shelf for my cookbooks, I don't feel the need to reduce their number, to bring them down to perhaps half a shelf of books. Occasionally, I look at them and think, I don't need that many cookbooks; I could easily give away these 3 books. But then, I think to myself, Why, when I have the space for them!

Sounds like you have the perfect set-up Bless!

My DH comes from a long line of collectors of stuff. His DM loves novelty items like battery operated monkeys that clap cymbals & various other knick-knacks. His sister has a room so full of Coca Cola items that it makes me nervous to be in it.

I would prefer a more streamlined look, but since it is DH's home too, our coffee table is a bit cluttered & there bits of man lint in odd places.

As I looked around the our bedroom the other day, I had a revelation about contained clutter. It is still just that-clutter, so I have some work to do in there.

Thank you. But I do admit to having about 10 rolls of gift wrap and a stack of gift bags in my wicker chest where I keep the gift wrap, stash of gifts, etc. Why not? I have plenty of space in the wicker chest!

The older I get, the more I like the "cleared," or even "minimalist" look, at least in some places. I've been in homes where I felt positively suffocated by all the things around, even if they were attractive. We do have some decorative items, and I've given some away over the years. Most of what we have now has a history/memories, or had value in its own right as art.

For other things, I read a book last year that proposed this idea: You can have as much as you have room for. Sounds much like what has been discussed above. The example was books, but could be anything. If you have room for 100 books, you can have up to 100, but not 300 or 1,000. Similarly, if you have room (depending where you put them) room for 15 sweaters, then you can't have 20 or 30 of them, unless you spread them out in different places - which I personally would find inconvenient.

Ideally, we would have enough storage space that we wouldn't have to, as Bless noted, move things to get to other things. I have to do that. I'm more bothered by having to lift out a small bowl to get to a larger one than having to move X which is in front of Y to reach it. Why are my bowls nested? Because most of my kitchen storage is drawers, not shelves, and I can't line them up in a drawer.

I tend to think of empty or clear space more and more as a design element, on a part with pictures or rugs or knickknacks, and try to keep surfaces mostly clear, such as the coffee table or tops of dressers, kitchen counter except for a blender and a couple of fruit bowls, etc. But I simply don't have enough space to leave places empty.

For example, I've read that one should not have anything on the floor of a closet or under the bed. For me, both of those are immensely helpful, essential storage areas, and the closet floors in particular are accessible, more than many other spots. I have shoes there, weights (for weight-lifting), swimming bag, a box in which to put things to be mended, etc. Where else could I conveniently store these? They aren't in the way, which is important.

Under the bed, in the very center, I have some heirloom-type items: a few of DS's baby outfits, which maybe someday a grandchild can wear; and a few special toys, mostly his Brio train set, which I hope a grandchild would enjoy; DS and I spent hours playing with it, and it's a very creative toy.

Around the edges of the bed, I have some boxes into which I put laundry - lights, mediums, darks, whites. That way I can turn otherwise unproductive under-the-bed space (maximized by using bed risers) into useful areas. Because I have those boxes (wooden, open at the top), I don't need a hamper in the room, which allows me to have another chest of drawers in the room. I store all kinds of things there; each drawer has a use. For example, the bottom drawer is for travel-related things such as luggage tags and straps, packing lists, GPS and peripherals, laundry bags, small holders for documents (including passports if we ever went abroad), cell-phone car charger, etc.

A while back I reduced the number of things in a dresser drawer, and it is much easier and more pleasant to use with fewer items in it. I'd like to do that with all my drawers. I rearranged a few, and because I like swimming so much, set up a "swimming" drawer for suits, caps, goggles, ear plugs, stopwatch (saved from my competitive swimming-meet days), cover-up for wearing over my suit, etc. It's good to have these consolidated.

I always feel as though I don't have enough storage, so am unlikely to leave spots empty if they could be holding something, but would like them emptiER than they are now - especially both the attic and the family-room closet, both of which need major overhauls, since they've gotten overfull.

DS figures that since we have a fair amount of space with just two people in a large house, it is okay just to leave stuff here! I would load his stuff into the car and deliver it, but their house is tiny and full already.

But DDIL is on my side and I think she is trying to encourage him to make some decisions about his stuff. I can see the point of keeping some as it will entertain DGD later on. Already she is enjoying certain books when she comes here. I only hung onto the best ones when DS grew up.

When DMIL was alive, she never kept a load of clutter, because she didn't want us to have a lot of work clearing out her house. But bless her heart, she always loved her clothes, and I had to chuckle when I found every drawer and wardrobe full of clothing, even a spare linen basket packed with clean sweaters!

When I told DS that one day he would have to clear out our place including his stuff he said "Oh well I'll just get rid of it then". He likes to rediscover his stuff when he visits.

So, from my standpoint, it fits is not a good reason for keeping stuff, and I am working on getting rid of stuff, unless we absolutely need or love it. Now, DH needs a little encouragement.......

I like the idea of less is more and am myself, on an ongoing journey to get rid of more stuff. I think it is also part of the journey called life and that is an age related issue too. When I was in my twenties and thirties....and even early forties, it was acquisition, getting the stuff, and setting up the life. At 53, and having been through a divorce, and the related "division of stuff"...yours, mine, I want yours, you can have it(me saying it to get him to shut up!), I am at a point where I don't need or want all that stuff.

If I were to die tomorrow, who would get it all? I have no kids, no nieces or nephews, and then who would have to sort through it.

As an example, I have a Christmas village with plaster houses that I lovingly painted,and added a glaze and snow sprinkles to, then got the little street scapes and people and accessories to ...to creat a beautiful village. I had about 40 houses and the display took up 2 four foot by two foot tables and a car table. I had it for close to 20 yrs. The ex didn't want it as Christmas was my thing. This past year I sorted and kept only the ones I loved and cut the size by over fifty percent...and will probably downsize it again this year.

My point is that it depends on what point we are at in our lives, acquiring or letting go. I am at the letting go. I recently went through my closet and did the same with mycollection of jackets, downsizing them by 25% and its still not enough. Shoes were cut by 40%.

I am at the point where I like the open space AND the empty closets.

Since my roommate moved out in March, I rarely go into the basement. The pool table has been set up for when DBF's son is here. The spare 20inch tv is on a small table with the retro arcade game machine connected to it(asteroids, centipede etc...they think its way cool to play ancient video games), a few rolling chairs, a couple of cabinets, and an old oak office armoire, besides the Christmas stuff in the storeroom....to me right now, space I really don't need....and it is essentially empty!

The other rule I have adopted for me now is the one in two out rule (with the exception of the occasional movie I buy)

Beaglelady, I think you are on the right track. I've divested myself of a lot of things over the past several years. I anticipate staying in my current house for years to come (unless DS eventually moves out and so far away I move closer to him), but when and if I move or pass away, someone is going to have a major clear-out job. I well remember all the work I did for DM, assisting her with several moves from point A to point B, then into assisted living (which really required downsizing), and finally clearing out her unit after she passed away. I don't want to inflict that on anyone. So I want to keep removing things we don't use, and suspect that Christmas items will be among them. I will keep the very small Christmas village and Nativity set from Mom, neither of which takes up much storage space, but DS and I will discuss before this winter how much other decorating we will do, inside and outside. Christmas can take over our lives if we let it, which defeats the purpose of the holiday. Similarly, I'm going to look with an analytical eye on what else we can live without, although am not ready to give up things such as our tent, even thought it hasn't been used for 3 years or so - we may yet use it.

I think it was George Carlin who said, "YOu can't have it all - where would you put it?" - and seeing if we have places to put things can help us decide what to keep.

Good on you BL, you've really done an extraordinary amount of work, changed states, houses, jobs, stuff and men...with positive outcomes. You seem so much happier. I loved your delight with chicken, ribs and oatmeal cookies on another thread...your joy jumped off the page!

We've had interesting experiences since DH stopped talking and actually bought a new-to-us, older RV. After a bit of research and some wonderful help from GONers, I gathered up basics to outfit the rig. A couple of gifts from friends, a couple of donations from neighbors and relatives completed my list [small appliances will rotate from my kitchen]. We only had a couple of overnight, shake-out trips [DH's body is broken this summer; he's mad as a hornet] and I'm shocked by how little is needed.

Meanwhile, I've been experimenting with the idea of living in tiny quarters on wheels for 4-6 weeks at a stretch. I sold 5 tables of merchandise at Yard sale # 2 and will be running ads on Kijjiji [local e-bay] and Craigslist the remainder of summer to further reduce the amount of stuff I'm identifying. For example, the set of Corning, French bakeware which I like BUT, require an extra ordinary amount of care to keep them looking pristine. I'll revert to the 3 pce pyrex casserole/pie workhorses who function without gleam.