I have a huge stack of paperwork from bankruptcy 15 years ago with my ex. I keep the stack “just in case” I need it for a mortgage or other loan. I did need it when applying for a mortage around 5 years ago. Will I need it ever again? Is it relevant that long ago? One would think the discharge papers should be enough. I have decided that, while it will be a hassle, I’m going to scan the huge horrible file into a PDF and get rid of the paper. It upsets me everytime I see it, and it takes up too much space in the file drawer. The problem with digital files sometimes is finding them again, or where to store them, like on cloud storage that requires a subscription which is annoying!

@Lisa Davidsohn on Sunday, I got rid of 2/3 of that horrible stack of paper. There were were a lot of duplicates and drafts. I should be able to get rid of another 1 inch or so of paper when my brain has recovered! I zoned out and couldn’t focus anymore when I got down to the forclosure paperwork. I am certain there are photocopies and duplicates to shred. I made a good start!

@Lisa Davidsohn Have you ever watched Midwest Magic Cleaning on YT? One thing Mack says is everything we own ends up in the landfill eventually (I don’t know if that’s entirely true but maybe it is), and he asks do you want your home to be a storage unit for the landfill? That one really hit home. Also, my husband is somewhat of a “prepper” so we have a lot of stuff for “what if.” It has been over 5 years since anyone stayed at our house. I suppose I would move all the stuff into the other bedroom that has all the “what if” food in it. It really is a disaster. I could try to make the argument to my husband that we need to keep at least 1 bedroom clear in case someone comes to visit. One room has mostly my stuff and the other room has the food.

He really views clutter differently! He is blind to his own items. He has a lot of shoes, I should count, it seems like we have the same amount —but I have too many! He has a whole garage, mechanic / woodworking shop, and reloading office. I have a table in the front room and the coffee table. I have tons of crap on my sink, he has a bunch of stuff, but nothing like my piles of stuff. He saves a lot of old scrap metal items because what if we need scrap metal some day ???🤦‍♀️ Yet I have too many books. it is a difference in the kind of things we see as important.

B - always! A/C I alternate. I am reluctant to donate everything, I am falling into the “sunk cost” fallacy. The money was already wasted when I bought the items. Maybe I can sell it on facebook marketplace. I live in a rural area so a rummage sale isn’t likely to have much traffic. I also lack a dedicated area for set up and display, and the weather is severely hot as to keep people away at this time of year.

@Lisa Davidsohn I guess it’s worth a try!