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[Hoovermom]

I recently did a thorough decluttering of all my china/crystal/decorations, etc. There were items I had held onto that I thought any future DIL's might like.  That changed when DS married his bride, and I realized, like I said in a previous post, that she was Mrs. Pottery Barn and I was Mrs. Classic/Traditionalist.  So, I donated a lot of those items.  BUT I still held on to a large part of my beautiful collection and it fits in all my cabinets.  You should only part with those things you don't care for anymore and hang on to those items you cannot part with.  No matter how much we get rid of or keep, someone coming after us when we leave this earth will find things to donate.  Enjoy your beautiful things.....donate the ones you don't want anymore.  Not a hard and fast rule IMHO.

[bikerbabe]

I need to do some organizing and purging this year but it’s pretty easy not to keep too much when you live in less than 1200 SF.

[Twins Mom]

If I could impart some knowledge to someone who is listening: think two or three times before buying. I am saddened during purging process by knowledge that many items were not needed. My how life could be simplified!
Is this generation already realizing since homes on line are really without clutter, stuff, personal items, etc

[mousiegirl]

I get rid of what I know I won't ever use, hasn't much selling value, and DD would never want, the rest is for her to sell or keep after I am gone.  She likes most everything, but if she didn't have room for all of it, then she could sell it, extra money for her.

[Mominohio]

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@Twins Mom wrote:
If I could impart some knowledge to someone who is listening: think two or three times before buying. I am saddened during purging process by knowledge that many items were not needed. My how life could be simplified!
Is this generation already realizing since homes on line are really without clutter, stuff, personal items, etc

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@Twins Mom 

I couldn't agree more, especially when we reach a certain age, or certain point in our lives, that every purchase should be done with much consideration. 

For myself, I know we have to begin to prepare for retirement in the next 10 years. Finances for that, and spending habits should be adjusted to and planned for now. The  Necessity of continuing to purchase certain things, really how many more years we might have, needs to be considered as well. 

For instance, in my circumstance, I have enough of  certain things that conceivably will last us for several decades (bath towels, dishes, flatware sets, among other things), and probably even the rest of our lives. When I get the urge to purchase those kinds of things, I really have to now be mindful that I don't need them, and should I simply not be able to resist, the same amount of those certain things need to go back out of the house to bring in the new. 

I personally have taken to shopping my own home more now. I have spent the last couple of years purging, organizing, and trying to get my excess things that I do want to keep, more accessible. I'm past the time of having things like extra sets of dishes, boxed up in the basement. I have things out on open shelves in the basement, and that way it is easy to access and use them. I spent too many years not using many of my home decor pieces or kitchen items, because they were so packed away, it wasn't worth the effort to dig them out. 

I'm especially upset with myself when I purge, to find myself giving away things that I never really used or that I didn't keep for very long. I must never have needed them, and I must not really have loved them as much as I thought I would when buying, so I now try to really stop and think before making purchases now.

[GingerPeach]

@Nataliesgramma 

I am keeping some iconic items I've purchased over the years (clothing, mostly) such as a finely tailored wood gabardine jumpsuit from the 70s I won't ever wear but is just too pretty to donate.  It actually does give me joy whenever I look at it.

I have a a little, it seems, from each decade.  I have a gorgeous heavyweight silk black with white dots "bomber-style" jacket with HUGE shoulder pads that I just like looking at.  It is so 80s and a good representation of its time.  I have no interest in having it re-tailored at the moment; maybe at some time I will, maybe not.

I have kept a lot of things I still like but don't use just because I DO still like them.

There is no reason you can't keep what you like whether you use it or not.  

ETA: On the other hand, last year I donated a WHOLE ROOMFUL (it seemed) batch of work clothes from the 90s and 2000s I no longer had use for.  I took pictures of most of them, but they didn't seem "iconic" to me.

[Regal Bee]

I don't purge anything until I am completely ready to let it go. Whether I use it or not has nothing to do with it.

[w1nter]

I have completed several purges in my life and often before my husband and I would move to a new home or location.

The first thing I start with in my purging routine is that I get rid of anything that is worn out, needed replaced with no sentimental value, I will toss it out and replace with something new when we get to the new location (shabby throw rugs, towels, sheets, old candles, cleaning supplies.)

The second is I go through my clothing and if I haven't worn it more than a year or two. I'll donate it, give it to someone who may want it. If it has sentimental value, I'll put it in my sentimental box but only if I am really connected to the item. If the sentimental clothing is something I'll never wear again, I'll save a 'clipping' on the fabric instead. 

The third is I go through decorations, knick knacks and dishes, if it's not something I enjoy or sentimental, I donate it. If it's something that is on it's last leg (old coffee cup, worn throw blanket), I toss it. If it is something sentimental, keep it. Still sentimental and has value? Give it to someone dear to you or sale it on E-Bay to a collector.