I have several hobbies which require very expensive equipment, and some of that equipment takes up a lot of space. I would not be able to afford purchasing that equipment again, and I use most of the equipment more than 100 hours a year. Some of the equipment might only be turned on for 2-3 hours a year (ie, a router) but when you need one, nothing else will do in its place. The problem is that I’ve moved onto an acre which only has a 900 square foot home and a one-car garage, and it will be a LONG time before I can build another garage.
A secondary problem to this is that here in Texas, garages are very hot, very humid, and can also get below freezing. I’m keeping many of my tools in the house, to keep them from rusting in the humidity. I also keep things like paint and herbicides in the house, as they are ruined if they freeze. Running a second a second climate control system will cost an extra $30-50 a month, and I really don’t want to do that.
Hobbies and equipment examples:
woodworking and home improvement/repair (table saw, hand tools, power tools, electrical stuff, painting stuff, plumbing stuff)
papermaking and making custom invitations (presses, pulp, cans, cardstock, envelopes, etc)
gardening (potting bench/soil, garden tools, fertilizer)
chickens (equip for various stages of chick growth)
goats and cheese making equipment
canning and jelly making equipment (I only use these about twice a year, but it’s for 4-5 weekends a year)
dog rescue (I foster dogs, which requires crates and other various-sized doggie equipment for the various sized dogs I’m assigned)

Any ideas?

I’m chalking it up to cluttering up my time with cable – the TV is an easier/lazier “hobby” after work or on weekends! I’m moving next week and dropping my cable. Without hours and hours of HGTV accessible to me, I’m looking forward to better utilizing my spare time for activities I really enjoy, but have neglected – like painting.

Granted, in a year, I’ll re-evaluate to see if my plan has worked.

The reason I don’t recommend getting rid of your TV is because I find they have utility. In an emergency, most broadcasters can still transmit over the airwaves. Cable signals and websites go down much more easily. In the hours immediately after 9-11, it was a great convenience to have a TV to get the ongoing stream of news in DC. This is the same reason I think it’s a wise idea to have a radio in your home. In an emergency, you need access to information, and TVs and radios are very stable forms of communication in contrast to their more hi-tech counterparts.

For example, I put away my french horns in 1995 and resumed playing in an orchestra in 2007. I put away my triathlon gear in 2001 and won medals in my division in 2006 and 2007.

When I first embarked on a major decluttering project this year, I donated items to which I had no emotional attachment. I was then able to step back and check my progress. Suddenly those items to which I was more emotionally attached overwhelmed me, and letting go of them was not so painful. And while I am an avid knitter and knew this was the one area where my involvement would not diminish, I was able to reduce my yarn stash.

I love to learn and frequently take new classes (most recently beading / jewelry design). In the past, I would have purchased all sorts of gadgets, books, etc. related to my new-found hobby only to find that the passion didn’t necessarily last or was not quite as strong as that with my knitting. (Perhaps the hobby and acquisition of associated tools served to fill a void.) I am now able to restrain myself fully from such purchases and am fully aware where my passions lie.

I am an ardent unclutterer, and had to face the fact that I had a large object, unused, in my 300 sq ft RV.

So today I pulled the guitar down, tuned it (ugh, was it flat!) and started practicing. My fingers are tender, my callouses are gone, but it felt GREAT!

Thanks for the kick in the pants. I’m committing to 15 minutes a day to re-own this hobby. Then my guitar will not be clutter, but a useful, used object.