On keeping gifts, my husband and I got married back in 1992 and received some that we neither wanted nor needed. We combined households, me moving out of my apartment to his house which we still live in, so we had “stuff” (i.e. cookware, furniture, etc.) I must confess we held on to those wedding gifts for several years, which of course became clutter, then finally gave them to Goodwill with no-guilt at all! We agreed that the givers meant well, we just didn’t have a use for the gifts. When I think about it, I’m sure of all the gifts I’ve given to people, how many of those were given away or re-gifted? They are free to do whatever they want with whatever I give them.

Has anyone successfully figured out how to distance yourself from the stuff but not the memories. How did you do it?

I am a daughter of a hoarder. I do have pack rat tendencies, but am married to someone who breathes feng shui. I am trying to combat my genes.

I have conquered the guilt about presents. I do regift, but only if I think that person will truly enjoy the gift. I have no guilt selling, gifting, or giving away something that is just not practical, that I don’t love, or have no room for.

The hard part for me is the “I may need it someday”. My husband tells me all the time “if you need that popcorn decorative tin 7 years from now, we will go out and buy it then”…so on with everything else I hoard for just in case. Even though he tempers me, I still have major problems with this one.
Any more sage advice like my dear husband’s?

@Unclutterer, Thanks for the link. I think of myself as a person truly trying to get/stay uncluttered, but the article nicely summarized a lot of the classic cluttered thinking that still exists for me – with strategies for getting out from under :~)

It’s silly to hang onto “stuff” that you never use. What’s left of my grandfather’s stuff is in 5 wooden barrels sitting by the road at his old farm. It’s STILL there and they haven’t had that far m for 15 years. The photos and memories I have are far more important to me than cluttering my yard or den with those barrels.

collect memories not stuff, and break “society’s” rules every chance you get.

What do you tell the giver of the gift, when they come to your house looking for the absolutely hideous vase they gave you?

Does anyone know how to go about recycling old pots and pans. The kind that you don’t want to give to anyone else.

Sentimental, inherited “clutter” is the most difficult. I have furniture, etc. that was my parents and grandparents. I kept what I love and let the rest go. It was hard but I was beginning to resent my house being overloaded. I know they wouldn’t want me to keep anything that would be a burden.