All the best with your decluttering, BW.

When I try, not often, I have to do it when H is out, otherwise he tends to react as if I'm throwing him out!

BTW - your Comments Spellcheck redlined decluttering, even when I'd carefully checked it!

When all Russell's appalling muddled clutter is sorted out, I'm never letting things get out of hand again. It's broken me and the only way I'll ever be whole is to get rid of it.

For years now, I have scanned documentary 'stuff' and then shredded the original. This has the benefits of taking up no space at all, and making the information immediately searchable. I used to have a 4-drawer filing cabinet and several other boxes full of documentary 'stuff'. There is very little of this left now - very few documents are required to be produced as original paper copies. Even HMRC accept scanned evidence.

Oh BW, how Ian and I agreed with you. I have been compiling our Christmas card list using and amending last years. I discovered we had kept 2012 and 2013 cards, only found them when looking for curtains.

We have been searching for curtains as DD is about to buy a house, not sure what curtains the vendor is leaving. However, whilst searching for one particular set all around the house has uncovered loads of other stuff we didn't t know we had kept whilst regretting other stuff we had discarded.

Anyway, after reading your blog Ian put out yesterday's newspaper that he had been intending to read. It will go, along with the cards, to the recycling tomorrow. Thank you.

Totally agree that it's much easier to organise someone else than yourself - which is why I have an agreement with a friend that we sort each other's stuff out, no whining allowed :-)

Completely. I had a book about it which said you should dispose of five things a day which I try to keep to. The book's gone now, of course, as part of the process. Currently trying to clear a large enough space to house a piano. Wish me luck! Fortunately a lot of charity shops and the Amnesty bookshop within walking distance.