Yes bn, I also get bogged down in memories BUT if you ruminate over things you have to think of WHERE these things are going to end up if you aren't around anymore. Last week I went through some old photos and an old wedding album. Know what I did? I took out all the pics, tore them up and threw them out. Who wants them?? I certainly don't. I got lost in the past looking at all those miserable people who made my life a misery. I could see now how unhappy I and they were. People aren't genrally happy most of the time. Peoples emotions and mental state show on their faces. Time and space has a way of putting things into perspective, don't they? I still have more pics to go through. Some it's going to be very hard to get rid of but who is going to care after I'm gone? Letting go of the past is SO hard. But, we have to do it eventually.

And yes, Curious. I do take many things to the woman's shelter and the homeless shelter but we also have a Free Table here in our laundry room. People just leave good, usable things there or take things they can use. It cuts down on a lot of the stealing from washers and dryers. Not all but some.

IF you live in an apartment building with a laundry room a Free Table is a great idea. I hate waste. And it's a lot easier than taking things somewhere else. Sometimes I actually get things JUST for the table, if they are free. Just being neighbourly.

My whole life, I have made an effort to remain "portable" by eliminating my excess stuff.

One of the hardest things I ever did was ditch my "memory box" that my mom started for each one of us. I found my compromise by taking photos of everything in it. Nowadays with digital cams, this is way, way easier! I managed to part with 90% of the contents and you know what? I never even look at those pictures because the memories are quite alive in my mind. If it ever slips away, the photos will be there.

My mom was a terrible packrat and for all you parents, if you love your kids, get rid of the junk! It took me 14 massive garage sales and 3 trips by the mission truck to unload only about 75% of her junk when she died.

Books are a small issue for me, I only keep hard covers that I'm certain I will read one more time.

If, like my mom, anyone saves magazines just to read one article "when you get around to it", please cut out the article and pitch the rest! Those things weigh a ton and take up too much space!

Monkey Woman is quite right, women's resource centers are always in need of usable items and don't forget that most of those women had lives just like yours— kids who need clothes, toys and books, pets, kitchens, dust in their surroundings, dishes, entertainment items, TOOLS, family games, pens and pencils, telephones, decks of cards, greeting cards, office supplies, sewing equipment, shelf-liners... all of it!

Sometimes secondhand stores have NEW stuff. A few months ago I got all NEW lampshades for every lamp in my house. My old ones were really old, dusty and discoloured. I got all new ones for less than the price of one in a retail store. Of course once you start with the lamp everything around it grabs your attention. I started washing down furniture and giving it a good wipe down with orange oil. One thing leads to another.

For the past few months I have been steam cleaning all my carpets. NOW I am thinking of new runners for my hallway. The old ones didn't match and they'd about had it.