Success begets success!
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Good for you, Singersmom07!
Taking three boxes to Goodwill today (kitchenware - pretty good condition but just not used) and four bags of old towels and sheets to an animal shelter that needs them.
I finally decided - not keeping the sets of margarita and shot glasses (for the type of parties we arenāt hosting & never did!) LOL
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Your comment about margarita a glasses makes me wonder - what about all the serving pieces, special plates, different types of glasses, etc. that many have collected over the years.
What happens when you donate it but then realize you needed it for this one occasion? I guess we as a society donāt care so much about these things as we once did?
When I was very young I remember feeling like I would be considered āless thanā if I didnāt use a cheese plate and special knife. Now I donāt care.
Just a curiosity question.
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Thanks for update, inspires me to get going again. Agree Buy Nothing groups are helpful. A good feeling to pass on items to those asking.
Weāve been relaxing, enjoying summer.
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I have donated a lot of old serving dishes etc but also have kept more than I should (some because they are from my mom). Sometimes I donate with the though that if I really ever did need such an item again, I could just go spend $2 for it at the thrift shop.
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Agree, Colorado_mom!
1214mom - I went through that thought process - if I need some glasses or special dishes - honestly, I can pick up some decent glassware at the dollar store, a consignment shop, or a regular store for $20 or so. Itās worth it to me to have the space and freedom from cluttered stuff that I was holding onto āfor when we might do this type of event in the futureā (that we never ended up doing and likely never will! LOL).
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I went through all my glasses and serving pieces and donated to a local thrift shop. I couldnāt remember the last time I used the salsa and chips plate or the margarita glasses. Today I think I would just get disposable plastic specialty glasses if I needed them.
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Funny ā I use our salsa and chips plate just about everytime we entertain! Which, since covid, hasnāt been that frequent, but I certainly wouldnāt get rid of it.
But you all are making me think that maybe itās time to get rid of my fondue pot.
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Go for it. 
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We still use our fondue pot regularly! The platter we used for chips and dip shattered last summer (oops) and I havenāt bothered to replace it.
ExpatS and GF are coming to visit for a month and will have a couple of friends staying here for a conference for a few days. Thatās a separate topic of worry. However, LOTS of stuff is getting tossed in the next few weeks to make room! Have already filled a big trash can and made a separate trip to the recycling center.
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I returned to photo albums. Currently going thru travel albums. Iām pulling out a few pictures of people, labeling place and year, and putting in envelopes. I know there is no one but me that will ever look at them
I also came across college yearbook. Just toss? HS book Iām keeping as I was in the club and I still am in touch with people.
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I just took out our fondue pot. Thought it would be fun 
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Are you going to have fondue tonight??
Gosh, I have all my yearbooks (going back to 6th grade)ā¦ and we even have kept a senior year ādoubleā from the college that my husband and I graduated from. Someday I do plan to put those sticky tabs on the pages with my photos / clubs and eventually may tear out just those pages.
When decluttering with my mother before she died, she wanted me to throw away her old report cards saved in a tin. I said she should look at with my daughter first. It happened to be part of what they did their last visit together, and my never-save-anything clutter averse daughter (she moves a lot) chose to take that tin home with her.
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Having same thoughts about college yearbook, @bookworm. Probably should have tossed before my move this summer as they are SO heavy! I am planning to do a picture purge this winter when the weather is bad. I put all the printed pictures in one cabinet with that goal in mind.
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I was at a thrift store Friday in Ann Arbor. Lots of things going in and out of this store.
In the kitchen/dining ware area there was a lady combing through multiple silver serving platters. They had MANY. She was looking for silver serving platters to display desserts for her daughterās wedding. At maybe $2 a tray (some quite large) this was a great way to get the items she needed for a one time event. She said after the wedding she will donate them back to the shop!
So my answer to ādo I hang onto this thing I might need to use one time in the next decade?ā - No! Go find a used one if/when you need it!
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Someone mentioned yearbooks above. I have all mine. But honestlyā¦why??? I probably wonāt get rid of them but maybe Iāll tell my kids donāt feel you need to keep them for any reasonā¦look up my photo and then toss it!!
Do you still have your yearbooks??
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Apparently I tried to throw away my college diploma but my husband āsaved it.ā I think I have 1 yearbook around here somewhere.
I didnāt get many yearbooks for my kids, and one I did purchase I never picked up.
Yearbooks are indeed heavy. But they can be fun to look at now and then, especially if you need a photo reminder of an old buddy you are re-encountering (like on FB, reunion coordinating groups).
For those of you have kept yearbooks, hereās a fun thing to do (though honestly I only did it once for a good college buddy). Make copies of you photo and friendās photoā¦ tape them into a birthday card for a throwback smile.
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On the yearbook issue - and other sentimental items - Iām finding itās easier to start with the low-hanging fruit (emotionally! lol). For instance, it took less than five seconds to decide to get ride of a bunch of old towels/sheets I donāt need and an old elliptical that was used twice.
But the doll bassinet that my parentsā gave me, that my husband lovingly refinished for our daughter? Iām having a hard time with that. Also my kindergarden plaster handprint that my mom kept on her bedside table for decades. 
Decided to give myself a pass - do the easy stuff first, get to the childhood memories later. Seems fair and working well!
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