We own what??? Confessions of a "collector"

I like to collect things...or rather, when something comes into the house, there is a pretty good chance it has found a permanent home. To be fair, I am not an "A and E Special" type of collector.  Once I get a hobby...I do not know half measures.  I started card making and ended up being considered a
retailer when I sent in an order to Chatterbox. I love to "collect" but then I hate to use.  The same goes for fabric and yarn.  I have been reading many blogs on minimalism and simplifying.  I have reached that point that I want to, or rather, I NEED to purge.  I just woke up today and said enough READING about it just DO IT.  It is not rocket science folks.    I have a TINY kitchen.  We live in a log cabin (pretty romantic idea isn't it?) that was originally built as a hunting camp.  The kitchen has not changed except I have painted the plywood cupboards (green), the logs (white) and have brought in a hoosier cabinet for storage.  I designed an island for the center for....you guessed it...more storage.  My goal? I wanted to get rid of 100 items.  I achieved that in the first hour.  I had no idea that I had a candy thermometer and a battery operated drink mixer.  We also had a battery operated steak tester.  Really? We have not used any of them and I was oblivious to the fact that they were taking up valuable real estate in a very limited market.  They were bringing no joy to my life. They added nothing except frustration that they had been there all of this time and we DID NOT KNOW. They will begetting a new home soon as they ended up in a box labelled "donations".  They will be headed to our island home this weekend and will be on a table at the church rummage sale.  I am sure it will end up in the back of a drawer again. 

The nice thing about goals is that they can be revised, nothing is set in stone.  Looking at the garbage can and the donations box, I think 300 is doable. Unlabelled bags of spices from Bulk Barn, recipes ripped out of magazines (I now take pictures with my IPad), random keys, Christmas lights....banished!

Do you have a room that has become your nemesis?  If not a room, a drawer....bedside table?  Start small.  Don't make goals so large and all encompassing that you set yourself up to fail.

Just start!