Reverb 10 December 11--Things

The Reverb 10 question for today is really hard: Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)  It's really hard because I love things!  And stuff.  And a little bit of clutter.  I am not comfortable in an overly tidy, sparse place.  Still, there are things that can and should go.

1. Paper scraps and ephemera in multiple locations all over the house.  If I clear out the stuff I really don't want and then move all of the other bits to one area so they're all together, I will never have to search for that particular sheet of decorated paper or that one really cool wine label ever again!
2. Stacks of books everywhere.  Some of them just need to go away--novels I didn't like well enough to want to read again, instruction books or other non-fiction books that are out of date.  If all of my books learn to live on shelves, it will be so wonderfully easy to put my hands on whatever certain book I'm looking for at any given moment.
3. Embroidery supplies all over the place!  I am fairly certain that I have at least fifteen skeins of black floss because I keep misplacing them and having to buy more.  Having it all in one dedicated location will mean that I can just pick up a few items and start a new project.  It will also mean that when I'm planning a project I'll know for sure what I actually need to go out and buy rather than guessing at whether or not I have something--like black floss.
4. Clothes that don't fit.  I have stacks of clothes that I don't wear, mostly because they don't fit, and I can't quite seem to get them out the door.  If I do, there will be room for the clothes I actually do wear, and that would mean I could get dressed in something I actually like every day of the week.
5. Shoes.  I have such a hard time with shoes because I have structural issues and pain issues with my feet and ankles and legs.  So sometimes I get shoes and they seem okay and then they start hurting my ankles or legs.  And yet I hold onto them because they were expensive.  If I would just get rid of them, I could have space for new shoes that do work.  And I could stop tripping over them on my way to the thermostat.
6. Magazines.  I love to read magazines.  But I have a problem with holding onto them, and it's only become worse since I've started doing art journaling.  I have so many magazines, and I hold onto them because I think I will go through them and tear out promising collage pictures, but I almost never do that. And the magazines just pile up. I think I need to just recycle all of them and start fresh with new ones for clippings.  And I need to make a rule that magazines (except Cloth Paper Scissors, Quilting Arts and Writer's Digest) don't get to stay in the house longer than two months.  This would clear up so much space I could use for books and embroidery supplies!
7. Food I don't like.  It's sort of like with the shoes.  We buy something, I don't like it, yet I keep it because it was expensive.  So again I'm taking up space I could be using for something I actually want around me.
8. Old CDs.  Same as all of the above--they're taking up space in multiple locations.
9. Old video tapes.  Yes, I said tapes.  Once again with the using valuable space (oh, I see a trend here for certain, don't you?!)
10. Stacks of notebooks, binders, paper.  I don't need them.  I just have an office supply problem, but I have stuff that I bought for organizing systems I don't like or use. I could donate this stuff and make more space for useful things I want!
11. Old dishtowels, pot holders, bathroom towels, throw rugs.  They're ugly, unmatched, worn, and dirty, and they bring me down when I look at them.  I hold onto them because buying new ones is expensive, but if I got rid of the junky, worn stuff and got new stuff I like to look at, I believe walking into my kitchen or bathroom or bedroom and seeing pretty towels and rugs would go a long way toward helping me have a home I like to come home to.