100 Reasons to Get Rid of It!

My blogging friend, Jennifer, uncovered this great list of Martha Stewart's, listing 100 reasons to get rid of "it."

It's actually more than reasons--it's also an extensive list of resources for ways to get rid of stuff...some of them I was already aware of, and some of them new to me.

Here are some great statistics, to remind me to continue on my obsessive decluttering odyssey!

• 1.4 million Americans suffer from chronic hoarding & clutter. I believe it.
• People burn 55 minutes a day looking for things. WOW!! 55 minutes a day???
• 80 percent of what we own we never use. I know we do!
• Getting rid of clutter will reduce housework by 40 percent. That would be nice!

Is this feasible?

Search for phone numbers online instead of storing bulky Yellow and White Pages volumes.

I would dearly love to get rid of the bulky phone books, but I don't completely have confidence in my ability to find everything I need online...

On the other hand, out with the phone books!! We wouldn't want to end up like these people:

• Miss Havisham in Great Expectations
• Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale in "Grey Gardens"
• Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple"
• The family in the documentary "Packrat" (packratthemovie.com)
• The Bronx, New York, man who, in 2003, was trapped in his home under an avalanche of books and newspapers for two days before being rescued...

And finally, here is some inspiration--you know, I do love quotations!

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris

"You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." -Johnny Mercer

"The joy of giving is indeed a pleasure, especially when you get rid of something you don't want." -Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, "Going My Way"