I would add:

probably 80 to 90 percent of the papers you've filed away. There are very few papers you have to keep long term/permanently.

Greeting cards. Unless there is a substantial handwritten message, I toss all greeting cards.

Take out menus. Especially if you live in an urban area. Most of these are available on line now, and if not, don't worry, no doubt someone will rubber band one to your doorknob next week.

Manuals- in the event you can't figure out how to work something, most of these are available on line too. Check before you ditch, of course. But I have tossed every manual ever came with an item and haven't had a problem finding on-line help.

I agree about the manuals, but check online before you toss them. A friend bought a Krups toaster oven and there was no manual in the box. He called the company and they told him to contact the store where he bought it. They didn't have any manuals. The company website didn't have the manual for it.

Bizarre, in this day and age, but true. So do check important stuff before throwing it away.

I kept lots of the paperwork that came w/ kids' toys. And discovered when I went to ditch them years later that the thrift store I use can't accept kids' toys for little kids unless they're New In Box bcs they have no way to check for recalls.

I said, "Oh, I put the papers that came with them in there." Yay! That meant they could check for recalls.

I keep manuals, but 99% of the time I never look at them.

I agree on the greeting cards. And manuals.

I keep about 3 menus for places we use really frequently. But even then, they can end up out of date.

The other thing on that list that *I* can't toss is "extra pillows in the bedroom." Because I refuse to have them.
I do have two pillows in the living room, and now and then I think about getting rid of them, but just last week I piled them up to snooze on the sofa, so I think I'll keep them still.

Yeah,,, I hear you about those pillows.... and about many of the things in that list.
I cannot believe the stuff people keep!

"I cannot believe the stuff people keep!"

You mean, me and you?

I'll go along with your sentence if I can tweak it:

I cannot believe the stuff we people keep!

No... I mean people other than me!

Practically nothing on that list is applicable to me.

I want to comment on the getting rid of sheets thing ... save one and try this:

Add several inches on the end of top sheets from an old top sheet. Take the sheet you might throw away, cut it width-wise into several pieces so you have strips a few inches wide. Add a few inches to the bottom of the sheets you use. When you make the bed, put this seam at the place your mattress and boxspring meet, and tuck it in. You'd be surprised how even a few inches can make a HUGE difference! You can also add a few inches at the bottom of blankets.

I used to spend so much time re-making the bed every morning. Now, it's much quicker.

VWbrownthumb, I like that idea!

Brownthumb: I used to have a little book my grandmother gave me - with money saving tips such as adding a colorful band to the bottom of little girl's dresses they had grown out of. It also said to take your worn sheets, but them in half and resew them with the outside edges in. Now the worn part is on the outside to be tucked under the mattress and the part that was under the mattress and new looking is in the middle. The ingenuity of depression area people was very impressive. I have never done this but I wish I had the book still.

Brownthumb: I used to have a little book my grandmother gave me - with money saving tips such as adding a colorful band to the bottom of little girl's dresses they had grown out of. It also said to take your worn sheets, but them in half and resew them with the outside edges in. Now the worn part is on the outside to be tucked under the mattress and the part that was under the mattress and new looking is in the middle. The ingenuity of depression area people was very impressive. I have never done this but I wish I had the book still.

OMG, what a great list! I recently moved and I can identify with ALL of the recommendations! I got rid of at least one thing in almost every category, except:

Measuring spoons: I do have duplicates because I don't want to have to wash certain ones (esp the 1/2 tsp) in the middle of a recipe.

Books: I got rid of a lot last year and only kept my Very Favorite Favorites BUT... discovered a few months later that I had accidentally given away some that are now out of print and impossible to find for less than $100 used. Ouchy. So be careful! ;-)

I do keep greeting cards from special friends/family. For instance I would never throw away a card signed by my son, or from several dear friends who have passed away, because they have beautiful memories or associations with them.

On the other hand I went through a huge box of things of his from grade school, and discovered that 75% of it was things like spelling and math tests. Seriously, I love my son but there's no reason on earth to keep every graded test he took from grades 1-5, LOL. I did keep most of his drawings and all of the compositions etc that he wrote, though.

I keep all manuals for major appliances, heating/cooling equipment, etc so that I can give them to whoever buys that house eventually, LOL.. It's so annoying when house sellers do NOT do that!!! And I always write the serial number and purchase date on the cover, for instant reference when repairs or parts may be needed.

And you never know when you might end up selling or giving away a small appliance, and it's nice to be able to also supply the manual for it as well.

I am not getting ride of extra pillows. I got them when one year we had family and friends spending vacation here, I had ran to the store for enough pillows. Good thing we checked bedding needs before any one of the companies arrived. Same as extra sheets and towels. All of them are clean, in great shape and neatly stored in the closets.

I wonder using glass containers in the refrigerator and cardboard. Don't we have same "keeping them neat, missing lids" problems when using glass containers? Tupperware has various sizes and are safer (if they drop on the floor) and lightweight.

I have two sets of measuring cups and spoons, I use them all when making special dishes and pastries.

I surely can use the rules for my office. It has been 5 days since I started cleaning it, it is still a disaster...

I will attest to the tupperware-type containers. Most worthwhile exercise I ever did was to get all the bowls and lids out, and match them up.
I got rid of every mate-less piece.
Time invested; 5 minutes total.
The volume of space returned to me was epic.

In general, my motto is now: "I am not inventory management." So little by little I am attacking neglected corners, linen closet, piles of blankets, etc.
I got rid of plenty, and still have plenty in case of company.
When I am in doubt, I ask myself:
Can it be gotten quickly at the local store?
Do I have enough of it to cover needs - is this really excess?

I mean, there are some things that are sentimental, but others, like bowls without lids or 16 spare blankets, where 1 per bed/bedroom will suffice.....that's inventory overhead.

This will help me a great deal. I have tons of skeletons in my closet that I need to get rid off. Just didn't know which to toss first till now.

Coffee mugs, pens and key chains. Tote bags. For some reason, my husband has a fetish for freebies. He brings them home and most go out in the trash when he's not looking.

I went through the pen box, my granddaughter's crayons too and got rid of nasty, broken, non working, too fat for my hands... whatever. Felt nice.

Coffee mugs: I went through and got rid of anything where the writing was coming off, out of date, odd size/shape and anything with a cartoon character or free cup is GONE. I don't own any margarine tubs or jelly jars. Everything is pretty well matching sets and quality items now. I have a small amount, maybe 4 mugs that are 'different' and only kept these because it's someone's favorite or the perfect size and one kids cup my grandbaby likes; short of that, it's all nice quality glasses/set of mugs and that's it. I did that for my dishes too. I have four dishes sets left. I have no oddball dishes and no plastic. I got rid of all containers/glassware and silverware I never use. I only kept my quality items. The only "hoarding" items in the kitchen now are my Wilton items. I really should get rid of all that stuff as I don't do that anymore. I'm guilty of saying "I paid so much" and "one day I might need to make something". Next time I clean out, those are going. My kitchen is perfect. I have just the items I need and no more. I will never add more unless something breaks. If I ever dump all my Wilton items, I'll treat myself to ONE nice thing for the kitchen. Or perhaps nothing at all! That's how I roll now. I'm a declutter freak these days.

Coffee mugs, pens and key chains. Tote bags. For some reason, my husband has a fetish for freebies. He brings them home and most go out in the trash when he's not looking.

I went through the pen box, my granddaughter's crayons too and got rid of nasty, broken, non working, too fat for my hands... whatever. Felt nice.

Coffee mugs: I went through and got rid of anything where the writing was coming off, out of date, odd size/shape and anything with a cartoon character or free cup is GONE. I don't own any margarine tubs or jelly jars. Everything is pretty well matching sets and quality items now. I have a small amount, maybe 4 mugs that are 'different' and only kept these because it's someone's favorite or the perfect size and one kids cup my grandbaby likes; short of that, it's all nice quality glasses/set of mugs and that's it. I did that for my dishes too. I have four dishes sets left. I have no oddball dishes and no plastic. I got rid of all containers/glassware and silverware I never use. I only kept my quality items. The only "hoarding" items in the kitchen now are my Wilton items. I really should get rid of all that stuff as I don't do that anymore. I'm guilty of saying "I paid so much" and "one day I might need to make something". Next time I clean out, those are going. My kitchen is perfect. I have just the items I need and no more. I will never add more unless something breaks. If I ever dump all my Wilton items, I'll treat myself to ONE nice thing for the kitchen. Or perhaps nothing at all! That's how I roll now. I'm a declutter freak these days.

The subject of pillows is a timely one for me as I have some nice latex pillows I'll probably never use. I wonder if the Salvation Army will take them.

My late husband, who was far neater than I in most respects, kept every piece of paper that ever crossed his desk. I'm going through his files now, and pitching lots of stuff. BUT I'm glad he saved all those manuals because I've sold some of them on eBay.

I think it's hard to give up something you once had plans for. In a minor sort of way, this includes magazines. We bought them with the intention of reading them. And then we didn't, but we set them aside with the intention of going through them and at least checking out the most important parts. And then we didn't do that either. Getting rid of them is admitting defeat, but admitting as well the passage of time and the reality of what we thought we'd accomplish vs. what we actually will in the time we have left.

Sounds a little heavy, I know--especially when discussing magazines. But I think it applies to a fair amount of our clutter. I know it does to mine.

I'm grateful my family didn't throw everything away. I found a few magazines my mom and grandmother kept, and most of them are historically interesting. A Life Magazine from 1937 and a NYT newspaper with a headline "Man lands on moon". for instance. I'll never throw that away. Even our kids get a kick out of going through those. But we don't keep anything if the sole reason is that we plan to read them "someday".