Clutter, you ain't licked me yet!

The downside to being a person who finds most of his possessions in the street, the dumpster, the thrift store, or the flea market, is that when you actually have to buy something new in a store, you can experience sticker shock.

I've been reorganizing lately -- or trying to -- and after debating the pros and cons of buying more storage containers, and making not one but two trips to The Container Store today, I decided I needed to bite the bullet.  The kind I bought are pretty big -- 15.5 gallons -- and can hold a lot of fabric.  I can't tell you how many of these I've found in the trash or at Goodwill, but right now I can't be walking the streets in hopes I stumble upon some.  But would you believe these cost $14.99 each?!   Is it me or is that a lot of money for an empty plastic box with a lid?

The alternative was to weed through my fabric stash so I wouldn't need more containers; I tried that.  There wasn't much I wanted to get rid of.  And some fabrics -- fleece, terry cloth -- simply do not compress much.  I have a lot of stuff sitting in plastic bags that needs to be in a storage box.  Boxes are much easier to keep dust-free, and since they're clear, you can see what's in them without having to label them. 



You may notice that these have been "themed" for Halloween -- hence the orange lids and Halloween labels.  I only bought them because they were the cheapest ones I could find at that size, but come on.  Next I want to organize my stash better, so all the cottons are in one box, the wools in another, the sheets/muslin fabrics in another, etc.

The problem with buying more storage boxes in that they're going to get filled, at which point I'm going to feel like I need even more.  I'm hoping to avoid that, however.  At a certain point (when they're stacked to the ceiling?), there's simply no more room in the apartment.

Here's some stuff I threw out today:

These cheapie heels threatened to turn Cathy's toes into hamburger; a bad thrift store purchase (Note to self: avoid second-hand Payless).



Another foot-unfriendly discard -- we've upgraded.



I finally threw out the pair of shorts (formerly long pants I'd made myself) that I wore nearly every day this summer.  As you can see -- and I mean SEE -- it was time.





In my stash I dug out this forgotten piece of vintage plaid wool an MPB reader sent me years ago.  It would be great for a 40's style men's shirt -- or maybe another WWII-era jumper!





It is a good idea to root through one's stash occasionally, no?

In closing, friends, it may be time to resurrect "The Daily Ditch."  With our imminent Halloween Sew-Along, there's going to be a lot of stuff coming in, and I must make room for it all.

Questions:

1) Do you think $14.99 is a lot for a plastic storage container?  What's the alternative?  I don't have room for a piece of furniture and at least these are clear and flexible, i.e., they can hold fabric and lots of other things.

2) Do you ever reach a point where you can't create another thing until you clean up the mess around you?  I've reached that point.

Clutter, your days are numbered!  (I think.)