Nope. I like stuff. When I find something I like, I buy it. If it's better than something I already own, I replace it.
I purge a lot of stuff out of my house every year, but it's never going to be considered spare or empty.

I'm one of those people who can't bring themselves to throw anything away... for a number of reasons, I've had to get rid of some things lately though, and I must say, it feels really good! I find it really liberating to not feel so attached to dead items anymore. Less really is more!

http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

Not me! I know downsizing is popular right now, but we had a baby last year and "upsized"--by doubling our square footage. I don't regret it and I wouldn't go back for anything.

That said, we haven't bought much since moving, and what we have bought is furniture for rooms we didn't have at our old house (shelving for a playroom), or furniture we wanted, but didn't have space for at our old house (a full sized bed for our oldest, a full-length couch, a coffee table). I'm planning to buy more stuff too, like lamps and end tables.

We did get rid of a lot of things too, but not larger items like furniture. Although, when you have 4-5 people living in under 1200 sqft, there is not a lot of room for anything extra.

We just moved and I purged a ton before we came to the new house. I set up the house with about 1/2 the furniture (the rest was waiting in the garage - too heavy to move in myself). I found when I finally had some heavy lifters - I didn't like the remaining furniture in the house. I had never tried a sparser existence - but it is quite nice!

I have not downsized yet, but I have purged and sent a lot of stuff to Goodwill and the Foundation for Homeless Women & Children. My house feels like it can breath now....

I just went from a 900sf apartment to a 1400sf apartment and purged some furniture. It just felt good to get rid of something, especially things that were just weighing me down. Now I have more space, slightly less furniture and I can breathe!

I've been reducing my amount of "stuff" by admitting that certain craft and home projects I've had underway for a long time will never be finished. I've also been brutal going all the "potentially useful stuff", things left over from completed projects that are way too good to throw out and could potentially be used for something. Still averse to wasting things, I've been assembling boxes that contain neat and fairly random combinations of craft things and sending them to my nieces for their arts and crafts.

I'm going to be upsizing my living space in just over a month, but I'm still downsizing my posessions.

I totally agree with the consensus--less stuff is more, but more space is more too. I've been putting a lot of stuff (chotchkes and knick knacks and what nots) in closets and then rotating what I put out. Keeps things clean and uncluttered--and changing the chotckes every now and then keeps things fresh.

We're "downsizing" and "upsizing" at the same time. At the end of the month we're moving from a 500 square foot to a 900 square foot apartment. This has been a great excuse for us to get rid of a LOT of stuff to donate to Goodwill, so we're downsizing in that sense. But, at the same time, we're trading in our loveseats for two full length couches, and finally getting a real table! I haven't had a table in 10 years and I'm so excited about it, and the chairs. For us, it's really been about trading in stuff we never look at for larger, nicer things we will actually use. So, I guess it's more of a streamlining that a downsize. The end product should hopefully be a large, well-used apartment with lots of new things that get used every day.

I downsized to a 600sf condo 2 years ago. Don't miss a single thing I left behind. Practically started from scratch, so have been slowly purchasing things that fit to scale and reflect my style. Another plus is I spend much less time cleaning. I know small spaces aren't for everybody, but it's so relaxing to live with just what you need.

on the global-scale, "less" is not only "more", but essential... however, like a lot of things, people have to come to a balance on their own (with some inspiration, of course).

"rightsizing" is a term i tend to use more and more (life, my student's projects, etc.)... "downsizing" or "upsizing" tend to indicate -- if even a small bit -- that you're doing this for something other than yourself (eco-guilt, trends, etc.) which is not personally-sustainable. are you downsizing because you've been watching too much planet-green? are you upsizing only because you got a good deal on a 6BR house you'll never actually fill?

each person has their own tolerance of "clutter" and "sterility"...if you do it right (rightsizing), you'll set goals of why you want to do it (less clutter, to give to those in need, to get new fancier things) and make a more achievable plan. for all its faults, the psychological journey that the folks at "clean house" take the participants through is an honest one: ID why you feel you feel the need to have the things you do... then look a bit deeper.

like a lot of folks here, we bought a larger house a few years ago (but at 1800sf, "larger" is a relative term) but have always tended to keep the "stuff" quotient small. however, we can't resist a deal and we like "stuff" just as much as the next american and have found instead that the act of buying (or sometimes "rescuing") artifacts -- in our case nice, mid-century home accessories -- is more the thrill than the act of owning it. last year, my wife started an etsy shop which allows us the best of both existences... deal seekers and minimalist.

I feel I have a bit of a Depression era mentality, and it doesn't lend itself to purging a lot of stuff--so, we have more than we need, and more than we want. I hate to spend money on new stuff, so if I'm forced to, say, buy a new coat so I look decent for work, I'll keep my old coat for working in the yard, because it still works--it just doesn't look great. Or if it doesn't work so well, I'll save it because the wool is still good to make baby booties or stuffed animals or pillow covers or what have you. The same process happens with some old furniture (e.g. gee, our old office table would make a great potting table in the garage, as soon as we clean it out, so let's just put it in the basement until then), and bits and pieces from home improvement projects, and garden projects, and.... Well, let's just say I have a lot of stuff like this, and I do force myself to get rid of the least "potentially useful" items periodically. It would feel rather freeing and pleasant to just get rid of everything, but it also feels a bit irresponsible and wasteful (financially, environmentally, etc.). So, I'll probably continue to hang onto my stuff for awhile.

I've downsized in place for over three years. My husband brought home their better furniture after my MIL and FIL passed away. Dismantled furniture filled our closets, and I was bumping into and tripping over stuff. It was well over a year before we could begin to think clearly about our overcrowdedness. We slowly scaled back to a more functional density with mutual patience and kindness. Only the living room still has too much furniture, and happily it's no longer hazardous.

We have plenty of space, so I don't need to purge- but I often do (usually twice a year). I don't like clutter or knick-knacks and would rather have what some would consider "sparse furnishings" than a place crammed with things i don't need.

Love it. Doing it right now.

A couple years ago, I moved from a small studio apartment to a generous one bedroom. Living in a small space got me in the habit of editing my belongings. Now I have another problem, which is that my new space has one room that is almost completely empty. I'd like to furnish it and use the space, but I'm just not used to inhabiting so many rooms! I think there is something to this "right sizing" concept. I just wish I could figure out how to make my current space work, because I really do love my apartment--- even if it is perhaps a bit too big!

I agree about downsizing in stuff, but with a growing family, I'm beginning to appreciate larger spaces. Our house is 1400 sq ft. with no basement and very limited closet space, and it's me, my husband, my 2 year old, and a baby on the way. I sometimes think we need a bigger house-- and eventually, we'll upsize-- but right now, I love the warm and cozy feeling of small spaces. Plus, we're the kind of family that enjoys hanging out together a lot and I would think it was weird if we were all in different rooms doing different things. I do think families can live in small spaces-- the key is to not populate the space with lots of furniture and leave rooms open for kids to run and play (i.e. no coffee table in middle of the room, etc.).

While I like to hold onto some sentimental items, I despise clutter and knick-knacks. My husband feels even more strongly because his parents can't throw anything away and are gradually becoming hoarders, which makes it very depressing to visit them. They have this horrible sense of guilt whenever they throw anything away, but what's the point of holding onto an old broken 1982 Pinto key or expired/exposed 35mm film? I don't think giving away stuff is wasteful if you're donating it, upcycling, or craiglisting. There are always people who need things. But yes, sometimes I just throw stuff out-- I just try to do it responsibly.

2 of us (plus 2 small dogs) are upsizing from 600 to 1500 square feet on July 30th. Will be great to finally have more than enough room for all the clothes in one large closet. Still, we're purging up a storm to get rid of stuff we don't need, as well as buying some useful "new" things we haven't had room for in past, like a dining room table. Most excited about being able to display all the art to its full advantage rather than having it all stacked up. Hoping to resist the urge to stuff new place full of stuff so we can see what it feels like to have extra space.

Less is SO MUCH MORE.

When I first moved to apartment/city living, I was seriously unable to let go of stuff. I moved so much stuff across the country that I legitimately didn't need. (Especially old low-quality clothing I hadn't worn for YEARS, but duly shuttled around from dorm room to dorm room, box to box.) After having a preposterously overcrowded shared one bedroom for over a year, moving for the first time and purging SO MUCH STUFF was seriously one of the most liberating experiences ever. The very thought of moving used to give me actual anxiety and crazy feelings of guilt (facing the STUFF! the feeling of WASTE!) but I recently moved from a large 4-bedroom apartment (shared with roommates) into my very own generously-proportioned-for-a-studio-but-still-a- studio. I'm lucky to have a couple large closets, and have really embraced having an airy, spare main room with only a few special objects displayed. The main thing I enjoy though, is having storage space, from cabinets to closets, be accessible and useful, not utterly overstuffed with junk I never use! It's really impossible to be organized if all your storage space is packed with essentially unwanted items. I still have a tendency to give myself a bit longer grace period in discarding unused items than I really should, but the reward of having space to breathe is enough to motivate me to actually get rid of things!

I love stuff. I don't buy new anything, but I love to rescue things from thrift stores, yard sales and the street. I like the inspiration. The Victorians had the right idea. More is merrier.

You'll be really downsized once you're dead and cremated.

Live with what you love... that's the key....no matter what size it is.... Those of us who have inherited that huge grandmas piano or that amazing four seater couch know that we'll take it to the end of the world even if we have to sleep under it....

If you keep it CLEAN AND ORGANIZED you can live with all the pieces you like and the size you like.

I am EXACTLY like hyzen. I'm not a huge shopper, but things still seem to build up over time - glass jars, rubber bands, gift bags, clothing, furniture - anything that might be useful or repurposed down the road. And the thing is, these things DO periodically get called into service, so my reluctance to waste anything is reinforced just often enough. I've caught a couple of episodes of Hoarders, though, and that always sends me into a purging fit, if only for a day or two - but it is very liberating while it lasts. I'm driven mostly by the fear of creating hassle for those I leave behind should I get hit by a bus, but the result is a more streamlined life, which I love.

Hey, Kristen - I love that white rocking chair in the picture and actually have a similar one - but it's very small...like can't fit an adult small. Yours looks bigger. Is it just the picture, or is that an adult size chair?
Also, to answer your question - I think happiness is keeping things you use, love, and think are beautiful. If it meets that criteria, keep it.
Thanks!

My husband and I recently moved from a 3-bedroom house in the US to a small flat in the UK. We sold all of our possessions before relocating, bringing only a duffel bag each with us.

We started over with a blank slate, and have only purchased the absolute necessities. At present, we own only four pieces of furniture: two lounge chairs, a coffee table, and a futon mattress on the floor.

We love our spare, minimally-furnished place, and have no plans to acquire anything more!

http://www.missminimalist.com/

I was brought up with depression era folks at home and tend to find reuse and value in most things. I've up and down-sized a few times moving around the country and one thing I've learned is to make thoughtful decisions about purging. I tend to find myself looking for something I gave away to charity and not believing I could have done it! What was I thinking!

I love purging! I just moved and I gave away so many things-it was quite freeing. I now live in a 415 sf studio with my husband and we have a bed, 3 clothing organizers, a chair, ottoman, side table and a long table. It is great.

Less is more for me. I know the tchotchke look is popular here on Apartment therapy but every time I see it makes me feel like I'm suffocating. I've purged a lot and I'm always seeking to purge more. I'm don't like seeing a lot of stuff, I need a clean space for my thinking.