So glad you did this! And it sounds like you were ready, too. I totally understand how you feel.When I left the house, I took every scrap of paper. I am down to one container full of papers that need sifting through. I really don't care anymore how much money he spent on this or that...water under the bridge, so I've been chucking those check stubs and receipts. Closing papers on real estate we once had...old news. When I was staying at my dad's as he recovered from a stroke, I was able to burn a lot of that stuff in the fireplace. The weather changed, which is the only reason I still have that container. It's in the back of my car, and because it is heavy, I'm dreading lugging up the stairs to the apartment! But I will.

I'm sure glad you have a friend to talk to. I have one, too, and she says the wisest things. Like you, I wish I could hang onto those pearls of wisdom when my thoughts start to invade my times of peace! Good for you. This was an important step...you rae getting there, yay!

There are few things more cleansing than cleaning out and disposing of worthless old junk -- that includes crappy husbands, 99 year old receipts and checks that are more than 5 years old!

When you finish, want to come over and help me? LOL! Glad Memorial Day was a good one for you.

Good for you! I have to do that, but there is time. Maybe make a bonfire.

I am finding packing or getting rid of stuff from the years feels better than buying stuff right now, lol!

iquitnow: You are right on with that comment! That's part of the Gift of Betrayal...being able to clean out, pare down and SIMPLIFY in order to begin our lives fresh without all the trappings! I am by nature a collector, but in the last year I have found that most of those things just don't do it for me anymore. So they are GONE! And it feels so FREE not to have all those dustcatchers sitting around anymore.

Someone told me a long time ago "The more stuff you own, the more the stuff owns YOU." I don't want to be owned...by stuff or any ONE, either!

The cleaning process came in spurts for me, and I'm thankful. I was in so much pain after 32 years of marriage that having to have done it all at once would almost have been more than I could take. But doing it in stages gave me time to process. It still wasn't always easy, but I was able to work through stuff as the stages came. First the X left and took just a few things. Then my kids moved out, and took some more things, then my X came and got the rest of his stuff in the house, and then I put the house on the market and cleaned out a lot more stuff so that it looked "model home quality", then my X came and got the rest of his stuff from the garage, then I got remarried and cleaned out more stuff as I was consolidating to join my husband iin his home. I think it would have been too much for me all at once but it has been good, each step of the way.

I did the shredding of papers this winter. Like justspiffy, I burned a lot in the fireplace, but that was after I burned up the shredder from the years and years of papers. I now have a new shredder and it feels good to have that behind me.

I'm with cowgirl, I don't want to be owned by stuff or any ONE either. Good for you yorkielovr.

Yea for you. I did it too. It feels good to let go of the old, make room for the new.