"Hoarders" as a wake up call?

These clean garbage bags and boxes are stuffed full of clothing I gave away last week.  The charity shop already picked up six bags the week before, and I have more to get rid of before I finish.

At around the same time I did that, Ben went through his closet and brought down a pile of T-shirts that don't fit him any longer.  As I went through them, I found myself thinking, "Oh! I can't get rid of this one!  Or this one!  Or this one..."  Too many memories!  Sentimental me!  I quickly made up my mind to save them for a T-shirt quilt and put them aside.

Several days later, with flashbacks to Hoarders episodes running through my head, I came to my senses.  I took photos of all of the shirts and then packed them away to give to Goodwill.  I made a digital T-shirt quilt, instead:

Then, I went back and photographed some of the sentimental items I hadn't wanted to discard from my closet, too: that quintessential '80's dress, the outfit I wore the night Dennis proposed, a beautiful black velvet evening dress -- none of which fit anymore, mind you.  Now I can give them all away without feeling that I'll forget them, and the memories/associations they hold.

I still do, though, have that "office/studio" that is cluttered with all my vintage collectibles. There is a system of organization in there, but it always falls apart when I begin taking the items out to use them when I'm creating.

So, I'm wondering: what are your strategies to keep your craft supplies and collections under control?  Seriously, I'd love to hear them.

Have you watched Hoarders (or Buried Alive) and wondered if you might have some of those tendencies?  (Or, is it just me?  LOL!!)

As far as Hoarders goes, if you're interested, both of the show's websites have tons of resources for people who suffer from hoarding -- including a self-assessment tool -- and lots of photos that would make anyone want to stay away from the thrift stores, indefinitely!