My mom had a collection of over 200 sets of Salt & Pepper shakers. Remember those?? She had every kind you could imagine from wherever she had ever vacationed etc..

I mysdelf collected OWLS. I had them all over my home, all sizes and all shapes.

My Mom collected spoons, bells and musical figurines. Whenever any of us would travel, we'd always try to bring her back a spoon and a bell. She had a lovely collection of musical figurines, but the collection got split up when she died. We all took a few of our favourites, which worked out well since no two of us had the same favourite.

I used to collect wooden boxes, but had to stop when that's all anyone ever gave me for birthdays and Christmas - last count I think I have close to 100 of them. Thankfully, most of them are very small and have managed to find a useful niche somewhere in the house.

I don't collect anything now, though do buy small fridge magnets wherever we travel...I love it when I go to the fridge and see one of those magnets and am immediately transported back to that place and that time...lovely memories for each one (if we didn't have a good time somewhere, I don't buy the magnet, LOL).

My mom collected bells and thimbles. I had to sell most of them when she died as I had nowhere to put them. I started collecting black bears a few years ago and now have more than I know what to do with! I didn't think black bear items were so common, but I have quite the collection now and no duplicates!! Once people know you like and/or collect certain items, that seems to be what people give you.

Chatty, Eagle, and yonuh,
When WB and I went to the Great Smoky Mountains, we bought
a black bear made from the trunk of a tree, by a chainsaw artist. I collect cows, "Mary MooMoos"; my DIL gives 'em to me for Christmas. I have cow pillows and calendars, etc. My ex has an aunt who collects frogs; she has 'em everywhere in the house. My neighbor collects Santas, lighthouses and items with apple designs.

I collect dust...no two alike...it's an "ever-revolving" exhibit. You never know how much, what kind and how long they will stay!!

But seriously......I've collected tea pots, tea cups/saucers, buttons, bears, lighthouses. No more collections of anything now. Way too busy. Personally, I think "collections" are the stores' marketing ploys to make people buy more, more more. I'm so thankful that, in our business, we sell products that are practical. healthy and consumable. No one wants to find "somewhere" to put stuff anymore!

Di, I feel the same way now. I don't even like to go shopping anymore, because I don't want to be tempted. I have better willpower than ever before, but still...

Everytime we renovate a room in the house, we do a major clean-up and keep only a few pieces and give the rest away. I'm like you, don't want/need anymore dust collectors. We like the more uncluttered look...our decor is becoming increasingly based on Princess Lenora's theme of "Light and Love"...whatever doesn't speak either to us gets tossed.

Do you think there is a stage when we do collected things much like those Di mentions and then reach a place where only decluttering is an answer?
also others will likely buy they goods in thrift shops and the cycle starts up again
keeps the economy going

I look around my living room as I'm typing and see that most of the things are family keepsakes, music boxes and figurines that were in our family home for most of my lifetime...there's a figurine that supposedly represents a famous sea captain uncle, another that my Mom saw as a reflection of herself. I wonder where these will end up someday, but for now, they do provide some measure of comfort.

Other items are little things we've picked up on our recent travels. These days, whenever I buy anything new, I'm consciously imagining the space it will occupy and if I can't mentally fit it in anywhere, I don't buy it. And we've switched to finding small fridge magnets for our travel souvenirs now.

I do think there are stages, as if the things we collect somehow represent something about the part of the journey we were on at that time. Then as we move on, I suppose it no longer becomes necessary to hold on to those "time-holders"...I can't think of the exact quote, but what comes to mind is the notion that in order to find space within ourselves for new experiences and new thoughts, we have to empty out the old ones first. I see the decluttering as a physical manifestation of that evolution in our inward journeying.

Many times for me it takes removing an item to then discover exactly what serves me well just at that times.
Likewise...in any growth I have achieved first old concepts have to be set away.The important thing is to be brave enough to do away with anything...whether it is a teapot or an outgrown attitude.

It's an interesting discussion, MA. A few years ago, after we had cleaned out the family home, 30 years worth of stuff at the cottage and then Mom's apartment, I had to make room in our little house for many things that will eventually go to the nieces when they set up their own households (if they want them). I became the temporary holder of them. At one point, I was so disturbed by the accumulation of boxes and clutter, that I went on a cleaning binge. Hubby's brother runs a rather large odds and ends store in Quebec, and we brought many boxes of these things to his place. Many of those knick-knacks now sit in this brother-in-law's living room display unit, which is sort of comforting...almost like going home, LOL.

But about two years ago, I began searching through our house for a little knick-knack that my Mom had given me as a child. When I couldn't find it, I figured that I must have tossed it in the box during that clean-up and was disproportionally sad about having lost it. Then on one of our visits to this BIL, I noticed my little treasure on the top shelf in his kitchen. Well, I started crying and was embarrassed to say why. But my other sister-in-law knew (she visits us often and knew my Mom, etc, so there's a close bond there), and she mentioned it to this BIL's wife. So she wrapped it up in special paper and gave it to me, and I couldn't believe how happy I was to have this silly little thing back.

It now sits in my bathroom, and continues to bring joy for whatever reason, I don't know yet. But it also taught me not to be so quick to throw things away, to take whatever time necessary to allow myself to evolve to the point where I don't need whatever these treasures represent.