Not for Packrats Only: How to Clean Up, Clear Out, and Live Clutter-Free Forever

Rating:
Summary: Amusing fluff
Review: I bought this book before moving to another house. It *IS* a funny, easy-to read diatribe about how to bring yourself to throw things away. It *IS NOT* a comprehensive method about how to organize your space and house. If you want to get organized, have a practical, functional and nice-to-live-in home, buy Julie Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out". However, if you want to have a laugh and gain confidence about dumping the dusty junk in your cellar or attic, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Life changing advice!
Review: I grew up with packrats for parents. The need to save was ingrained in me from day one. If I was eating a bag of M&M's and feeling sentimental - I'd save the bag! I was drowning in my clutter without even knowing it. This book quickly became my bible. I became a tossing tornado only pages into the book. Don has a way of pointing out the junk in our lives and the emotional, physical and financial cost of our clutter. He gently prods us and pokes us and keeps us motivated to clean out that junk! In the past three years, since I first read this book, I have made hundreds of dollars of tax deductable donations to charities and completely changed my life. My house is clean and neat and very easy to clean, and the treasures I've held onto are truly treasures that I can enjoy everyday. You'll save yourself thousands of dollars on what you may have spent on clutter and thearapy sessions if you invest less than $20. in this book. He leaves no cranny untouched! It's truly a godsend!

Rating:
Summary: Life changing advice!
Review: I highly recommend this book for anyone swimming in junk and wanting to make their life less "cluttered". My husband and I are both long-time pack-rats and this book has helped us get started on sifting through the mounds of stuff. When I get stuck I pick up and read the book just for inspiration on how to get started again. Mr. Aslett recognizes that pack-rats are emotionally involved with their stuff and counsels you through how to overcome that problem. We have managed to get rid of huge amounts of things that we really didn't need to keep and I don't know if we would have gotten this far without his advice and "counseling". I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to simplify their life with less "stuff".

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I was so inspired to declutter my house, I couldn't even wait till I had finished reading the whole book, I started right in on some overflowing drawers. I like his writing style; it's very down-to-earth and funny, especially when he mentions some of the things he himself had accumulated before he "saw the light." I laughed out loud several times while reading it. He really gets into the nitty-gritty details of decluttering too, like how to identify clutter, why you've saved it, excuses and reasons for cluttering/saving, how to get rid of it, and even how to spot potential clutter before you even acquire it. There was no aspect of clutter that he didn't cover. I loved the cartoons too; they really hit home and lightened up the whole prospect of the task ahead. I highly recommend this book. After decluttering my own areas, my husband (who said he didn't have any clutter) starting reading the book and amazingly found some things he could part with too. Yippee! I plan on re-reading parts of it whenever I start backsliding. (Yes, he covers that too.)