How to Organize Wood Scraps

One of the things we "inherited" at the house is a lot of wood scraps.  The former owner was definitely a wood worker.  I've found a handy cart on wheels, a wood screen for the furnace in the basement I'll be putting it back there soon since it was found in the garage) and lots of scrap wood.  Our first order of business is to make room in the garage for all of our belongings, including the kitchen that I bought on Tuesday.  How are we going to do that when the garage is already full of lots of items?  


Here are the steps I've narrowed down for us to focus on:
1. STACK IT
For the large flat pieces, stack the wood in like sizes in a divided space/ possibly made of some of the scrap wood you have.  



2. BOX IT
use a bucket or box for the smaller scraps.  


3. PILE IT
Pile the smaller pieces that are bulky in depth in cubbies


When I started cleaning up on Tuesday night, I was "Stacking" the flat pieces and tall pieces against one wall.  I also boxed the smaller scraps but filled up two small boxes very quickly.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do when we find more.  That sounds like a lot of "small" boxes to move around.  I almost need a larger box to keep the scraps in.  


I'll update this post with pictures later.  

Clutter vs Hoarding

Do you ever watch the shows Hoarding or Hoarders?  I'm intrigued but also find myself a little apprehensive that I might be watching a show about my future.  This is a book about CLUTTER that I found.  Mimi Tanner is an email columnist who wrote a book that speaks right to my fears.  Mike and I are currently in a weird situation - he has a one-bedroom condo in Washington and I have an 1800 square foot town house in Oregon.  We're trying to sell both so that we can get a house that works for both of us.  In the process of staging Mike's condo, we rented a small storage unit.  He also has a storage area off of his deck/outside patio.  We've filled up both.  I try to live with Mike but Oregon remains my permanent residence until I sell my place.  My house is full!  To top that off, I continue to visit Estate Sales, yard sales and auctions.  Mimi mentions, "I struggled with mountains of clutter for literally years"  When I look at all the things we have, it's really just STUFF.  Especially after cleaning out the houses of my Grandpa (my dad's side) and my Grandma (mom's side) the last couple years, I fear that I've become a collector of stuff.  I need to do these steps that Mimi talks about.  


One of my favorite things she said that hit home is, "Big Secret #1: It takes MUCH less time to declutter than it does to look at piles of clutter and feel bad day after day after day."  So, I'm recommitting myself to start today. I talked about evaluating the items I bring into my home, but I need to start evaluating the items I have in our homes.  Do we really need them? 


Are you a hoarder?  Do you struggle with clutter?  What's your secret?  How do you evaluate what you have?  I'd love your ideas and tips!