So, you have too much stuff. How do you deal with it?

The first step is the most crucial: Stop the bleeding. You'll never get ahead of the piles if you keep adding to them. So that means that, for at least the next month, you need to stop buying anything that is not absolutely essential. And you need to define essential as narrowly as possible. So, if you are almost out of toilet paper, feel free to buy more. But another shirt or Blu-ray disk or kitchen gadget is not essential. Be firm with yourself.

Second, you need to start sorting through what you have. It's probably best to focus on one area at a time – be it a single room or a single cabinet or a single drawer. Take everything out of the area to be organized. Put it in the middle of a room or another open area — even your yard if the weather is good (and you aren't sorting paper.)

Most organizational experts suggest dividing things into three piles: keep, trash, and sell or donate. I'd add a fourth: use soon. The fourth pile should be the smallest. For the keep pile, try to limit yourself to no more than two-thirds of the starting amount, though even smaller is better. The trash and sell/donate piles can be as large as you like!

So, you have everything in one place and areas set aside for your piles. What's next? First, take a quick look at everything in the pile and pull out the "sure things." Pull out the things you know that you want to keep, the things that are obviously trash, and things that you know you want to donate (such as good condition clothing that doesn't fit anymore).

Once the obvious choices are complete, you need to use the momentum you've built to sort everything else. The keep pile should include only the things you actually use (i.e., you've used in at least the last year, preferably the last six months). The trash pile should include unused things that are broken or stained or extremely worn. The sell or donate pile should include things you don't use that are in good condition.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of yard sales. They always seem like a lot of work for too little payoff. If you have newer stuff in very good condition, you might want to try a consignment store. Consignment stores are especially good for clothing, accessories, and baby gear. Most consignment stores require that you make an appointment before bringing your stuff in.

Donation can be a lot easier. Most charities have drop off hours on evenings and weekends and, generally, you don't need an appointment. However, if you have large items (like furniture) that you want to have picked up, you may need to schedule weeks in advance.

So, what should you donate: Everything you donate should be in good condition. Charities lose a lot of money each year disposing of people's trash. Please don't add to the burden. Things you donate should be usable. Nobody wants your badly stained clothing or broken dishes. Try to avoid donating winter things in May and summer stuff in November since charities often have limited storage space. If you itemize your taxes, keep an inventory of what you donate (I create a spread sheet). When the charity gives you a receipt, you can attach it to your spreadsheet and store it with your tax files. (To get a fair valuation of your donation, you can use the Salvation Army Guide.)

So, what are you wating for? The battle of the stuff has begin!