Just popping in as I am procrastinating from doing the booze cupboard (well, we have two full height Ikea Billy Bookcakes with frosted doors so you can't see the crap that lies within and one of the bottom shelves holds all the booze).
Half of me is happy as long as it all fits on one shelf, which it just about does, and the other half of me wants to get rid, and given the choice, there's lots of things I just don't want to drink, and DP probably won't either. SO WHY CAN'T I JUST THROW IT AWAY DAMMIT!
I'm thinking of leaving it until New Year at the latest as there might be an opportunity to donate it to a party, but there are such delights as:
80% of a bottle of QC sweet sherry. I think it was left behind by the previous owners of our house - we've lived here 9 years! It was sealed, but I opened it years ago and used some to make trifle. It smells OK but it's probably off now?
Half a bottle of Limoncello that I bought on holiday about 8 years ago. Also half bottles of toffee liquer, butterscotch and Apple, acquired in similar circumstances.
There's two open bottles of a weird herby liquer that DP always buys on holiday but rarely drinks here.
However, I think we're over the 'buying crappy liquers on holiday that we never drink at home' and now only bring back gin, brandy or whisky, which we do drink.
A cocktail making kit (untouched, circa 2002) containing banana, melon and blue liquer)
An unopened bottle of Waitrose Fino sherry, that I bought on a whim because I think it was fashionable few years ago.
An unopened bottle of Orange Baileys that I expect to be bleugh - I like a Baileys once in a while, but the flavour just seems wrong. It was a Christmas gift from MIL last year and gifts are a real sticking point for me. It all just seems such a waste - something like 80% of the gifts I receive I don't like or have no use for, and I accept them out of politeness and then feel guilty - a few of the things in the charity/homeless shelter/womens refuge place are unopened toiletry gift sets that I don't use. I also struggle with regifting because if I don't like an item, I usually don't think anyone else would, so would be embarrased giving it to them.
But up to now, I've done really well. I've got rid of over half my clothes to the M&S Schwopping bin (filled it up from empty all by myself 
), filled both the wheelie bins with rubbish every week (non recyclable one is usually almost empty), got rid of loads of komono that I have no idea why we were keeping and tidied up the big walk in cupboard in our bedroom.
Like some others, I'm doing 'pragmatic minimalism' as we do need to keep some stuff and we do have the space. Things like cutlery/crockery for large family events we hold once or twice a year and extra baking tins etc - I don't see the point of getting rid of the good stuff I have to then have to buy more or use disposables and I think this is an area where we can happily deviate from the book, which is aimed at tiny Japanese homes whereas most of us here have houses with much more space. It appears that sheds and lofts don't feature in her book at all?
DP is not quite on board yet (he must have about 50 t-shirts and could really benefit from culling and folding) but he did 'the wires' without prompting and we reduced the volume by about 90% 
, which I'm really pleased about.
I have a very small pile of things I am going to eBay and another pile of books/necklaces/handbags that are going to the charity shop tomorrow, and then I might take a break for a little while, but practice 'not buying things' and trying a 'one in, one out' thing. I've got nearly two weeks off work at Christmas, so I think I'll try to have another go then.
On the subject of shoe boxes, I have loads. I use shoe boxes to store stuff, so have loads spare as the volume has decreased and always kept a few under the bed as they are useful for storage. I'll put these in the recycling once I'm sure I don't need more for storage.
Someone mentioned pan lids not so long ago. Ikea does a rack that bolts on to the inside of a cupboard door and holds about 6 pan lids - brilliant.