how ruthless are you when cleaning out your stash?

[TeriBeary]

I've got a retreat next weekend (yay, 3.5 full days of scrapbooking and relaxing!) so I'm organizing so I only have to bring my laptop. I'm going through everything and am thinking I should delete a lot, but what if I need it later on?! LOL. Enable me to use my delete button... If I haven't used it since I bought it (and many are 2-3 years old), I won't use it, right?

[LJSDesigns]

When I did this, I honestly asked myself if a kit still suited me and my style now. If the answer was no, then I let it go. I made a lot of progress, but still have more "closet cleaning" to do. Good Luck and enjoy your retreat. Sounds like a great way to spend a weekend.

[TeriBeary]

I'm a bit of a collector (not to the level of a hoarder ... yet) so it's hard for me to get rid of things. I have my kits stored unzipped so realistically I do have the zips if I needed to track something down.

It is a fabulous weekend. Anyone in BC should consider it

[jessica31876]

I delete every few months. I go through the folders and if it has not been used in months then it is gone. I have everything on two EHD's and to backblaze online so if I ever really did need it I still have it.

[KristinCB]

where is the retreat? i can't go but maybe is something i could keep in mind for the following year or something if its not crazy far away.. LOL

[TeriBeary]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

where is the retreat? i can't go but maybe is something i could keep in mind for the following year or something if its not crazy far away.. LOL

Kristin, it's near Salmon Arm, so it's not super super far. And I'm in Kelowna so you could always stop here and then continue on! It is SO much fun. It's put on by CM reps, but they're not purists or anything so it's not stressful. Food is great. It's across the road from Shuswap Lake so it's peaceful and beautiful. A short drive to Herald's Park in the fall too. I probably wouldn't go hike there now since it'll be wet and sloppy but walking about the beach is wonderful.

[TeriBeary]

Originally Posted by jessica31876

I delete every few months. I go through the folders and if it has not been used in months then it is gone. I have everything on two EHD's and to backblaze online so if I ever really did need it I still have it.

What do you think about Backblaze? I have used Dell and Mozy Home but haven't been super happy with either. I'd like an online backup site for my photos, etc.

[TeriBeary]

you know, i think i'm weird. I'm feeling guilty since it seems like i'm deleting a lot of a few specific designers. Silly since I've paid for them and the designer won't ever know. LOL

[heathergw]

I've gotten better at deleting... but I think it's because I'm always downloading so much of the new stuff so if I've used it already I probably won't use it again unless it's a themey kit that I know I would use again... so the only things I really keep anymore are element packs, alphas, fonts and specific themey kits and a few kits that I just LOVE LOVE LOVE and could never get rid of... I also keep a lot of the really neutral Project Life, P365, A Week In The Life or monthly themed kits like Penny has.

I'm super ruthless with templates, unless I CT for them... if I've used it once I don't ever use it again unless it's like a first year or year in review type template, so that template goes out the door... I don't toss the whole set, just that template... so if I've used every template in that set then I'll toss the whole folder

[kscwgirl]

I'm pretty ruthless, I do two big purges a year. If I haven't used it in the last 6 months, it goes.

[mrshobbes]

I do a major purge once a year. I think i'm pretty ruthless, because I sort of know already which kits I'll never get rid of and which ones I'm good to let go of This is another reason I love how I've organized my stash--I can easily see which kits "look alike" and start trimming from there!

[nun69]

I just did a major purge about 3 weeks ago and never looked back....but I have a tendency to use a few templates over and over that I really like so I haven't deleted hardly any of those LOL!

[TanyaH666]

I just did my first BIG purge a couple months ago! I looked thought everything and if it didn't fit my current style I tossed it. It is amazing how good it feels to delete stuff once you do it!

[jessica31876]

Well I have not actually had to USE it to get files back but It backs up in the background when my computer is on whenever there are new files and I do not even notice it. Occasionally I will click it and click backup now and it will check and I maybe have a few megabytes to add but it has already usually backed everything up that day. Once it did the inital backup which took a pretty good amount of time (Im thinking over a month) it only takes a few minutes each day to add the new stuff. I got a deal on it when Mozy I think changed their prices big time and so Backblaze offered a good deal for two years. Alot of people here at SSD signed up at that time. I think I am just over a year now and will most likely renew so long as they are still running around the same amount they are now.

Originally Posted by TeriBeary

What do you think about Backblaze? I have used Dell and Mozy Home but haven't been super happy with either. I'd like an online backup site for my photos, etc.

[Gemma]

I'm pretty ruthless, I go through and delete every 2/3 months, I don't buy as much now though so I never have lots to either keep or delete!

[Stacey42]

I purge every 3-4 months. Once you get over that sinking feeling of hitting the delete button the first few times, it gets easier. I move stuff into a 'remove' file and let it sit there for 3-4 months. If I need something out of it I take it out. At the end of the 3-4 months I just delete the file without opening it.

Backblaze - My laptop died about 2 months after my initial back up & I was able to pull all my stuff off of backblaze to put on my new laptop. But it did take a couple months do do the initial back up

[kscwgirl]

I use backblaze too, but once I delete something off my EHD, it deletes it off Backblaze. It doesn't keep it on there forever. Something to keep in mind.

[ZaCola3]

Ruthless-monthly-I rarely buy anymore because of these purges and the guilt they would bring on.

[Darcy Baldwin]

I've always been pretty ruthless, but I really went in and cleaned out a lot this morning and got rid of 22 GB of stuff - and that's on top of my normal cleanout. I'd been hanging on to quite a bit of "i might use" stuff that I know I never will. I joked with Russ that when I can't clean house, I will clean my PC

[4noisyboys]

I wouldn't say I'm ruthless. There are things I will keep forever. For instance, I have things from ages ago from Jacque Larsen, Lauren Grier, and Kate Hadfield. They have LONG since retired these things, but I hold on to them and keep them on my EHD because I just LOVE them.

Then, there are things I look at and when I'm honest with myself, I know I won't use them ever. Most of my old stuff has been burned to DVD's, so if I really really really want it again, I can search through those.

I just deleted about 20 gigs this morning. It felt great. I'm just going through folder by folder. Some I'm just deleting kits, and from other designers, I'm deleting the whole kit and kaboodle!

I have about 500 gigs on my EHD (it's a 1TB). That's about the most I keep on my EHD. Then, on my HD, I keep the most recent from my CT's and then I have a Project Life folder that has a lot of the things I plan to use for my project life layouts. Also a digi scrap folder of new things to use and then file away.

I have certain folders on my EHD that I don't touch either. That would be my Travel folder, my Word Art folder, etc...Those are things I can get into any time and use bits and pieces.

I'm not like some of the girls that can just wipe out everything, but I do go through it several times a year and do some major cleaning!!

[Sherri Tierney]

When I actually get around to purging I'm pretty ruthless with it but actually getting around to doing it is the issue. I know I still have plenty on my hard drive to delete but I'm trying to take it slow so I can sort it all well and eventually tag it all in One Note. I tried other programs and wasn't happy with them so hopefully this will do it.

Just a quick glance through what is left to be sorted and I have a LOT of OLD stuff... I mean super old (as in the designers would probably be embarrassed if I were to scrap with this stuff now!!). LOL I need to do a lot more purging. I already got rid of over 70 gig of stuff though. Can we say 'too much'? Oy!

[rachaelsscraps]

Purging for me means I only delete it off my hard drive after I've put it on a DVD disc and on my EHD. (I can't part with them, I'm definitely a hoarder!!!) I didn't realize until a few months ago that Backblaze deletes things from their server soon after you delete if off your computer, so I still need to have BB back up my EHD. it'll be a pita though because I don't leave my ehd plugged in all the time, and who the heck wants cords coming off of their laptop in every direction? It'll probably take a couple of months to back up my EHD! ugh!

I do delete papers or elements that I've over-used... or if I there are 6 of the same cardstock in different colors, I'll just save one and recolor it if needed. I also delete elements that are my own CU products, since I already have those all on my computer too. LOL
I like to do pages with different style kits, so I save 'em all, even the super old ones if I bought them. I just started selling/donating all of my old paper-scrapping supplies though, so it all balances itself out! lol.