Even clingfilm - if it's gone over a salad bowl, take it off, use it again. I wash out carrier bags; I save brown paper from parcels. I save string; I save ribbons. I separate all my bits and pieces.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I use a shredder for bank statements and phone bills. Most people use ribbon shredders that cut things straight: we can put those back together in an hour. Look for a security microcut shredder, which cuts papers into confetti.
My number one thing is to recycle everything from newspaper to aluminum cans, and I even use a canvas bag instead of the plastic ones when I go to the grocery store.
I keep two sentimental mementos on my desk to remind me of two favorite men. There is an inkwell that my Uncle Seymour made, a brass grotesque he mounted on a marble base. And my grandfather's shaving cup is there, used to store pencils and pens.
I was brought up to reuse things.
The purpose - where I start - is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it's reuse.
I'm not a collector. I toss things out all the time.
It's easier to get rid of things when you're giving them to someone who can use them, but don't let this kind intention become a source of clutter itself. I have a friend who has multiple piles all over her house, each lovingly destined for a particular recipient.
One of my timesaving habits is to save all of my magazines and junk mail for airplane trips. I walk on the plane with a very heavy bundle, but by the time the trip is over, it can all be thrown away.
I can be very messy and disorganized. And I don't throw away anything.
I do like to keep mementos from my work, whether they be photos, the backs of make-up chairs or even props and clothes.