Paring down

I have a dream, well more of a pipe dream really, but still a dream.  My dream is that one day I will be able to live in a house small enough that I can clean it all in about 4 hours or less.   This includes dusting, vacuuming, doing the laundry and the dishes, and even going so far as to make the bed and clean the bathroom. 

In my previous post, I had mentioned paring down on all of my stuff.  One of the responses gave warning that I should not pare down too much becuase I may end up needing it at a later date.  Very logical advice, and well recieved.   I did some thinking about this advice and what it meant, and how it could be implemented.  

My conclusion was that if I don't have any emotional attachment to it (such as the stuffed toys that I've had since I was 3 and have always been there). Another reason for keeping something is if it is a family heirloom (my Great-Grandfather's sewing machine that he used to repair shoes with and still works, as well as all of the lasts that he used).  My third reason for keeping stuff would be if I have used it within a year. 

If  I don't hold any emotional attachment to it, or can't readily use it,  or haven't even thought about it in over a year, then why am I holding on to it?  Why do we let things like this clutter our lives? It served its purpose in our lives, perhaps on some subonsious level we feel that it will, like the response from last post said, be needed at some point in the shrouded future. Holding on to stuff that is not needed can be tiresome.

Every increased possesion loads us with new weariness. -John Ruskin (1819-1900)