It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh (2006, Hardcover)

We are drowning in a sea of possessions. We keep mementos from our infancy up until the time of our death. We buy things that we think will enhance our life only to find out they just end up cluttering our homes. We buy clothes we never wear, take pictures we never put into an album, buy things on sale we end up mothballing in a closet or a rented storage unit, and buy multiple items we think we got a bargain on only to find out that by the time we have a use for them, they are damaged by mice or moths or are out of style. We inherit our relatives belongings and keep them, useful or not and often so homely we would not give a second thought to putting them in the trash except for their sentimentality. We buy bigger and bigger homes to adequately store our "stuff", paying higher utility bills and taking a toll on the environment with increased energy demands. We are drowning in our possessions.

This book puts that in perspective. It addresses our need to consume and hang on to what we so often spend our time and energy obtaining and storing and maintaining. It gives us an option to our materialistic lifestyles. Sell it, give it away, or throw it away because it is broken or obsolete or useless. Keep only what adds value to our lives and serves a direct purpose. Clean out your home, clean out your mind, take a burden off your shoulders you might not have realized you were carrying, remove a financial burden if you are spending money for storage units or to buy things you don't really need, or sell excess belongings and pay off debt, removing another burden. Enhance a relationship with a loved one who has been irritated but tolerant of our aquisitive nature. Free up space in a cluttered home and have friends over for dinner without being embarassed about what they might see. Teach the next generation by example that it is good to have an uncluttered home and maybe break a cycle of hoarding that has continued for generations. This book was so eloquent and so to the point and written by a gentleman that has been through this experience hundreds of times in his professional life helping clients clean up their lives. It helped me realize that it was OK to keep my sewing machines because I have a need to use them frequently, but it was time to let go of craft projects half completed and taking up space in a modest home for several years. It helped me to realize that photos are OK appropriately albumed or stored on external computer hard drive, but not hanging around for decades in a box from several generations of my family, many that I did not even know. I truly got a perspective on what is valuable while selling my "treasures" at my own garage sale and seeing things I thought were irreplaceable go for $.25 during the last hour of the sale after being passed over numerous times by people I thought would be ecstatic to have a chance at owning what I had for sale. I gained new insight into the word collectible after seeing items I had collected with a passion end up being sold for dog toys. I now shop with an eye for what I truly need and what I will get true use from as I shop with the thought in mind of what that item will bring in a few years at my next garage sale. I don't buy something just because it is on sale, but I try and buy things I truly have a desire and need for as cheaply as possible. If you use the principles of this book as they are presented, you can achieve a tidy, clutter-free, peaceful home.

Love the book (have been a big TLC Clean Sweep fan for some time & enjoy Peter a great deal!) Some of it is common sense, but sometimes it helps just actually reading the words. I have been purging like crazy with a "What would Peter say?" attitude. Things are things!!

I like his reasoning for letting go of things that really have no meaning in
your life. I am preparing for a yard sale and have really cleaned out junk
and things I was keeping for what I thought was worth something to me, but
after reading Peter's book I realized that it was just junk. I like his no
nonsense approach for getting rid of stuff in your house. Love the Book!

Great concise read. Even my hoarding husband liked it and has been using some of the strategies outlined in the book.

I really like Peter Walsh's style in this book. It is simple and straight forward advice on how to live a better life with less stuff. Although I am not a hoarder, this book has great advice for everyday living with those things that matter most. He describes the reason some people hang on to things and gives practical tips on how you can honor them in your home, or get rid of them. After just moving into a new home, I am happy to say that I am living with LESS! I hope to stay organized and use even more of his tips in the book!

Saved me thousands in analysis! A must read if you have trouble controlling
"amassitis" - buying stuff, not getting rid of stuff, keeping your home organized with only the things that you really use & need.
Peter Walsh is the organizing & clutter control guru!

From an extremely experienced packrat, I found assistance from this book in analyzing my bad habits. It offered ideas to battle my idiosyncracies. It must be working - I haven't bought anything on eBay in over a month! LOL!

If there's one area in which I may not see eye-to-eye with Peter Walsh, it involves keepsakes and mementos. As a mother of 2 daughters, I tend to stockpile knickknacks for their memory boxes. Women tend to have a deeper attachment to "items" which men just don't get. It's my belief that women have a better connection to the past, and "things" trigger those memories. Guys (esp. my hubby!) just want to chuck everything!

The book contains a lot of common sense guidelines; moderation is the key!

If you've watched the TLC show, "Clean Sweep," you already know what you are going to get in Peter Walsh's book: "It's All Too Much." Yeah, you'll get a kick in the seat of your pants! And hey, we NEED it! In today's materialistic world, I dare say MOST of us are holding on to stuff that isn't enhancing our lives, but is in actuality, making us busier. The books, magazines, clothes, cookware, baseball cards, Star Trek ornaments, all the STUFF -- burdens us and keeps us from living fuller lives. Several times, the author points out that people with overly cluttered houses won't even have friends over because there is an element of shame involved. How sad is that?

Peter Walsh logically and gently points out how to begin downsizing the clutter. I found myself inspired by his book, and will regularly grab an item on my way out of a room: "There you are, you naughty tchotchke, you're going into the donate-bag!"

Great ideas on how to get rid of clutter and get organized!!! Very practical! Gets right to the heart of why people keep things we don't need and how to set criteria for what to keep and what to get rid of. Great ideas for selling things that are worth something to someone else, too.

This book guides you step by step on how to organize your life. I used to keep a lot of things that I thought were good to keep around. But now I throw everything that I know is not going to be of use to me. Very good read.

I've watched him on the TV show, but it's great to have a good reference book. Lots of great ideas and so very helpful in sorting your thoughts.
Very inspirational !!! Anxious to finish reading the whole book !!

I found this book to be full of truths that I could apply both personally and externally. I felt as though Peter put a lot of my own thoughts into words while at the same time helping me to see the entire picture. I have applied a lot of this book to my life already and will continue to do so. My husband even felt vindicated on some of his own ideas being put into the written word.

I love this book, it's really gotten me on the path to getting rid of tons of junk in my house. He makes you re-think your relationship with the "stuff" in your life. I've recommended it to many friends.

what a wonderful surprise this book was! it has helped me learn to let go of many material things that were cluttering our home. i'm trying to convince my husband to read it as well since he's a hoarder. the hardest thing for me to do though is let go of my children's art and so on. now i choose those i can't part with and take pictures of the rest on my digital camera. one disc takes up a whole lot less space but allows me to save the memory. this book is one of my absolute favorites! i have loaned it to my MIL who has the most nonfunctional homes i've ever seen. fingers crossed she finally cleans out but doesn't send it our way!! lol!! his book "does this clutter make my butt look fat" is also a great book!

Great transaction. Fast shipment. Book was in excellent shape. Would deal with seller again. It is great to bid on an item and get exactly what you expected to get. This seller was true to his/her word.

i needed a book that i wanted my husband to read...he hasn't read it yet because i got stuck to reading it myself..it's very good.