Decluttering

I won't claim to like cleaning, but I am one of those slightly strange people who get a kick out of purging. I absolutely LOVE getting rid of things. Shirt doesn't fit correctly? Gone. Bowl hasn't been used in a while? Donated. Pile of blankets too big? Gave some away. We live in a less than 1000 square foot loft. While we actually have a fair bit of storage space, I feel much better when we have fewer things. That's why, when I'm daydreaming, I'm probably mentally running through my closet or a cupboard trying to decide what else we can do without.

What have we found not necessary?
     * Probably 2/3 of our wardrobes: mine more so than my husband's, since I wouldn't get rid of anything that's his without permission.
     * 2-3 bankers boxes of books: fiction and nonfiction, but especially cookbooks. Last year I started a challenge to cook 3 recipes from each cookbook I owned. If all 3 were good, it got to stay. If all 3 were mediocre or bad, it immediately went into the "out" pile. If there were a mix, I kept cooking from it until I came to a decision. We found a couple of great new recipes, but also weeded out a huge number of cookbooks that would never get used. I'm currently in the process of cooking every interesting recipe from the remaining books to that I can decide which has really earned a permanent spot.
     * kitchen gadgets: I cook a lot, but I have never found myself reaching for ramekins, or decorative spoons, or whisks (if I need to whisk something, it goes into the Kitchenaid mixer), or a full sized coffee maker. Those went by the wayside and have not been missed.

Young House Love is a blog that focuses on home improvements, but had a post last year about their wardrobe. Sherry (one of the bloggers) mentioned that she thinks of her closet as having an IQ, and she trys to keep that score as high as possible by only having things she loves in it. I love this idea, and have been trying to follow it with my own closet as well.

Upcoming items on the chopping block?
     * pitchers: We have 4, but only ever use 2. I need to decide this summer which 2 best serve our purposes.
     * dresses: I've managed to clear out my closet pretty well, but have a soft spot for dresses. I don't wear all of them though, so I'm planning on purging down to the ones I really love.
     * t-shirts: The farther I get from college, the more I appreciate people who always seem to look put together. I'm planning on sorting my t-shirts so that I have fewer "meh" shirts, and a greater proportion of ones that allow me to look put together.

What have you purged? What are your guidelines for what to keep? Have you regretted any of your choices?