Valuable Junk

A few years ago, in a determined effort to prevent my house from becoming a storage unit, I decided that for everything that I bought, I would throw something old away. New sweater in, old sweater out. New rug in, old rug out. New shoes in.
So I didn't follow the rule perfectly, but I did pretty well. Still things accumulate over time so I've decided on another rule. Every time I clean house, I will throw five things away. Not that I clean house that often, but still every little bit helps.
Although the reality show 'Hoarders' shows people who have obsessive/compulsive disorders, many healthy people I know are crowded by possessions they don't use. It is difficult to get rid of a set of china that has never been used because even on sale it cost hundreds of dollars. So it gets stored. Same with picture frames, trays, computer paraphernalia, and all the other clutter of life. And that isn't even counting plain old junk like stereo speakers. Maybe hoarding is part of our genetic make up.
Some people keep stuff because it has sentimental value. I keep Grampa's old shaving mirror for the memory, but in reality, I wouldn't forget him anyway. I still can't part with it. Recently I got new furniture, but Jerry wouldn't let the old furniture go to the dump where it belonged. Not that I had trouble getting rid of it, but why would anyone feel an attachment to junk?
When I go through 2nd hand stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, I am overwhelmed by the junky nature of these second hand goods. The cheap, foreign-made articles aren't worth recycling, but people apparently don't have garbage pick-up at their homes. The only solution to that problem would be to stop buying stuff.
No, that won't work.
Nancy Sherer