Today I decluttered 27 dishtowels, dish rags, and hot pads. All were stained, torn, or generally ratty. Even with getting rid of all that, I have a more than adequate supply of kitchen towels, hot pads/mitts, etc.
The more I think about it, I decide that the reason my house has more things than I have storage for, is that this house is like a dammed up lake. Water from above enters the lake, but doesn't leave until it rises above the level of the dam. For years and years I've bought things, my husband has bought things, and we've been given things. The level of stuff in the house went up all the time. Every once in a while I would get tired of clutter and I'd donate or throw a box of stuff away, but since we were always buying/receiving things, the level of crap really never went down.
The last two months (ever since our basement flood) has been the first time I've systematically gone through rooms/drawers/closets and tossed without mercy. If something hasn't been used or worn in a year, or doesn't provide utility or beauty, out it goes. I'm not totally into the Marie Kondo method, but once or twice I have asked myself whether something made me feel good, or was I just keeping it out of guilt, sentiment, or fear.