Thanks for posting this. I've been trying to get rid of stuff, so I can find the stuff I actually need and use. I went through a I-finally-have-money-now-I-can-buy-everything-to-make-life-easier phase, but as you found, having 20 tubes of chapstick doesn't actually make life easier. I have so many of each item (from chapstick to jeans to office supplies) that I can't find anything. I actually even have a glut of containers, because I went crazy buying organizational items as well. It's good to read that having less is working out for you. :-)
My new guiding phrase is "You can't organize clutter." (Anyone remember where that is from?) Last weekend I brought a carload of donations to Goodwill, so I'm working on it!