Now it is sort of organized but there is far too much of it

I spent a weekend or two a little while ago organizing my yarn stash and taking inventory on Ravelry.  There was a great deal of satisfaction in getting that done but also a realization that I have a problem.  And it isn't limited to yarn.  I have collected fabric with about as much abandon as I have collected yarn.  I also have collected cookbooks in about the same way.  What to do about this.  Well, it just happens to be New Years resolution time and here is what I have decided (gulp!).  Apologies to yarn and fabric stores who will see a dip in their sales if I'm successful.  Here goes …

1.  I am not going to buy any yarn or fabric in 2014 unless:

• I need it to finish a project (narrowly defined as batting or backing fabric for a quilt).  
• I completely deplete my stash (hah!) - then I can shop for project specific items.  
• I am on a trip to somewhere foreign and see yarn to bring back as a souvenir.  Since I generally try to pack very light these days, the amount of yarn I can bring back is pretty limited so this shouldn't be too bad.  There are no trips currently in the plans so this probably won't come in to play but I needed it in the rules just in case.
• I have already signed up for the Sweet Georgia yarn club and will have some incoming yarn for three months - this has already been done so I'm stuck with it (rats!)

2.  I am not going to buy any craft books in 2014:

• I will use the books that I have on my shelves, the patterns I have snipped from magazine articles (which I will continue to get because I've already paid for them) and patterns I own on Ravelry. I guess free patterns would be fine too but technically I don't want to expand my pattern universe so think I need to stop collecting these as well.
• An exception here - if I can't find something to make with my existing resources, I can buy a pattern on Ravelry  (or at a store but it might be best to avoid going to one at all).  But I must cast on the pattern immediately and start knitting.  
• If I really, really want a book, I'm going to add it to my 2014 Christmas list.

3.  I am not going to buy any cookbooks in 2014.

• If I see one I can't live without, I'm going to add it to my 2014 Christmas list.  At the same time, I'll also examine why I want that particular cookbook and see if I can't find a recipe in one of the hundreds I already own.  The local library seems to order most books that hit my radar screen so I can peruse to my heart's content to answer the above question.  

4.  I will erase games from my iPad that I spend too much time on and use the time to exercise, work on projects, read, continue to organize my life.  Tetris Blitz, your days are numbered.

5.  I am going to read all of those half-finished books on my shelves:  the Knitters Life List, the Omnivores dilemma, the Happiness Project and others that don't come to mind at the moment.  Not to mention the cookbooks that contain good technique or ingredient information.

6.  I'm going to blog about this experiment.