I've always had a hard time decluttering. When my childhood home burned down, I learned a lot about letting go.

Courtesy of Allison Young

• I've always been a bit of a pack rat and had a hard time decluttering.
• When my childhood home burned down, all my stuff went with it.
• I learned a hard lesson about letting go.

As the quintessential pack rat, I perpetuated the cycle of accumulating without decluttering. It's been going on for about as long as I can remember.

My closet brimmed over with bags of clothes...