I moved after 20 years in the same house and that was one of the better things that has happened to me. It was not pleasant but I was able to leave most of it (huge yard sale and 1-800-GOT-JUNK?) and move into this house maybe a third of the size. I still had too many books and am getting rid of them now; maybe you should invest in a Nook or Kindle reader to help you do away with most of your books? I use to use my book buying as my "bank"; I was able to change focus and use the money for things I wanted more, not buy any books for 5-6 months, go to the library instead, that sort of thing.

I've had success with hiring an organizer a time or two and now, I have cleaning people who come in once or twice a month (after a big cleanup when I first realized the cats had fleas and the house was badly infested).

A lot of it is in where one's attention is; look a different direction and you won't see the "deals" so often. Really want the money for something else and you won't spend it on too much pasta and sauce.