2. Antiques collectors should consider trading up. For example, take an old chest of drawers to the dealer you purchased it from as a down payment on your next older, more formal or more expensive chest of drawers. Most dealers are amenable if you bought the first piece from them. Your other option is to sell on consignment, or ebay, of course.

3. Antiques will never go out of style, but they do go through trends. Never hold on to furniture because you think it will increase in value. If you no longer like it, find a more amicable home for it. Consider moving pieces with great sentimental value but not great style -- say the Victorian sideboard -- to a guest room.

4. If you can't sell it, give it away. "I gave away two lamps, and the people I gave them to still tell me how much they love them," says Southern Accents contributing editor Carol Isaak Barden.

5. Organize important family letters and photographs. Store them in acid-free boxes and envelopes to preserve them for posterity.

6. When building or renovating, make sure to provide an adequate storage system. "Ask yourself, where will I store my luggage or my extra set of china?" suggests Barden.

7. Keep tabs of whether you have worn a piece of clothing in the last 12 months. While it may be fun to hold on to old clothes for nostalgia's sake, fashion is too capricious to keep something in the event it might come back in style. That's what vintage clothing stores are for. One rule of thumb: If it's couture, keep it; otherwise, lose it.

8. Hire Cross It Off Your List. "It is not an inexpensive service," says owner Linda Rothschild. "But it's a necessity when things get so out of hand that they lose productivity."

9. Frequent editing (twice a year) of your furniture and collections will keep your home design fresh (and you sane).