The super basic idea is you have a container for stuff and you don’t expand beyond that. For example, a bookshelf: you can fill it with as many books as will fit, but your whole house isn’t a bookshelf so once it’s full you can’t accumulate more books UNLESS you get rid of some to make room in the shelf assigned to books.
And the hard part for me: you aren’t really supposed to just go buy another bookshelf! Lol
To your example: could your papers fit into one binder instead of big bins?
I have Ikea Kallax units in my craft room, and I’ve set rules for the storage bins that go into it. One bin for yarns, one bin for quilting fabric, etc. I cheat a little bit because I also have a bin for upcoming projects, where I put all supplies for future projects (in a bag with all the supplies / patterns / fabrics). It works for me. Once the bin is full, I have to use up supplies before I can buy new.
I heard another tip recently that is kind of related to this too, for when you’re sorting a whole lot of stuff.
The idea is that when you’re going through things, don’t start by putting all the bits into different piles, because you usually end up with too many little piles. It can work better if you decide on a limited number of categories first, and then sort the items directly into the container for each category. Even though you might have to adjust the categories a bit as you go, setting categories first will help make sure you have fewer categories and they’re simple enough to be workable.
I have to say though, the balance between simple enough to work, and enough detail to be able to locate things is hard! For my sewing notions, I have one box for notions, but I put different things in plastic ziplock style bags together (e.g. bag of zippers, bag of ribbons) - that seems to help for me, and I try to stack them vertically for easy access. Could you use file folders or plastic bags or dividers to separate the different papers inside one bin? keeping them vertical if possible?
I think you have something there…I have way too many categories…then when it is time for me to do a project, I have to bring out all the bins because I am not sure what I will want…I am going to try to cut out at least one or two bins and also get rid of crafting supplies that have no crossover use to me…
@Immaculata and @AntBee … the hard decision that I can’t possibly make everything with the stuff I have will help me be much more ruthless in selecting what I will keep…
I have packed three boxes already…and they are just the pictures and finished things used to decorate the room…at this rate, I am going to have way more boxes than I have budgeted for…
My husband is doing his rooms like a maniac…I have snuck some things out of his trash…slap my hand! He is only taking what he truly needs and wants in LIMITED quantities, which means he has thrown out hundreds of pencils and pens…I can’t even…ugh…
Throwing out pens and pencils!!?! The horror! 
(I have SO MANY, but can’t throw them out until they’re completely used up lol - at least they’re compact)
We found an old roll of cello tape that had fused together to make a blobby ring…the date on the package said 1940…it must have been his dad’s that we have been carrying around in the desk for 25 years!
Some treasures: a slide rule, several mechanical pencils, compasses made in Germany and Japan right after the war, watercolors, tons of charcoal pencils and erasers… and this gem…
Some thoughts…
Are people really anticipating the internet going away? And even so, digital files on your devices aren’t internet dependent. Unless people also anticipate electricity going away? In which case, we are not going to need patterns. Let’s maybe not go there…
I copy, scan, photograph pages from books all the time. The library allows a certain percentage of a book to be copied so it’s ok. I mean, you can sell a book & the author doesn’t get a cut of that sale. After you buy it, it’s your book. You could tear out the pages you want & throw away the rest. The horror!
Linda, I have one of those groovy grabby pencil things, but no graphite for it. I’m looking. I’d rather only have one nice pen & one nice pencil, refillable, that I take good care of. I’ve had the same mechanical pencil for 20 years, I actually really like & enjoy that thing.
I was just thinking of internet sites shutting down or bloggers no longer posting…but in that case, new or similar patterns are out there anyway…
I am glad I am destashing…looking for a place to live is so stressful…I have to stay busy…
I dont think the internet/technology will be going away… but whaaat iiiiif 
It’s an illogical “reason” to not do the job, most likely (for me.). I mean, there’s always chance something dramatic could happen personally, like financially, which could end up limiting our access to the internet or technology I suppose. The things do cost money, but it’s not a likely scenario in general.
But iiif it diiiid, look at all the patterns I could choose from!
I maybe should limit the size of my containers.
My fabric “container” is 30 cubic feet of cubbies, that cover an entire wall.
I’ve decided that’s now the container for all my supplies…except 3D printing, buttons, jewelry, and that stuff in the plastic drawer unit. That means no more boxes under the work tables, no more stuff piled haphazardly. Such a good decision. I’m patting myself on the back.
I am making progress on that!
Past Me is annoying Today Me by having collected random yarns in sets of 3 skeins each for some reason and now I don’t know what to make out of any of them and most of them don’t seem to want to play together, either. 
(No one mention the WiPs I’m shoving around to get to the annoying yarn. I’m counting on you, crafties.)
Ironed and cut bunches of fabric today for a donation situation.
I posted about this a while ago but here are the pics! It’s nothing very special, but it’s all stash, it stitched up quickly and it will be gifted to a family member who will certainly appreciate it. And I’d never thought I’d find a way to make that gifted pink and inherited beige look good 
So it’s a win-win situation!
It’s fabulous! So well made and the colors are nice together!
I am going to re-organize my yarns a different way.
I have bins by type of yarn, sock yarn, acrylic yarn, etc.
Instead, I am going to full skeins, partial skeins for scrappy projects, and then crafting yarns for things like embroidery, trim, prayer flag embellishments, etc. I might find that I will have to keep a bin for fingering/sock yarns since I have so much, but trying to reduce the number of bins I am going to have to move…if I can cut back even one, it will help!
I was just in the yarn cabinet again plotting destash projects. I have a personal limit of “it has to fit into this cabinet or I can’t buy it” and I won’t lie, its doors are bursting at the seams a bit. In future I’d love to get all my in-house supplies to sort into the one cabinet and one rollie cart and then one Active WiP basket or holding thing of some sort.
@Immaculata the blanket idea was on my radar, then my yarns felt like they wouldn’t play all that well together. I need to get out of my own way here. As usual haha
I finished a blouse using three different stash fabrics. But I still have largish scraps of each.
This is what I did, I went through my yarn and seperated it into full and partial skeins.
The partial skeins of sock yarn went into one project bag, and resulted in four pairs of scrappy socks, the acrylic yarns went into another bag and I’m working my way through them now, and there’s a third project bag full of partial skeins of cotton. I can’t buy anything new until I’ve worked my way through those project bags.
I have a ton of cotton, what other than washcloths do you like to make with it?
I’m still trying to figure that out
I am 3/4 through this CAL: https://haakplein.com/home/cal2018-nostalgia/ but I’ve been working on it since 2019 and I don’t particularly enjoy it.
I also have some coloured yarns. Some are inherited and not my favourite colours. I know my grandma’s crocheted curtains? I have no clue really, I’d hoped to get ideas here…
