I think the problem is drift over time. Maybe you would have used an item, or did use it, but your life has changed--as lives inevitably do--and now you wouldn'

I think the problem is drift over time. Maybe you would have used an item, or did use it, but your life has changed--as lives inevitably do--and now you wouldn't use that item under any circumstances. But the thing has become part of your environment, you're used to it, and there's the possibility that the part of your life which motivated you to buy the thing in the first place might come back. So through inertia you acquire more and more stuff, and it starts to quietly sap your energy as you begin to associate subconscious feelings of guilt and frustration with it. In my book, "minimalism" is often a treatment for the symptom rather than the disease. The real cure is to actively remove items that have a negative emotional connotation, and to hold onto only those things that you either use or otherwise affiliate positive feelings with. (For example, I almost never use my flashlight, but it feels good to know I have it on hand in case the power dies out. That's worth keeping.)