"deleted my recycle bin" - As in emptied it or deleted the shortcut ?
If anything, that wont help. I'm sure files are slightly compressed whilst stored in the recycle bin ?
If you have FRAPS or other recording programs, check the files sizes of videos. Some videos I had were about 30 seconds in length yet took up a gig or 2 each !
Music: Go through it & delete any unwanted tracks. That can often free up a fair bit of space.
Any school/college/uni work, save on external harddrives or USB sticks. Helps transporting them & saves space from the main drive