Can’t beat a good clear out but really I just want less stuff!

[UnusualTeaTowel]

I have been to the charity shop twice today and chucked out bags of stuff. I love having a good sort and clear out but amazed at how much stuff there is to get rid of. Every year I go through this.

I really try hard not to accumulate too much stuff but despite this it isn’t working. I think a lot is to do with the kids getting older and slowly getting rid of their toys from over the years. Does the stuff lessen as they get older? They don’t have toys anymore but I guess it will turn into clothes?

We have also had a couple of bereavement s in the family and ended up with a lot of junk we didn’t really want. You say yes to be polite then end up getting rid of it anyway.?

It’s my aim this year to really try hard to accumulate less crap. I am definitely not minimalist and don’t want to be but how do you stop amassing so much?!

Following with interest! I have been slowly declutterring over the last few months but can only do it in short bursts due to a lack of time and a lack of will! I’d be interested to know peoples best tips to be ruthless.
i have become much better with clothes, finally realising I wear a tiny amount of clothing on loop so I will not be buying new clothes this year-I have tons 😩

Have a strict one in one out policy.

New baking tray - Chuck the old one
New coat - throw a coat out

My aim is to buy less food so there is less waste.

Im going for 3 days worth of food - top up mid week and then I can decide what’s for tea based on what we have with a few extras.

I’m fighting an endless battle with my wardrobe, because I can only bear to get rid of a couple of things at a time. Which is actually quite beneficial for my Vinted account, but I wish I could have a big clearout all at once.

A lot of the problem is that I’ve gained more weight and I don’t know if I’ll lose it again or not, so I have loads of clothes that are too small and can’t bear to get rid of them yet. I also still have a couple of things from when I used to go clubbing years ago, which I’ll clearly never wear again but I still want to hold on to them somehow.

Please help me be more ruthless!

I don't know why I ended up in charge of stuff.
It does get easier, apart from the hard bit, when they cling nostalgically to the past but have firmly moved on.
I photographed the kids playing with stuff, those photos they love looking at now, rembering but not burdened by the past.
Clearing out a relatives possessions has made DH a bit more brutal. Having some money in the bank takes the fear and sting out of 'will this come in handy'

@Laughin yes my children often want to hang onto stuff they are sentimental about even though they don’t play with it. A photo is a good idea! Although often I check back in with them 6 months later and they are ready to part with it!

@Scarletttulips i really need to do a one in one out clothes policy. Although money is tight so I find myself clinging onto stuff just in case! It really isn’t needed though.

It’s amazing though despite not having loads of space or money I still have lots of stuff! My parents live in a decent sized house and it’s rammed with things. I dread that being my job one day. I don’t want to do that to my children.

Ditto. I’ve done clothes for the most part. Now on household ‘stuff’ 3 bags to charity shop, couple of ‘good’ items on to eBay. It’s a start but lots more to go as live on my own and amazing what one person can accumulate in 30 years of doing so….
feels good just moving stuff on, and getting rid of the mindset that it might come in handy one day. The day of ‘slimming’ into that has thankfully long gone, as if I lose that weight, then it’s well any truly out of fashion and be nice to buy the odd ‘new’ bit…..hmmm.

I have been following this thread here for support - https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/housekeeping/4949580-decluttering-thread-6-hit-those-targets-before-new-year?page=19&reply=132024441

I have been in this situation.

When is unfit in them they were dated or I wanted new stuff. Styles change ever so slightly even 'classic items'. Fashion changes and trends come and go( even for the unfashionable) and we age too.

Keep one pair of trousers one pair of jeans one dress and one top one jumper etc (most expensive or favourite and recycle the rest in vinted or charity)

Some thing we naturally replace anyways so t shirts and so on just buy new!

Good luck

I've tried to pay myself to get rid of stuff. Eg. £5 for a pile of jumpers whittled down to one or two. The £5 goes into savings, so if I reeeaallly feel the need for a new jumper, I can go look in a charity shop and have the space and the funds for it.

But seeing the money add up is a better feeling than buying the thing. Sometimes...

I go through phases of only spending money one day of the week.
My work fares don't count but everything else does.

No frivolous spending as it has to be on the day I do my food shopping. No late night amazon purchases either.

Apart from less crap coming into my home, it's amazing how much money I save!