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Original poster

Are you ruthless with throwing things away or a hoarder?

106 replies

Teapotteapot76 · 03/04/2025 10:23

Hoarder here, but after watching sort your life out, I am hoping to become a ruthless declutterer. My house is needs a big sort out. What is everyone else like?

Do you mercilessly throw things away that you no longer need or hold onto them?

OP posts:
Bloompetal · 03/04/2025 10:24

Ruthless
consequently lovely tidy and highly organised home that I love love love

TonTonMacoute · 03/04/2025 10:26

Ruthless, unfortunately married to a hoarder.

However, I've managed to train him up and we have managed to shift a lot of stuff during our recent house refurb.

I have to say it's a lot harder to get rid of unwanted stuff these days, as charity shops have become a lot fussier, so we do end up taking a lot to the tip.

frozendaisy · 03/04/2025 10:29

I am ruthless
rest of the family less so
but I am ruthless enough they come round eventually

35965a · 03/04/2025 10:32

I tend to keep things to a point where I snap then I have a ruthless clear out. It never gets too bad, just a bit cluttered and annoying before I snap. I will throw a lot out/donate a lot. Then the cycle begins again.

Differentstarts · 03/04/2025 10:33

Ruthless absolutely love it so easy to keep the house clean and tidy and everything has its own place

olderbutwiser · 03/04/2025 10:34

Regular mini-declutterer. Definitely not a hoarder.

EyrieEaglesnest · 03/04/2025 10:38

I wish I was ruthless.

I've got a little better now I'm older. But I know if I could summon the will power to get rid of a lot of stuff I would feel better.

I must say though my son is a hoarder worse than I am and he gets annoyed with me when I want to throw stuff out. He doesn't e wn live with me.

Pixiedust1234 · 03/04/2025 10:49

I hoard. Then once every five years I become ruthless and throw everything away and enjoy the space. Then I start gathering things around me again for another five years. And so it continues. I hate it but I can't stop it 😕

Haha - just seen another poster say the same. I agree that you "snap" and suddenly start throwing things away.

Kingfishersperch · 03/04/2025 10:55

I really struggle. My house is tidy but I need to get rid of stuff. Cupboards are certainly full! Three kids though yr 4 primary to early secondary and they still play with toys. Any help appreciated.

It’s so depressing! I need a ruthless friend 😆

Kingfishersperch · 03/04/2025 10:56

And yes every now and again I snap and bin 500 items in a week!

Ollybob · 03/04/2025 11:00

I'm getting better, my issue is I live month to month and worry about throwing items away I'm case I need them again and cannot afford them.
There's also the issue where I spot a free item on marketplace etc and think it's a real bargain and I'd never be able to afford to pay for one so I will go and collect it.
Financially it makes sense to me but I do try and have a one in one out system.
All my hanging clothes(tops/dresses/smart trousers) fit on one rail, I won't have more clothes than hangers so a lot goes on vinted.

Gundogday · 03/04/2025 11:03

Not ruthless, but trying to improve.

Clearing out in-laws house helped.

Sammysquiz · 03/04/2025 11:03

Ruthless! I hate clutter and can’t think clearly when there’s stuff all over the place. My dream job is professional declutterer!

Jollyjoy · 03/04/2025 11:04

Definitely raised hoarder but some improvements over time!

Gundogday · 03/04/2025 11:04

Saw this, and aim to do it. Just haven’t started yet!

Are you ruthless with throwing things away or a hoarder?
Allthegoodhorses · 03/04/2025 11:05

I am ruthless, sometimes to my detriment. I give things away then realise I might need them. I have plenty of storage outside of the house so I don't know why I do this! Very tidy house though which I love. It stems from being in period homes with very little storage and honestly it tended to be a "one in, one out" attitude, especially to clothes as I just did not have the storage space.

Pascha · 03/04/2025 11:08

I'd probably could be ruthless, but the truth is I like having stuff around and it doesn't bother me. I would rather use something til it's dead or nearly so, even if it's on a second or third different use. I don't mind it somethings a little battered or frayed as long as it has some use left in it I'll keep it rather than replace with new.

My house doesn't look pristine and I'm OK with that.

Happyinarcon · 03/04/2025 11:12

I’m not ruthless enough and then i regret it. I know I would feel a million times better with less stuff but I just can’t make decisions. I also don’t seem to have a middle ground between 100 tops and 2 tops so I either want to keep them all or throw them all. I wish I lived 100 years ago where I would have 3 dresses and 2 hats

BananaNirvana · 03/04/2025 11:12

Ruthless but room for improvement 😄. Now in my 50s I’m just trying to buy less. With aging parents and in laws I can see the torrent of stuff that’s coming our way and I don’t want to add to that to hand down to my kids! We ALL have too much stuff nowadays - it’s what simultaneously drives the world’s economy and destroys the planet 🙁

EffortlesslyDecluttering · 03/04/2025 11:16

In between, I wouldn't say I'm a hoarder but I do keep things just in case and I like having things to hand and not having to go out and buy them, our house certainly isn't minimal but it's nowhere near SYLO bad either, I do get rid of stuff regularly and in certain respects (clothes, books etc) it is one in one out when the available space is full.

Andoutcomethewolves · 03/04/2025 11:16

I'm a mix of the worst of both, unfortunately. Hoard loads of completely pointless stuff (eg crappy stuff from cheap Christmas crackers from years ago, 'just in case' or 'for sentimental value'). Then I eventually snap and have a MASSIVE clear out that inevitably results in me throwing out stuff that I actually do need/use/want. Last time I had a clear out I decided to chuck loads of my clothes with the aim of having a nice streamlined 'capsule' wardrobe, with the result that I ended up with only one or two work tops, one skirt etc and have had to buy multiple new items when loads of my old stuff was perfectly serviceable and regularly worn...

Semiramide · 03/04/2025 11:17

I'm becoming more ruthless as I'm getting older. Got rid of lots of stuff in the past 10 years. These days I hardly buy anything. This has simplified my life considerably.

curious79 · 03/04/2025 11:21

Definitely not a hoarder - semi ruthless declutterer but with hoarding tendencies. It's a family trait I feel.

I was scarred for life having to clean out a relative's house who had been a chronic hoarder. Plus wasted a lot of time I don't have.
I constantly urge my parents to get rid of stuff. I feel it's very selfish of them to hold onto stuff as I look at it and think 'bloody hell it's going to fall on me to sort out this shit'
I love a clean, neat yet lived in enough home

Challenge yourself to get rid of a bin bag a week.
If you have more than one, get rid of the one you never use
Get rid of all the stuff you're saving for 'just in case'

Think 'when I'm gone, will my kids thank me for this or curse me'

obsessedwithfreshbread · 03/04/2025 11:35

I am ruthless, I don’t like a lot of “stuff” around and I’m not overly sentimental, DH and I have a kallax box each with a few things from over the years and from parents

DSC are complete hoarders when we moved house 3 years ago they both ended up with a couple of big boxes to take back to their mums! Their bedrooms fill me with horror with the amount of “stuff” they don’t want to part with so I just keep their doors shut!

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