Where do you keep your...

[thefatladyissinging]

STUFF?! We have a normal-sized house with a normal amount of cupboards I think... But there are so many things I am constantly struggling to find the right home for. So where do you keep:

Winter weight duvets (in summer)
Spare pillows / blankets
Air beds
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?)
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming
The bloody laundry basket
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies
Bags of various sizes
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency...

Christmas decorations
cameras
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP

What is the mysterious trick I am missing? I know other people have this stuff - where are they keeping it, without ending up with wardrobes doubling as spaces full of crap which falls out every time you open the door???

Winter half of the duvet - top of the wardrobe in spare room
pillows etc - bedding bags under the bed
airbeds - top of wardrobe in spare room
wrapping paper - in a wrapping paper bag in the spare room wardrobe (do you detect a theme here??)
craft shite - in the wardrobe in the spare room (really needs clearing out to the bare minimum)
presents - ditto
photo albums - loft
bags - Suitcases are in the top of main bedroom wardrobe, small bags in a basket in the bottom of it
Emergency box - don’t have one
christmas decorations & tree - loft
cameras - don’t have one
Halloween decs - don’t buy this shite in the first place

Watching with interest!

Winter weight duvets (in summer) - Under ottoman bed
Spare pillows / blankets - Under ottoman bed
Air beds - N/A
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use - Bottom drawer of bookcase in home office
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?) - Sewing kit in alcove cupboard under the TV, craft materials in the above mentioned office bookcase
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming - Haven't got any yet but probably a wardrobe in the spare room
The bloody laundry basket - Laundry hamper in our bedroom and then collapsable baskets in the cupboard under the stairs
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies - Photos albums on a bookcase
Bags of various sizes - Bag of tote bags on a hook in the hall, if that bag is overflowing a cull is required
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency... - First aid kit under the bathroom sink

Christmas decorations - Cellar
cameras - N/A
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP - We have a very small amount and I'm not entirely sure where it is, I think in a kitchen cupboard with tupperware

Probably not a big help since I assume you aren’t looking for major furniture purchases but when I downsized to a 2 bed flat, I deliberately bought raised beds designed to fit storage boxes underneath. I then bought smaller boxes to go in the storage boxes for smaller items and took photos of where things are. Almost everything you list is under the beds.

I do have a laundry basket in the bedroom but it fits down the side of the chest of drawers.

Can’t help with most of it, but duvets and pillows I vacuum-pack and shove in the top of the floor-to-ceiling cupboard. Clothes for the opposite season are also vacuum-packed and go under the bed.

Spare bedding is in the under bed drawers.
Craft supplies are in Kallax cubes under the stairs.
Wrapping paper, presents etc we don't buy.
I collect vintage cameras so they're all on display.

I have one big box of photos, no albums.
The laundry basket lives in the bathroom.

Honestly it sounds like you need a brutal clear out. If you can't store everything you have too much.

I shall preface this by saying we dont have a loft but we do have a quadruple sized walk in cupboard that serves as our loft space. With that in mind:

Winter weight duvets (in summer) linen cupboard
Spare pillows / blankets. Linen cupboard
Air beds. The big cupboard that serves as a loft.
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use. A drawer in a chest of drawers
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?) Ha! Everywhere. I am a huge crafter, there are stores of craft materials dotted about everywhere.
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming. In my wardrobe or maybe under the bed.
The bloody laundry basket. In the bathroom
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies. Some are in the big cupboard that serves as a loft, others are in a dresser unit in the kitchen
Bags of various sizes. I try not to keep these but have my reusable shopping bags in the downstairs loo.
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency... I recently cleared a load of kitchen junk out and made a space in the kitchen cupboard but I'm not really a prepper, just trying to keep a modest store of food for emergencies.

Christmas decorations. Big cupboard that serves as a loft.
cameras. Don't have any, use my phone. But dh has a store of antique bits in our loft cupboard.
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP. In thr same place as wrapping paper.

So far I am taking from this that I need a spare room with an enormous cupboard in it (and a raised bed) - or [MASSIVE JEALOUSY] a cellar... I should add that much of this crap is not 'mine', but I have a DH and 3 x teen DDs. Underbed space is well-used here (Ikea boxes with lids) but by whoever has that particular bedroom.

I read on here (years ago) to keep your winter weight duvet under the mattress of the bed it goes on, then swap them in summer.

Take out all but say 6 of your favourite bags for life and give the rest to the food bank, next time you need to buy one, buy the nicest one there and use it instead of wrapping paper for presents, cheaper than a paper gift bag and actually reusable (or they can give them to the food bank)

I always thought that we had too much stuff.

No, we just don’t have room for our stuff.

Friends with bigger houses have way more stuff than us. But it’s better contained.

I think it’s a case of home size to stuff ratio.

It’s why Japanese decluttering books are so popular. Homes are typically not large so it’s a necessity to own less. If you have an American Home Alone house, different story…

Most of us are somewhere in between.

I’ve been working to find the balance. Buying more stuff than we need is a problem!

I agree that buying too much is a problem, but lots of these things (like airbeds) are 'necessary' for family coming to stay and not 'frivolous' - the more frivolous things I've mentioned were probably bought by Someone Else in my household but are not crazy-unreasonable things to have and it seems better to re-use than throw away and buy more if necessary.
And I've thought of another one: the winter coats!! 5 people, not enormous numbers of coats each, but they take up so much room. And I see people at work with multiple different coats and I think - where the heck are you keeping them all!?

Duvet tip is exactly the sort of thing I am hoping for, thank you (but surely they get dusty - the boxes under our bed need the lids hoovering quite frequently!) - am I just a super-dusty person?

Do you not have a loft @thefatladyissinging ? I always thought we were the disadvantaged ones because we don't have one. Most of your listed stuff I would put in a loft if I had one.

Winter weight duvets (in summer) - vacuum bags under the bed
Spare pillows / blankets - under the bed
Air beds - under the bed
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use - in a random cupboard with the mop
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?) - garage. I have so much of this as I never throw any of it away 🤦‍♀️
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming - in my T-shirt drawer or wardrobe if they have to be hidden, or on the spare bed
The bloody laundry basket in my wardrobe
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies - arrggghhhh they just hang about and don’t have a proper home
Bags of various sizes - like, handbags? In my wardrobe. Or, canvas bags? In a drawer in the hall and the mop cupboard and the garage
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency... I don’t really have this

Christmas decorations - loft
cameras - one on a shelf above my desk
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP - random drawers. Never open my drawers

I only moved into my house 1.5yrs ago. I wanted to keep my home with minimum clutter and threw away or donated loads of stuff. But I have noticed that it's accumulating. Some bit from me and some bits are gifts.

My partner often buys colourful bowls and ornaments to put around the house, but they drive me mad as I don't want them cluttering up every surface. Last Christmas was my first Christmas living alone, so I did buy a Christmas Tree and a couple of ornaments, but I didn't go mad. They are housed in the cupboard under the stairs.

My winter duvet will be going on the bed soon. I do vacuum pack the summer duvet, but I refuse to do it with the winter one as it cost a fortune and has feathers. I don't want them crushed.

I am currently lucky as I do live alone in a three bedroomed house, so I can store stuff everywhere. However my partner is going to move in with me around spring next year, and he comes with loads of ..... everything.

We do have a loft, but it is v not easy to access and the roof height is very low (you couldn't stand up in it for eg - and although I keep it neat and as clean as poss anything up there it is damp and gets quite dirty (v draughty; dirt comes in). Currently is where we keep the winter duvets in vac bags, for eg - it was the fact that it's a faff getting them down, and I've just done that, which pushed me over the edge and prompted me to post this! Christmas decs are there too, but anything not sealed in plastic gets spoiled. I am always fascinated that people in flats with no loft seem to have all the stuff that we have - like Christmas decs and duvets! - so wondered if everyone else was brilliant at finding storage places I'd not thought of.

HeinousBeaker I think sounds v similar to me situation!

Interesting re under the mattress…

Storage boxes that slide under each bed to store the spare bedding for that room.

Vacuum lack duvets, or roll up really tight and put into pillow case.
Airbeds take time to get all the air out and fold as neatly as poss to keep on top of cupboard or wardrobe.

Teens’ stuff in their own rooms.

Wwrapping paper, crafts, sewing stuff, all neatly folded and boxed up with labels. Boxes are on a set of bookshelves where everyone can get them when need be.

Don’t overbuy in the first place. Always sort and tidy.
If all else fails, declutter.

Duvets under the bed (one where the mattress lifts up). Plus pillows.
Airbeds - shed
Wrapping and xmas stuff - one single box under the stairs
No craft items
No small children so toys not an issue. All DC items in their room.
Got rid of all Baby stuff. Asked DC if they wanted it. They didnt. Got rid of all wedding cards etc.
Yoga stuff in a basket where I do yoga.
Any admin is kept on mine and DH respective desks.
Don't keep much sentimental stuff. Got rid of all photos of me from pre marriage DC don't need to sort any of that out when I die. I'm 48 so these are things on my mind now.

Winter duvets go in the loft, although under the spare bed since I moved. Gift bags in the wardrobe of the study/3rd bedroom (I’m aware I’m lucky to have spare rooms). Christmas decks are also in the loft.

I don’t do craft but did just buy a kit. My sewing kit is in a wooden box in the cupboard in the lounge.

Spare bags are in a drawer in our very large utility room, although I’ve put 2 in each car, in the pocket on the back of the front seats cos I’m sick of deciding last minute to go shopping then have to get bags.

Photo albums are on a shelf in the study/with books on a windowsill. Study aka 3rd bedroom is a work in progress. Only moved in under 2 months ago.

Winter weight duvets (in summer don't own different weights of duvets
Spare pillows / blankets don't have any spares
Air beds don't have any* *
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use
In a box on the loft
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?) in my office (3rd bedroom/box room drawers/cupboards. I have lots of crafting, sewing, knitting stuff)
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming in boxes under my bed
The bloody laundry basket The clean clothes basket folds flat and lives in a gap next to my wardrobe. The dirty clothes basket lives next to my set of drawers in my bedroom
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies Some on bookshelf in sitting room. Some in loft
Bags of various sizes car boot
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency... Under my bed and under the stairs
Christmas decorations loft
cameras don't own a camera separate to my phone
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP Don't own this sort of stuff

I think you've fallen for the consumerism lies. You own too much stuff

Winter weight duvets (in summer) - vacuum sealed under ottoman bed
Spare pillows / blankets- vacuum sealed under ottoman bed
Air beds - folded flat and also in ottoman bed storage
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use - down the side / out of sight of a small space between cupboard and wall
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?)- small cupboard in lounge which mainly acts as coffee table
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming- in bags and behind sofas with something like a rolled blanket on top
The bloody laundry basket- slimline one in bathroom
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies- in kids room in boxes- in wardrobes or under beds
Bags of various sizes- only keep ones that fold right down and they are in the master carrier bag that hangs on the inside of a kitchen cupboard as flatly as possible
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency...separate the items and just store alongside usual things in kitchen cupboards
Christmas decorations- limited to two boxes and in the loft
cameras - the bits n bobs drawer
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP- folded, or in a sandwich bag and in with wrapping paper/ gift bags

You do have to part with things even if they’re lovely or could come in useful, otherwise it’s never ending. You could look to get slim cabinets/ ikea type baskets for some shelves somewhere if you have wall space and utilise whatever you can.

When we were over run with toys, I had a weatherproof storage unit just outside the back door with several massive boxes with lids and rotated stuff in and out weekly so there was only ever one box in the house that I could shove under the table at night time to reclaim the space into a grown up one for a bit.

WaddleMacGubbins - Interesting what you say about consumerist lies, but it's sort of the opposite - most of this is stuff I am keeping because I use it reasonably frequently and whilst I suppose some people might throw stuff out and buy only when needed, I just don't think that's a good idea. And the sewing kit for instance is because I make and mend stuff rather than just buying all the time. Despite the impression this thread might give, I'm very neat and organised and certainly am not in TK MAxx buying seasonal throws etc. But things like bedding, which we use for family coming to stay, or Christmas decs (many of which are homemade!) - surely that's pretty uncontroversial? My question was really more that I KNOW other people have easily as much stuff as me; I see their houses are not a sea of duvets piled in the corner coats under the table - so... where is the stuff going?!

Winter weight duvets (in summer) - vacuum packed bags in blanket box in bedroom.
Spare pillows / blankets - as above
Air beds - with camping kit under beds in spare bedroom
Wrapping paper and gift bags that I am keeping to re-use - We have a no present deal going on with friends and family so we don't have these.
Sewing kit / craft material (do you just chuck everything out once you've done a single project?) - in boxes on shelves in spare bedroom
Presents you are keeping ready for Christmas / birthdays which are upcoming - as above re non presents
The bloody laundry basket - understairs cupboard
Photo albums / memory boxes from babies - blanket box in sitting room
Bags of various sizes - top cupboard of wardrobe
The box of stuff we are supposed to be keeping ready for an emergency - understairs cupboard.
Christmas decorations - top cupboard of wardrobe
cameras - I have one, it's always in my bag
Halloween decs / birthday bunting - that sort of thing - i.e. BITS OF CRAP - Make our own from paper/natural stuff we find/grow (like pumpkins) and then either recycle or compost teach year

We go out of our way to avoid acquiring new 'stuff' and have a one in, one out thing going on.