To feel I am constantly fighting a battle against "stuff"

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I should preface this by saying that i don't have a big house. Just a standard 3 bedroom.

But I feel like I am constantly putting things away, rearranging stuff to find new inventive ways to fit things in and in general trying to keep clutter to a minimum. Of course my dd is a huge contributor to the problem. I sometimes feel like things breed and multiply in her room!!

I did a quick post Christmas Day tidy up today and already have a bag of stuff to take to the charity shop (to make room for new things).

If you don't have a huge house with masses of storage, how do you cope?

Thank you Cataline. I just ordered it from the library

Excellent LoveBargains! I'm going to reread it. Currently about a quarter of the way in to the mother of all wardrobe clearouts and could do with some extra motivation!

Oh, I was just thinking this today, it's a constant battle just keeping the house looking tidy, and it's always me that tidies everything up, drives me mad, like someone else said it's like a slidey puzzle I can associate with that 100%

I've given all my cups and saucers and tea pots to the charity shop. They were never used as we just bung a teabag into a mug.

I am now back in my house after several days away. I've taken the christmas decorations down (but will need to leave them in the study for a few days before going up in the loft as we always find one or two later..)

I have 4 days before the children go back to school. They have already had some amazing experiences so I'm planning to see how much of the house I can declutter/completely organise in 4 days. CAn I do it all or is that a bit optimistic?

It needs a good tidy. However there are "hotspots" in each room, in particular (I'll use this as a checklist and come back each day!)

• Tupperware drawer in the kitchen. Hardly closes. I need to remove lots and just keep the ones I use regularly. WAs it this thread where someone said cupboards/drawers ought to be 80% full so there's easy access?
• Shelves in kitchen - will be childrens craft shelves so need reorganising
• toys in Living room *books in living room *clothes/toys in childrens bedroom
• random gloops in bathroom/ make up
• hallway cupboard...

And paperwork. And general mess. ANd washing clothes/ house...

Completely doable?...

Yes that is doable, can your children help?

2 and 4 - so more likely to get in the way at times, especially the youngest who "moves" things if I make piles. My husband is home though, and I'm trying to convince him to take them out for at least a bit each day!

Some of the tasks have been on my to do list since last year I'm sure...

Totally inspired by staying in a Friend,s house over Xmas....as well as this thread.....she works in a very high powered job and has two young children and her house was organized...I looked around and she had less stuff. I was a bit in awe actually. Starting with our toys. Have a big Box...and just recycling crappy small plastic things.
It is crazy that stuff makes life unlivable but it really can drag you down.

If you make a list ARealPickle and know exactly what you want to do, you can get it done when the children are out of the house, it is too easy to get distracted when clearing clutter!

Less stuff is definitely the answer, for years I thought I needed more storage and spent silly money on fancy storage shelves and cupboards. They filled up in no time. Now I am removing items completely. My wardrobe is no longer stuffed

I'm too ill to start decluttering and I'm certainly not taking down my lovely decs until I have to, they are cheering the place up no end what with the raging storm outside an' all. BUT, I am sort of planning in my head for the day it stops pounding (It is NOT a hangover do you hear!) . For a start we have a cupboard full of video tapes that we had to keep because it was one of ds's 'things' to lay them all out across the floor when he was stressed, but have just realised he hasn't done that for ages so they can go. Then there is the shelf piled with mugs from past easter eggs that we never ever use as they are massive. Used one once to draw round as it was the size I wanted for a pom pom but that was it . I started having a clear out of clothes before Christmas but can easily be a lot more ruthless. There's also a suitcase under the bed with clothes in that can go. There are maternity clothes in there that I kept 'just in case' because I had trouble getting trousers in shortarse petite sizing, but my youngest is almost 14 now . Will admit it was partly insurance against accidental pregnancy as I just knew as soon as I gave them away the pill would fail or something, but will have to face the fact that I'm an old biddy now.

Sadly I don't think it's going to make all that much difference. Most of the clutter is dh's after all. How do you cope with the disappointment when you realise it is a losing battle? Is that in a book eh?

I love threads like this. we've made lot of progress decluttering in spite of moving into a bigger house and having our second baby.

my thoughts are this:

• you need to change your mindset. you dont need loads of stuff. most of us are just fine on holiday with a suitcase of stuff so why do we need a million more summer clothes for home?
• we get given lots of bags of stuff for the DDS and I always "bounce" it. it doesn't come past the hallway unless I really need it. I pass it on to someone else who might need it. same with xmas presents. plenty will be being returned and charity shopped.
• we dont have that many specific toys and lots of generic ones. so they can be multi purpose. also means fewer lights and flashing bits which is always nice.
• go digital as far as possible.
• Ive stopped buying clothes almost completely and have way more space in my cupboard from previous declutters. means I am wearing things I have.
• same in the kitchen - I go shopping every Friday so only need about 5 meals a week and 2 come from leftovers. and some of the original five can be from the freezer. I will never use 6 cans of tomatoes in a week so 2 is fine and I can cook something else if I run out.

oh, and I am realising how everyone around me is obsessed with stuff. I'm my family everyone is happy to just get more more more all the time. they don't understand why do dont have more than 2 bras on the go at once or why I dont need 2 swimsuits if I dont use one often. they just think it is nice to have nice things. which it is, but I'd rather pay down the mortgage, go on holiday and have nice meals and days out from time to time.

Agreed - nice experiences are better than another box of crap on the top of the wardrobe.

The best trick with decluttering I've found is to pull everything out so you HAVE to sort it out and find a place/get rid of it!

I'm going to mark my place.
I have stuff issues too.

Poocatcher - I think that's where we need to declutter with the childrens clothes. We get given bags of handmedowns sometimes - so I now have 14 pairs of dungarees for the toddler and numerous t shirts.

I get anxxious about not being able to afford things in the future (we're low income so not unfounded anxiety) but this fuels the "just in case" but at the end of the day I do not need 14 pairs of dungareees...

It takes time to sift through them but hten its more likely that the favourite pair will be to hand more easily isn't it..

Oh and yes tto the tins in the cupboard - this is a new one on me recenlty (and I need a BIG declutter in the cupboard on my list).

If I meal plan and shop weekly I really don't need all the store cupboard stuff.

I used to have a big kitchen, and yes it was nice to always have tins in stock. BUt now I have a small cupboard I really can't!

Can anyone recommend decent vacuum storage bags please?

Good thread. I have a smallish three-bed and am not a natural minimalist but my grandma was borderline a hoarder so I have a healthy fear of clutter. My approach is:

Ruthless pre Xmas and birthday toy clear out plus I literally tip the toy buckets into the bin every few months to rid us of lucky bag/comic book/kinder egg plastic shrapnel

Got rid of 70pc of books and CDs. The books, particularly, felt like sacrilege but then I decided it was just a form of showing off really and no one cared how many books I'd read so they went. I kept the ones I would read again and the ones that felt important to me but I got rid of everything else. Was keeping loads of cookery books on the grounds that I might use them one day but realised that was nonsense and kept the 5 or so regularly used ones and use the Internet for anything else.

Have less than I would like in my small kitchen but do not have room for best china or a kenwood or a pretty tea set so make do with everyday plates, a hand mixer etc

I used to long for more storage and a playroom but I think it just gives an excuse for more stuff to accumulate.

Final tip - never ever get a storage unit. Two sets of friends got one thinking it seemed like a good idea. More than ten years later they've both spent over 10k and just unpacked some so-so furniture and the rest was tat. Both now think they should have got rid and spent a tenth of the money buying a couple of new bits when needed.

Reading the thread has inspired me to do clothes (again ) tomorrow. Wasted a lot of money pre Xmas in TK Maxx because I got lured in by brand names and low prices but actually it all looks shit so am going to get rid now even though it's only a month old. Shameful but it's not going to magically look better in March so will get rid now.

I agree re Childrens clothes. it is good to have some everyday basics but really I always want to put dd in my favourite dungarees, trousers or dress. all 3 I have bought myself. that will almost carry us through the week with the frequency of washing (although the less clothes you have the less washing you have in piles everywhere and fewer baskets of clothes to put away as you need to wear it again).
things you dont reach for or wear because you should should just goooooo!

I'm no expert on this but making steps.

I've spent the evening doing jigsaws (very therapeutic) - Binned a few games and put aside a few that only have one piece missing in case they turn up over the next few days. All to go by saturday night if not.

I really need to do that with the clothes poocatcher (adds to monumental list for the next 3 days). How many t shirts do you keep? How many outfits?

Where do all the lids go for the plastic containers that clutter up the kitchen cupboard? I've tried so hard not to lose any but still I do.

I once went to view a house for sale where the woman had a lined and insulated garden shed just to the right of the front door, dedicated to shoes.

Can you get a proper loft ladder fitted and have the loft lined properly, with a light put up there, and fit some sort of basic shelving system like you get in garages etc?

Can you convert your garage for the same?

Do you have room at the end of your garden to have a nice insulated garden room with power, heating, proper flooring etc, that can act as a playroom/games room, study or general storage Glory Hole? If it's a playroom there's no immediate need to tidy it relentlessly every day.

I moved house a few months ago and in the buildup to move I got rid if loads. I started slowly, holding on to everything. But by the third week literally everything that needed binning/sellings/charity was going in the bin bag. I felt completely liberated. What I could be bothered to eBay got me over £100.

My new house is bigger and I still have 1.5 black bags to eBay eBay but have told myself if they are still there by Easter they will be sent to charity shop. I culled hundreds of books and loads of plates/cups etc. I am planning on going through every wardrobe this month and getting rid of those clothes that slipped through the net the first time. In my new house I have made sure that every wardrobe and cupboard has at least 30% spare storage. You just have to be utterly ruthless and never ever ever replace items you bin with similar items.