AIBU just to chuck it all in the bin?

[fedupwithit8]

I have two kids under three, have been living in a pigsty for years and am desperate to declutter and live in a more orderly house. I finally got round to sorting out the babies stuff and have a huge pile of things we don’t need anymore - including clothes they’ve grown out of, toys they no longer use, random bits and pieces like car seat inserts, pram seat connectors and more.

I’m desperate to have a clearer, tidier house as we’re wallowing in crap we don’t use. But I simply don’t have time to sort it all out properly and take it to the appropriate places like the charity shop, the dump etc. I’ve been meaning to for months and it’s never happened because we’re just so busy.

AIBU to just shove it all in 5-6 bin bags and get rid? Or should I really try to sort it all properly and dispose of it in better ways so other could potentially make use of it?

I recommend the Unfuck Your Habitat Facebook group, website and book. They are very kind and understanding about how people can get in messes, unlike MN where people are so damn perfect. 🙄

Offer it as a job lot for a car boot sale on a local freebie site

Get a few different coloured bags going, black for rubbish, white for baby clothes, green for garden etc and just get in there, quick decisions as to what goes in which bag.

It will take only a small amount of extra time compared to binning it all and you will feel better about not letting everything go to landfill.

When you are done, pop up a post on facebook advertising it for free and you will probably have it gone within hours.

Icollectclothing will pick up bags of clothes from your house if you don’t have time to take stuff to the charity shop.

Bin it.

If you wait or if you put in to bags and put it all jumbled into bags and put them to one side until you "have the time" to sort out and donate/recycle you never will. It will still end up in landfill eventually but you will have continued to live in a pigsty or a semi pigsty with bags piled up in a corner until then. And living in that situation will make it harder to dispose of new stuff well.

So just throw what you have. Make your home nice again and then stay on top of it.

But set a system for the future - a bag somewhere easy to get to but hidden in a cupboard or a basket or something - where you can put the things that are fit to be donated. May be another for clothes or something depending what donation/recycling is like in your area. And each month go through your home checking for what you have that you no longer use and put it in the right donation/recycle/landfill bin. So that you stay on top of things. then when the donation bag gets full-ish (don't wait until it's totally packed, take it when it's manageable) take it to whichever place wants it.

What an incredible waste! Not least the environmental impact of sending all to landfill but just imagine what someone with no money could do with the stuff. If you really have that much stuff cluttering your house you could easily fill a black bag in ten minutes, surely? One black bag full of baby things advertised for free if collected. Next day, a black bag full of adult clothes or whatever else. One day a collection of garden things. Set a timer for ten min and see how fast you can gather one bag each day. Charities such as British Heart Foundation will send you a bag to fill up for them. There are so many ways to clear your clutter without dumping it in the ground. Make time for ten minutes each day, you'll be surprised.

YABU. It's a crappy thing to create landfill when you don't need to. It's selfish to throw away something that could help a person in need.

Set aside 30 minutes when the children are in bed. Put things in two piles (bin & charity shop- you don't need to sell anything or give to friends, that's just more faff).

I'm a mother of young kids too, and I know everyone rushes forward to say 'you've got enough on your plate - choose the easy route' to mums. But I don't think that's cool when it comes to the environment- your children need to live on this planet long after we leave it. You're deliberately creating trash that will outlive them and that sucks IMO.

@Oblahdeeoblahdoe

Could you do a half way measure like all the best stuff in bags for a charity and the rest in the bin?

I would do this. Anything that's useable clothing, do a quick wash/dry, bag it up and drop off at your local charity shop Anything else = bin. Job done

Just bin it. If the stuff has been there for years and years then it's probably well worn/used and of little use to anyone.

25yr same house.bin it..then filter as go. dig me our this tip

@imnotacelebritygetmeoutofhere

What an incredible waste! Not least the environmental impact of sending all to landfill but just imagine what someone with no money could do with the stuff. If you really have that much stuff cluttering your house you could easily fill a black bag in ten minutes, surely? One black bag full of baby things advertised for free if collected. Next day, a black bag full of adult clothes or whatever else. One day a collection of garden things. Set a timer for ten min and see how fast you can gather one bag each day. Charities such as British Heart Foundation will send you a bag to fill up for them. There are so many ways to clear your clutter without dumping it in the ground. Make time for ten minutes each day, you'll be surprised.

Absolutely this. 15 minutes twice a week, 10 minutes to fill a bag, 5 minutes to list it somewhere. That's 12 bags away in 6 weeks.

Throwing decent stuff away is an horrendous waste.

Pay someone to come and do this for you! Put on Facebook: 'does anyone know someone who's wants to make $20 for sorting this out for me? They can keep anything they want but must charity shop / recycle the rest'. I bet you know someone who knows a thrifty, e-commerce savvy teen who cares about the environment and also has the time and interest to sell your shit and make some cash. Everyone wins!

@fedupwithit8

Worst case, pop it it on a local buy sell page as a big job lot for free

Thanks, maybe I’ll try this. But I don’t have the energy to split it all into themes to be honest. Do you think someone would take a job lot of absolutely random shit - so baby stuff, gardening stuff, adult clothes, house stuff - all piled together as one load?

Yes, you will be astonished by what people will take

@fedupwithit8

I’ve been living in a pigsty for years because I’ve always felt guilty about chucking stuff out. I’m trying to hold down a full time job with two kids and don’t want to spend what little free time I do have sorting and dealing with loads and loads of stuff. On the other hand just chucking it all in the bin feels so wrong.

So don't! Job lot for free collection is the way forward. Try freecycle, olio, nextdoor, and, FB

Do you have one of those big metal things near you where you put clothes? They’re usually behind a big supermarket and you just dump the clothes in.

Also if there is a refuge anywhere near you they’ll often accept baby clothes. I always take the kids’ stuff to one near me when it’s outgrown because I’ve been grateful or similar in the past.

If your kids are at nursery that’s a great place to get rid of old baby clothes as spares for the baby room.

I agree that I wouldn’t want to just chuck them out. Someone could get use out of them.

I can't believe you don't have time to separate it into a few different bags - just one for women's clothes/one for baby toys etc would take less than half hour. Then stick on the free pages on fb or charity shop.

YANBU. Ten bin bags of random stuff is not going to save the environment. The things will get one more use then go to landfill.

Obviously we all have to do our part, but you sound extremely strung out and in the scheme of things, the energy it will take in your mental state to sort and sell/give away is not worth the benefit.

Close your eyes, bin the lot, and change your mindset going forward to purchase much much less. That will make a much bigger difference in the long run.

@fedupwithit8

Worst case, pop it it on a local buy sell page as a big job lot for free

Thanks, maybe I’ll try this. But I don’t have the energy to split it all into themes to be honest. Do you think someone would take a job lot of absolutely random shit - so baby stuff, gardening stuff, adult clothes, house stuff - all piled together as one load?

So all these things are in one heap in your house? Surely this basic level of sorting is not going to take much time..

Bag it up and get it down the tip in one go
I've had the mother of all major clearouts due to putting my house on the market and I'm also married to someone that keeps a load of shit as 'it'll come in handy one day', it doesn't so it got chucked in boxes and went to the charity shop/got sold or to the tip
It seriously made me feel better to not look at crap that wasn't needed etc
Don't feel guilty for getting rid of stuff
You'll feel 100 times better for making the decision to unclutter your home

I’ve found posting things on a local freecycle style FB group a good way to pass things on- I’ve been surprised at how quickly people will respond and collect vs selling sites. FB marketplace also quite successful for giving away free stuff. Baby and children’s stuff seems to go especially quickly. It’s a bit of admin arranging collections but feels much better knowing things may get a new lease of life - and help people out at the same time.

Thank you to all who support the 'bin it' route, and for the reasons you've given. Reading this thread has given me the push to begin today. I'm in my eighties and trying to downsize within my house as I love the location and want to stay here as long as I can cope. I lack energy and mobility these days because of age and attendant physical disabilities. I don't have any transport either. I need to put the bin out for the tip tonight and will gather all my old audio and video cassette tapes without a single nostalgic glance (I hope!) and bin them. It will be a start. I do plan to donate clothes to a charity though, as I know one which will collect when I am ready, but think that will be easier to do... books and old DIY stuff will be a little harder.

I was brought up to feel guilty and it's a hard habit to break

Best of luck OP (and you can put those in the compost if they ever fade!)

Offer it all free on Facebook as job lot. Someone who makes money selling things on eBay or car boots will come and collect it.

i hate throwing things away too op
do you have a charity bin near you, we have a salvation army bin, put all the clothes in there

I moved house and had a lot of stuff accumulated in old place so I threw out bags of stuff as during lockdown and had no place to bring or store. It felt great getting rid and if you only do one bag of stuff a day and a few bags weekends and just chuck the crappier things and anything good keep a box or two for charity. Once you get it sorted you will feel so much better as calms the mind. Once you get stuck into it even for an hour be ruthless with things you will be surprised how much you get done. It is ok to keep a few baby things as nice for the kids to have when they are older but you can store that away out of sight. Well done for starting as know it is difficult with babies and working. Hope you have some help as you also need some time to yourself.