Stuff is too hard to get rid of

[Clutterbusting]

I want to be free of my stuff. I’m drowning in it. My house is a mess and all that happens when I have a sort out is it gets moved about. I spend money on storage solutions when I need to just get rid.
I want to but where to? Charity shops are picky and I have A LOT to shift. Selling takes too long and I can’t be wasteful so a skip is out. What can I do?
AIBU to think this is just too hard?

@BluebellsGreenbells vintage kids clothes are very popular in my circles! She just needs to find the right market! “Y2K” is in now for the young and I bet it’ll filter down.

Why is it more wasteful to bin it than it is to keep it, when nobody will use it or miss it, and it’s dragging you down? That seems to be the biggest waste to me.

[quote Clutterbusting]@AntiHop around here they want to look in the boxes like you’re a criminal. I know they get lots of broken crap but I don’t like feeling like they’re inspecting my donations. I only give decent stuff.[/quote]
You might, not everyone does. And charity shops should not be treated like a dumping ground, why shouldn't they check donations?

Don't dump things outside charity shop doors either.

Donate what you can, recycle what you can, sell what you can, and bin the rest. Box it all up and advertise it as a clearance lot in one go if you want.

And if you have so much stuff that fills a loft and 4 garden sheds, stop buying things.

@GinIronic

Anything left outside a charity shop where I volunteer gets binned.

If that's true, my local charity shop has missed out on some ace usborne book collections, children's suits, good quality bedding, curtains, lego, fat face and white stuff ladies clothes, etc

@Tippexy

You can be ‘wasteful.’

You can get a skip.

You should get a skip.

Saying you can’t, is yet another excuse to hang on to all the old crap.

I agree with this totally. I recycle where I can, but trying to find a new home for old / unwanted items is often a pointless and strenuous endeavour. For your own mental health I would suggest just binning things that you cannot easily get rid of elsewhere.

I was also reluctant to get a skip but (call me stupid) didn't realise the companies recycle everything they can out of them. It's not all dumped in landfill if that's a concern.

The first and most important step is to reduce the amount you bring into the house. Because otherwise any clearing you do won't last.

I do find even small amounts of progress help, provided it's real progress in that everything you have sorted out is properly dealt with/got rid of. It's better to sort one shelf properly than just move stuff around from a whole dresser.

Do you have Give Back Box in the UK? You fill an Amazon (or similar) box with your donations, print a free shipping label from the website and take it the post office or a UPS drop location. That’s how it works here in the US anyway.

Please don't leave things outside charity shops unless they specifically say you can (not many will, most in fact have signs asking you NOT to).

It's littering. Your "donations" will quickly become worthless when they get rained on, dug through by foxes, and thrown around the street or even pissed on by drunken idiots (in one delightful incident).

@TerraNovaTwo That's your fault for leaving stuff outside.

Given that practically every charity shop has a sign in the window saying not to leave stuff outside, I cannot believe people still do it. It's pretty much common knowledge that charities can't accept them. Sometimes they even have to pay to get stuff taken away, so you're costing money for the charity. What is wrong with people?

You are making excuses. You know you are making excuses. And you want to continue doing so because it feels easier.

BUT

what will actually be easy is living your life without all the clutter and junk and the burden of what to do. Get rid. By any (legal) means necessary.

I agree with the posts above, you need a skip. It’s the quickest way to get rid of stuff. It’s not a waste, you will be gaining space in your house and also in your mind. Skip companies recycle as much as they can from the skip contents. I don’t thing that is the true issue though. Most peoples’ hoarding or clutter has an emotional root.

It can feel exhausting. I do one room at a time, sorting into piles to sell/donate/bin.

Then you have to actually do it. It might seem to take long but it's less time than hanging into it forever.

If it's stuff like manky pyjamas, you can cut the nice bits out and get rid of those as textiles.

I took a shopping bag of stuff to a charity shop every week on different days. Sometimes I took a bag to a few different shops. They don't inspect as much or don't refuse when you donate a smallish bag. They don't want large donations as they don't have the space and can't sell the stuff fast enough. Commit to doing this regularly over a few months and it should get sorted.

We have some clothing recycling points next to some of the local glass recycling areas, not just at the main recycling centre.
H&M give you £5 voucher for each bag that you have in for recycling - they don't check the contents.
I'm sure other retailers offer similar schemes which would help you to clear stuff out gradually, although I acknowledge the risk of buying more clutter using the vouchers.
Some food banks take donations of clothes and shoes.

@Lockheart

Please don't leave things outside charity shops unless they specifically say you can (not many will, most in fact have signs asking you NOT to).

It's littering. Your "donations" will quickly become worthless when they get rained on, dug through by foxes, and thrown around the street or even pissed on by drunken idiots (in one delightful incident).

This, in spades.

Whether you like it or not, it is classed as fly tipping.
Some people help themselves to the bags.
Useless if rained, snowed or pissed on (by dogs, cats or humans) then we have to dispose of it.
Charity shops are generally open Mon-Sat, 9-4. Why not take donations when they are open?
Many shops will collect donations from you.

Mine is guilt at throwing stuff away . I keep telling myself that once I'm dead someone else will have to throw it away so I might as well do it now! I totally sympathise though .

Give it away free on Facebook marketplace. I do it all the time

Definitely skip. I reckon that people (especially those with hoarding tendencies) seem to think that their old shit is much more useful and valuable than it actually is. You don't want it. Charity shops don't want it. Chuck it.

If you want to avoid being wasteful stop buying shit!

(See also the sunk-costs fallacy.)

Take clothes to a cash for clothes place.
Put "free to collector" ads on Facebook marketplace/gumtree etc (the quickest something I advertised went was within 30 minutes of the ad going live ).
Stop stuff coming into the house. Replace paperwork with online statements etc.
Put stuff "away " not "down".

A few times a year I'll do the challenge where you dispose of one item on day one, two on day two, working up to 30 items on day 30. It does make an impact for me and I find it really useful, apparently it equates to 500 items.

[quote tectonicplates]@Anordinarymum You're not supposed to leave stuff outside charity shops.[/quote]
Since lockdown there is a charity shop close to me which allows you to leave stuff round the back and I have heard of others that allow this too.

I think you are making excuses and looking a quick fix to get rid of everything in one go as easily as possible.

You need to accept this might take some time and you’ll need to use multiple avenues. Clothing bins, charity shops, local Facebook pages, tip runs, charity bags that come through the door and possibly a skip.

Accept that it may take you several months if not longer to do it but don’t let the fact that it seems to bug a job stop you before you even start.

I got rid of about 40% of everything we own but it took me about three years to get to a point of feeling done and even now I still have to regularly keep on top of it and have a clear out every school holiday of toy cupboards and wardrobes etc.

@Anordinarymum

How can a charity shop be picky when you leave the bags of stuff outside?

That’s fly tipping 🙄