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?

I post anything I think a charity shop will sell to british heart foundation-
www.bhf.org.uk/shop/donating-goods/post-your-donations

The local charity shops aren't open at convenient times for me to to drop off but the shop which accepts the BHF parcels is open late too

FFS, don't leave stuff outside charity shops.
That's basically fly tipping - it gets nicked, bags get ripped open, gets rained on, pissed on by dogs etc.
The local charity shops here have a policy of binning anything that gets left outside.
They definitely won't be looking at it at all, just binning it...

It’s become difficult to donate large amounts to charity shops as they have limits, and taking stained/torn textiles to the dump requires an appointment.

So I’ve started mixed textiles to the clothing banks in supermarket car parks. The charities that own them sort donations into what is saleable and what is only suitable for recycling. So that is a solution to clothes too good for eBay.

I completely agree, it's hard to get rid of stuff sustainably! Do you have a local helping hands type page on Facebook for your area? I've given loads of stuff away for free on there and it's going to people who really need it.

If the clothes aren't in great condition then you can take them and recycle them in most primark stores.

You coukd also take it to your local tip and the staff there will help you to recycle as much of it as possible.

Maybe break it down into categories and do it category by category - like start with the children's toys - just toss out all of those old toys. Toss 5 a day or something like that. Break it down into manageable parts.

Honestly I hear you I'm drowning in it all I've given so much away is ridiculous but books so many people want them I arranged collection they don't show up I arranged someone else they didn't show up meccano ffs kids love the shit except mine turn it into swords and beat the shit out of each other so I'm getting rid of it anyone want it? No it's fucking free and people cba to come get it can you deliver? No can't you just drop it off 28 miles away I'm only in your area tomorrow and it's totes inconvenient for me hun 🙄 honestly shit is just going to landfill and I've literally managed to recycle a roofless shed and a bath in recent years why are books and toys so hard!

@NowEvenBetter

Charity shops were flooded with peoples crap in the last 2yrs, if no one wants it for free, dump your tat and stop buying more. Having four sheds laden with your shite is ridiculous, what are you doing?

Behave yourself!

Someone is posting for help, no one needs your nastiness.

Children's centres and women's refuges for your clothes and toys too.

Have you considered a car boot sale?

I feel your pain - I have the same problem. :(
I need to get rid of stuff too and am not great at doing it - especially what I see as "useful" stuff.
And books - I have 1000s of books! Some I probably won't read ever again but I can't just get rid of them! I tried before I emigrated to Australia - managed to get rid of 1 box of books, as opposed to the 100 or so that I brought with me.

But something has to give - before my mental health and the floor do! - so it has to be done. Somehow.

I've started putting things into the bags that come through the door asking for donations. They're great. They have a list of what they will/won't take on the side of the bag - and all you have to do is put it at the bottom of your drive to be collected. Do you get bags through the door in your area?

@ThumbWitchesAbroad if you're in UK try Ziffit App - they buy books. You don't get a huge amount but they'll take your books for you.

Holding on to things that you do not use, and which get in the way of enjoying your home is just as wasteful as ditching the whole mess. Think about that.

Oh, love, so tricky
Make it easy on yourself:
Don't get into any kind of selling or advertising where you have to rely on / liaise with someone to collect -too much hassle.
If you absolutely have to, give things away by placing them on your drive / wall / pavement / grassy verge outside your home with a sign; you can even put a notice on local FB group that you'll be putting things out between 10am and 4pm on x day. But the inevitable, non-negotiable bottom line is that whatever is left after 4pm, you gather in a taxi / car / van and T A K E T O T H E T I P ! ! !

It is just amazing how freeing it is. Like you, I hang on to things because "there's nothing wrong with it", "it'll come in handy" or similar. I have a colleague who is ruthless with clutter, not a sentimental bone in her body, and I sort of channel her "What would Margaret do about these bedding sets?"
You are so worth the relief of living free of stuff; you dumping your things really won't offend any greater natural order. It'll be bliss.

I'm naturally a hoarder but I have tried so hard to change and I'm making headway now. I have a system, anything worth over £20 I sell, anything under and still in good condition I either give away on a free to good home type group on Facebook or give to charity. Any rags I put in a charity bag as they just sell to rag merchants and don't care about condition. Broken things I try to recycle if I can, if not I take a deep breath and bin them.

My problem is emotional ties to stuff that really shouldn't have that much effect on me, if I've had something over maybe 15-20 years, then I feel sorry for it and can't bin it, I mean ffs!

@BringOnTheOtherWorlders

Maybe break it down into categories and do it category by category - like start with the children's toys - just toss out all of those old toys. Toss 5 a day or something like that. Break it down into manageable parts.

That sounds good advice.

Alternatively, if it’s all too jumbled up or inaccessible, just aim to get one black sack or box of anything surplus out of the house each day.

We have all been buying too much, we can’t stop consuming and now we are overloaded with things we don’t need. All that money spent creates guilt when it comes to chucking it away. I’m the same.

My mother was a hoarder. She lived in a large property and filled every room to the roof. It was a fire hazard and became a complete nightmare to deal with once she died. It took 34 giant vans to remove the worst of the stuff to the local tip. Anything of value was ebayed, gumtree disposed of or given to charity shops. Some of it went into local textiles banks run by charities and the council. I am still wading through the hell of it all, months later. In the context of bereavement and other life changing personal issues, dealing with her mess turned my feelings from loss and sadness to utter hatred of the woman that created this hell. I struggle to contain my emotions at being left dealing with this difficult situation. If you haven't used any item in your house or garden for one year...you never will, so get rid. Gumtree freebies has always proved helpful for me getting rid of stuff quickly. Car boots are another option, and some charities collect from your home (British heart foundation is one). Once clear of stuff, make resolutions not to buy a single thing without thinking about it for a few days...you need to ask yourself if you need it rather than want it. That mantra will save you a fortune.

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

I feel your pain - I have the same problem. :( I need to get rid of stuff too and am not great at doing it - especially what I see as "useful" stuff. And books - I have 1000s of books! Some I probably won't read ever again but I can't just get rid of them! I tried before I emigrated to Australia - managed to get rid of 1 box of books, as opposed to the 100 or so that I brought with me.

But something has to give - before my mental health and the floor do! - so it has to be done. Somehow.

Yes I’ve largely switched to kindle for new books, but weeding out the physical ones I already have is the hardest thing. Then there always more that come as presents. I will have to get hard nosed about it as I need to downsize soon.

Following as I need to desperately do this!

My friend cleared her house of all the junk over about 2 years and now has a ‘one in, one out’ policy when it comes to buying any items at all.

Skips are expensive. £200 here.

I have too much stuff but I have been sorting through it slowly. I have some of the kids stuff still ( now grown up) and I used to be a TA so I had a lot of stuff for school which I unfortunately had to move quickly so ended up bringing it home to sort. I have done that now with just one box to pass to someone. I filled a box and kept it in the car to pass on.

Some church groups will take some...SVP and Salvation Army. Some food banks will take certain items. Scarfs, hats and gloves. Toiletries.
Women’s and Men’s refuges. I am knitting scarves just now which gets the wool used up. I noticed the local Hospice shop has some homemade cards so I hope to use up some craft papers etc for that and I have found a group that does crafts sometimes so plan to sort and give them some. Care homes too if it is sorted. Also jigsaws.

I took two bags to a charity shop that I have donated to before but they were moving so took it to the next one and they were delighted. Some will take electrical goods as they have someone that pat tests stuff.

OP you will feel better because you are giving it to someone that needs it or a charity that can make money from it. Believe me you will walk away feeling pleased. Then just keep doing it. My kitchen is sorted. The bathroom too. I need to revisit the books and my bedroom. Then the craft room. I won’t allow myself to buy anything new. I stand and think about it. Do I need it where am I going to put it?
I bought one item of a robin painted on a slate for Christmas even DH likes it. It is on the wall. It will go away with the Christmas decorations.
We sent the bikes to recycle. Kids bikes, parts of bikes taken to teach young unemployed a skill and then sold at low prices to people that need them. I hope they get a lot of pleasure from them.
Garden tools- charity groups, adults with SEN, allotment holders starting out.
One day at a time. Go through a box a day. Put a bag or box in the car if you have one. When you are out drop it off.
Good luck. There is a thread for Declutter an item or more a day on here. Think how much better you will feel by this time next year.

Start with looking at what you are doing now with things you are buying now so that you aren't in the same (or worse) position in 5/10/15 years. Then accept that you cannot get all of what you currently own gone from your life in a way that you can feel 'good' about. The waste is already created so whether it's you or a charity shop, or another person (or your kids at some point if you can't deal with it in your lifetime), at some point the things you own will need to be recycled or go to landfill, nothing lasts forever. Look at how you can, as much as is possible, responsibly deal with what you have now, reduce what you bring into your life in future.

You can sell boxes of your stuff at auctions, you can either drop it off or some places will pick it up. They put it into the auction and you can make money from it

£200 is a tiny skip
£400 for abig one

Come and join us over in housekeeping on one of the decluttering threads.

I had a professional declutter help me a few times. She said everything is landfill eventually as soon as it's made. The trick is to buy less.