Do you ever regret throwing things out?

[beebopper6]

Have you ever gotten rid of something in a fit of decluttering then regretted it ever since?

I really need to do a gigantic declutter but find it so hard to let go of even small things in case I'll need them again later!

Never, I grew up with hoarders, who were hoarders because of trauma and that made it impossible to ever throw out anything.
I was so excited as an adult to throw things away- I still get a thrill from my tidy home with space in the cupboards and clear surfaces. To be fair I also do not buy much so there is not many things to dispose of but as soon as something is gone I no longer think about it, and it is so relaxing to only own things that I need.

I’m a tidy type. DH not so much and often leaves his Mail lying around for weeks. Which I then bin, obviously checking first that they are unimportant.

unfortunately I may have been a bit hasty the day I binned 4 new Chelsea season tickets.

To be fair I only regret this because he still mentions it when he wants to justify his messy ways.

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 ooh, I haven't checked the bin bag place! I'll have a look next time I make a cup of tea.

I checked the cat stuff box and the cat food place, I'm going to have to think more laterally!

Rarely not enough to stop me decluttering regularly.

I grew up in a home that was cluttered it was chaotic and impossible to find things I'm determined to be the opposite although I have attention issues and I need a strict routine to keep my home in order in comparison to people who are naturally tidy.

It's a battle that I enjoy winning.

DD has the same attention issues as my DM and I so who knows if she'll allow her future become a cluttered unorganised environment she shows all the traits.

I do talk to her about how hard it was for me as a DC living in a chaotic home and hoping if she has DC in the future she'll learn so they can avoid the stress.

I think yes you might use it agan but if you didn't have it is there something else you would use instead? or could you manage without it, just because you might use it doesn't mean it needs to be kept, ie if your potato peeler broke and you had given away the spare it would take minutes to order a new one or put it in supermarket shop next time or you could use a vegetable knife to peel them.
how much money and time would it cost to replace? if the answer is 5 minutes and £5 ( the potato peeler) it is different to £800 and maybe 4 weeks ( The extending aluminium ladder to reach gutters)
if you haven't worn something there is normally a reason it doesn't fit or its scratchy or the cut doesn't suit you I had a lovely cream linen blend skirt then when decluttering I found it washed it and wore it, then I ended up with a rash over my legs then I relaised i had stopped wearing it as it had a metallic sheen and somehow the metallic threads had broken and were scratching my legs it was beautiful but I know I will never wear it again as it hurts so off it went to charity as I wasn't going to line it or wear a long petticoat under it

i decided that if I only had to buy 1/3 of it back, I still benefited from the 2/3 being gone. In reality, I've bought back maybe one item every 4 years in last 16 years. I always try to give away or reduce or sell instead of binning, it's the waste that annoys me rather than the new expense.

i sold a musical instrument once for a fraction of its true value. That still stings.

Yes! When i moved bedrooms after loft extension I threw away 1. Clothes I then wanted and 2. Loads of old photos from when I was young, without photographing them on my phone or anything.

Don’t know why I did that!

I'm a minimalist at heart so the joy of a ruthless clear out makes my heart sing.

But I've also become much more aware of consumerism and feel terribly guilty at the idea of sending loads of shite to landfill so my aim is to buy as little as possible, as sustainably as possible and I rarely buy something 'just because'.

I regret donating a fabulous maxi coat I bought in the early 90s. The lining was torn and I should have just replaced the lining instead of sending it to the charity shop. I adored that coat and not seen anything nearly as gorgeous or hard-wearing since. I console myself that someone out there is snuggled up in it somewhere.

I grew up with a hoarder and my bedroom was filled with other family members' stuff that I couldn't get rid of even if they moved out 15 years earlier and hadn't thought twice about it. DM was a war child and had been bombed out, so there was definitely a trauma and cultural response there. The problem was that I wasn't taught how to tidy and declutter and everything is sentimental/ potentially valuable.

I am naturally hoardy and sentimental but I've found Marie Kondo very helpful in evaluating what to clear out.

Sentiment can lie to us too. I kind of regret the purge of most of my Ladybird books, but most were out-dated, tatty hand-me-downs and the reality is that my DCs were never going to appreciate them. There was more joy in starting afresh and having space for books that they appreciated. Peter and Jane remain in print, and it was nicer having the fresh set.

Start with obviously out-dated worn out, functional stuff that can be replaced if needed.

It's better to consider the environmental toll at purchase than disposal. I only sell on things with clear value such as redundant furniture. For me the aggro of selling small stuff is not worthwhile for a few quid. I either charity shop or bin.