To think there’s too much ‘stuff’

[autumnnightsaredrawingin]

This time of year is always bad for it, and I know one can ignore the endless marketing emails, the Christmas markets, the shops full of ‘stuff’, the Instagram ‘must haves’ and on and on it goes.

We are having a big declutter at the moment, and it really brings home home much stuff there is that we’ve accumulated, but also just generally how consumerism has really got crazy. I am myself guilty of buying too much stuff.

Eg: Christmas decorations. Why do some people buy a whole new set/colour scheme every year? Same for decorations for the house, there are piles and piles of different things in shops, so much. It surely can’t all be needed/bought.

Black Friday, yes it’s a good deal if you actually need the stuff, but often it’s not things you actually ‘need’.

I just find it all quite sad and obviously from an environmental aspect it’s terrible. I am really, really going to try to cut back on this stuff. Anyone else? Or are you already pretty good? I have added things to online baskets over the last few days and then cleared them and not bought them which is a start.

Christmas jumper day; schools should stop doing this.

Anyway there is some interesting research about how we were taught to consume and buy things as part of our social identity after WW2. It's clever stuff, because previously people assumed things had to be fixed or kept. It's a noticeable difference with older generations who had far less than us.

We really don’t have much stuff. I’m very good at only keeping things that serve a purpose and the odd few decorative items. If I have multiple of something I will get rid of all but one. About every 6 months I go through every cupboard and drawer and throw away things we don’t need, expired paperwork etc. I also have a capsule wardrobe and only buy clothes that I know I need and can wear regularly. For example I’ll buy a neutral cardigan that will go with 5 different outfits rather than buy one that will only look good with 1 or 2. I also make sure old toys are gifted before new toys come in.
The bonus to all this is that my house is super easy to keep tidy and to deep clean.

I just don't know anyone who buys into Black Friday. Everyone I know is environmentally conscious and careful with money. I like stuff but only replace when something is worn out and buy from sustainable brands. Who are these people buying tons of crap? Because no one I know is doing this.

You won't know them though because it will be those folks that shop in cheap shops, well that is the general gist of the thread

Reminds me of Covid when everyone was going to the beach, it's always other people isn't it.

I moved from a 4 bed house (with garage) to a 2 bed flat this year and had to be really ruthless with the decluttering. In fact I managed to fill a Luton van with stuff to be donated / taken to the dump 😂

the mindset you need to have is “what do I want to keep” not “what do I want to get rid of”.

Yanbu I go into the shops and can see nowt but landfill waiting to happen.

You do you. But until we all lay out all of our behaviors for all to see it's not really fair to judge. Somone may seem like buy lot but very kids or fly much. So it's easy to criticise the obvious stuff but really without knowing the full picture it's potentially hypocritical.

Yes it's really interesting

MIL didn't seem to think people had Christmas trees before the war and only used paper chains and natural stuff

It was only the influence of American films like White Christmas that persuaded people to get one

But I stand to be corrected

The thing about Black Friday is that there are sometimes good deals about if it's stuff you were planning on buying anyway. I have just bought two new springform cake tins as the ones I have are about 20 years old and the spring is broken. Argos had the brand I was looking at for £14, but down to £9.32 on a black friday deal. That is a good deal. What isn't such a good deal are all the "specials" wheeled out for black friday which are designed to make you think you're getting a real bargain and you're not. But it clearly hooks people in as they keep doing it.

It's the whole shopping as a hobby thing which I don't get. Rather than going shopping because you need something specific, or a new outfit for an event, or to replace something which is going in the bin, you head to the local high street or mall just for something to do.

@bombastix we definitely are 'groomed' to become consumers. I see it with my children - always asking for stuff because everyone else has them. As a teenager in the 90s, it was very common to go 'shopping' with friends as a pastime even though we didn't need anything. It probably is still the case for many teens.

MIL didn't seem to think people had Christmas trees before the war and only used paper chains and natural stuff

I think she's partly right. People definitely had Christmas trees pre-war. But baubles were glass rather than plastic and really expensive so were carefully packed away to be reused year after year. There were no supermarkets, no tat shops like B&M, only expensive department stores and little independent retailers. Nothing shipped in from overseas. And for many ordinary families, money was tight and they wouldn't be wasting it on things like tinsel and baubles when they had medical bills to pay and children to feed.

What has changed is the explosion of cheap plastic, shipped in from China.

We made lots of paper chains in the 60s at Christmas time

I am horrified by it and try to operate “one in one out” on stuff, and to not impulse buy. Feels as though it’s always in my face though, there are always things to buy.

Also I'm not sure the current trade of buying experiences in necessarily better for the planet 'me and DH aren't doing presents for the kids this year, we're going on a mini break to Prague instead'.
'Experiences' are just another form of consumerism. Trips to Centre parcs, winter wonderland, Lapland, Christmas markets in Belgium... when will it end?!

Experiences for us are things the kids love: DS it's animals so zookeeper type things. Money to the zoo, he furthers his career ambitions and loves it. Not the "mini break to Prague" type things. Local enough and something the person would enjoy.

I had the cheap Xmas decs when we got our first tree but I have slowly replaced the cheap baubles each year with one or two new ones which the kids pick too....and hopefully eventually it'll just be ones with memories and meaning. Door wreath I make myself with foraged greenery and offcuts. Just dehydrated a load of orange slices too.

This year I have purchased x2 new decorations and some linen napkins. That's it, other than paper and gifts. And gifts we are limiting this year far more as purse strings are much tighter.

Kids have a modest wishlist of vouchers & mostly art equipment so that's fab. Both aren't particularly materialistic but that's probably come from us?! We've bought a (shared) iPad as a family gift for us all to use, which feels crazy but will be well used and loved

It doesn't have to be madness, just choose things wisely, surely? I can't get into "themed" looks like the Tiktok "sad beige Christmas" thing. Give me colour and cosy and the joy of getting old and loved favourite decorations out each year.

curently trying to clear out a house for a probate sale - nothing focuses the mind quite like that. You realise all the stuff you have will need to be cleared out and really, at the end of the day, amounts to nothing when you’re gone.

Thanks for great thread OP and I fully agree. Whenever I’ve gone into huge shops I am completely overwhelmed and feel sick at the thought of all the pollution waste etc. I have hope the tide is turning.

Ive really tried to make changes to Christmas over the years with zero waste wrapping (sheets pillowcases tea towels ribbon) and homemade stuff but still feel hammered by the materialism message. We’ve always used mainly greenery from garden plus old tree decs to decorate. Friends now tend to not giftor give small homemade gift like jam, bulb in old pot, chutney.

Good for France challenging the consumerist status quo. I’ve been really enjoying a book recommended on these threads called Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton. Recommend the constellation exercise. I found gifting wasn’t something that held a lot of meaning for me and the story of faith, connection, tradition was much more important so am focusing on those.

PP on experiences - doesn’t have to be trips to Prague. We were given log chopping by fam member and gave cave experience nearby. Wider fam have bring and share meal together instead of gifts. Lots of friends have stopped gifting. We are really only giving big presents to DCs and partners and trying to go for long lasting quality or consumables. Still a way to go though.

I think this is where vinted comes in. I would much rather sell on vinted for a £1 than see something go to landfill. So yes whilst there is a lot of single use stuff, I love the idea of places like vinted which makes it so easy to recycle things.

I was shocked, however at the amount of tat in places like homebargains and B&M. Do people really have special Christmas bed sets and door mats?! Crazy!

@Moraxella so true. I am
Currently helping MiL and FiL to declutter years worth of 'stuff' that they accumulated over the last 50 years so they can downsize to a flat. A lot of it is clothes and shoes that hey haven't worn since the 80s. I was also surprised to see the sheer number of dinner sets - at least 8 different sets!!! And decorative ornaments, So many of them! They are insisting I take them all 🙈

I agree there tends to be more and more stuff available in the shops, and not only B&M. I met up with some friends for a meal in our local town last Sunday so went in a couple of hours early to do some Christmas shopping and was totally overwhelmed (that included in John Lewis). There also seems to be more and more expectation to buy December 1st boxes, Christmas Eve boxes, matching pyjamas, fancy advent calendars, Christmas bedding and throws.

We moved house a few years ago and decluttered in advance and I’m trying not to buy excess items but it’s hard at times not to get caught up in excessive consumption. I volunteer in a charity shop and that does tend to be an eye opener as there is a lot of stuff that’s donated which is unused or barely used.

I feel like I've had too many rugs, realistically maybe4 in the last 5 years but they get so gross with the dog claiming it as his place to lie, especially in winter! Wouldn't change it for a colour scheme though, I try to go for something that will match most wall colours etc

The rise of Christmas themed, Halloween themed, Easter themed crockery and cookware in TK Maxx makes my eyes pop every time. Who buys this stuff??

I was in pennys the other day and looking at things such as eg beauty blenders, shower poofy things etc and just thinking my god the government should stop half of this stuff even being made! Then balloons, paper cups etc

I find it annoying, its every 2 seconds you need to buy something for school.. already needed bigger trousers this year, then red nose day , children in need, Xmas jumper day, Nativity costume, waterproofs for the school trip, then will be book day and the rest 🫣