Too many of one item? Fancy a 'no buying/no acquiring' challenge?

[ariadneoliver]

I've been decluttering and tidying, inspired by the minimalist thread here. Over the weekend I have decided that I have too many:

Mugs
Tea lights (Do I need 50?)
Bags for life/cloth shopping bags (I tend to pick them up as freebies at events, I seem to have enough for several lifetimes).
Espresso cups, I love them but could now open a cafe.

In 2013 I resolve not to buy any more of the above until I am down to my last one (or set) and I am not going to accept any more free bags when they are offered.

What are you overstocked with?

Travel size/little bottles of lotions - I have hoarded these for years in the belief I could use them when travelling. The thing is since the kids came along I don't travel anywhere near as much and when I do I always take the full size bottles. I must use them up.

Boxes - I have kept these just in case I ever need to wrap something awkwardly shaped. So far I have not come across anything that I couldn't wrap. So why do I still keep a ridiculous amount of empty boxes? (I did donate a big bag of them to the school before Christmas).

I have many more and will return!

YY to travel sized things. I solved this one by buying little bottles and post at Superdrug, so on the rare occasions I need travel sized stuff I just decant what I'm using at the time.

mugs. I have two types, earthenware and porcelain for posh afternoon tea or fruit teas. The earthenware have taken a hit recently with many simply cracking or breaking, I blame the over zealous dishwasher in our last house, some I'd have almost twenty years

Tea towels. Have too many but for various uses, only have six posh on display without cringing ones!

Sheets. Far far too many singles and not enough king. We desperately need new king/double duvet covers as all ours are white and looking v past it.

Clothes. Just too many

Books. Too many

Paperwork. Im drowning.

I salute the not buy approach. Dc2 is due in june and by then my house will be decluttered, decorated and have oodles of storage. Dh has sighed and agreed.

Toiletries though we have one shower gel/shampoo out at a time. One soap refill by each sink and when we moved I boxed up extras and working through them. If people buy us toiletries they are used if liked and regifted if not.

I'm trying to get rid of one toiletry item, one household item and one piece of clothing every single day. Not much on a daily basis but over the year - and yes, I really do own that many cosmetics

Everything else is on a need not want basis, and love not like on new clothing purchases.

I just got sick of clutter and felt bad for the shameful over possession of things. It used to be normal for me to buy 4 or 5 new items of clothing a week - no longer. Strictly one in, one out!

I must not buy any notebooks, even though I love new notebooks and hate writing in them once I've written on ten pages or so. I must resist though.

Could do with some new teatowels though - the ones I've bought in the past year have all been so crap that I might as well not have bothered.

Everyday toiletries - handwash, shower gel etc. I blame Poundland for the mountain of these I have amassed... but my 2013 resolution is to use it all up and only buy more of something when it actually runs out.

plastic boxes
DD smellies they need to use their various little sower gels etc.
seeds I'm the worlds laziest gardener. I buy them, but don't plant them.

Toilet roll - I'm always worried we might run out. Last month, after much mocking from DH , he counted how many were spare, 48 . I will not buy anymore until we are down to the last 12.

Magazines, I keep thinking I will return to them but never do. Recycling bin here I come.

It's amazing how long toiletries last, even in a hard water area. When I decided to use up mine I thought I had a few months worth but it turned out I had a year's supply of most stuff.