Decluttering without a car

[TheBlackKnightinyellowwellies]

One of the things that always prevents me form getting my house in order is what to do with the stuff?

There is only so much that can be put out for the bin man, I cannot afford a skip and don't have a car.

Local charity shops don't seem keen to take stuff either except in small amounts and of very good quality.

How do other people manage?

Join your local Freegle

people can use the stuff you don't want.

Beware of traders, and try to give stuff to local people who will actually use it - e.g. nobody needs five hats or three coats. With clothes I always say the person who wants it has to come and try it on.

Get them to text you before they set out, and keep the messages. I know one trader who uses several fake names but always texts from the same phone.

Do you not get those charity bags through the door? We get about five per week. The charity collectors will take several bags at once. We can put old clothes of low quality in our recycling bins? Do your neighbours have any spare space in their bins you can use?

i second freegle and freecycle. you post what items you have to give away, free. and then somebody will come and collect. it often really helps somebody in need too. It's amazing what stuff you can find a new home for.

same with Facebook local selling groups - free stuff always go fast.

or just pop outside with a note to say "Free" if you live somewhere that people walk past

I have used freecycle and I take things to the charity bins at the supermarket, but my house is still cluttered.

I am tempted to try the konmari method where you clear everything all at once, but what to do with all the stuff!?

I've just given a load of stuff, including electricals and furniture, to BHF. I booked a day for them to collect. Your council may also arrange collections of bulky items (sometimes for a fee), so it's worth checking their website. Every bin day for the last few months, I've used every last cubic inch of space in the bin... It doesn't seem like much each time, but I'm finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

You can beware of traders as pigletjohn warns or they can actually be very useful if you simply want to get stuff away. I've given loads away for free labelled as 'can't be bothered to car boot myself but free to collector'. It depends on whether you're bothered bat someone cashing in on your laziness - I'm not!

Have you got a friend with a car who would be willing to give you a hand with some of it in exchange for wine or babysitting?

I have freecycled stuff and really have just wanted rid the items so I haven't been bothered whether it was a trader who took the items or not, all that mattered was that they were gone!

Alternatively have you got a garage or shed where you could put the stuff so that at least your house would be de-cluttered. Then if you did pay a man with a van you would be paying him/her once instead of for lots of trips (there is a guy who advertises on a local FB page, he will do collections/whatever with his van, it might be worth looking locally).