If you are surrounded by clutter...does it make you miserable?

[sugarlost]

I look at things that could be thrown out or given to charity but I'm to lazy to have the motivation to do it....

Yes! At the moment dh is recovering from pneumonia and I am recovering from the flu I caught at the hospital visiting him and the house is ... horrific! There is stuff everywhere and neither of us has the energy to tackle it. Even when we are well it is a struggle and it seems insurmountable. I have big plans for a thorough purge. One day. Soon.

Yes, clutter makes me depressed. I'm having a major focus this year on decluttering house and mind and body fat. I'm much better already with clear surfaces in a couple of room which have STAYED CLEAR

I didn't think clutter made me miserable, but decluttering made me feel great!

Yes! Renovating a house (4 years in and still not finished) so things don't have a proper home yet. I have a bag in the boot of my car for the charity shop which is handy for adding things to.

I have a friend who declutters monthly.. she is the happiest person I know.. I wanna declutter but too struggle to find the motivation... she has offered to come round and help me ..but i'm oddly scared hahahaaaa

Coming home after a charity shop and tip run is my idea of fun now!

Definitely, I hate cleaning and tidying up, but I hate mess more. Probably lucky it is that way around or the house would be a permanent tip.

My house is a mess of clutter since my DS was born 18 months ago. It's frustrating because I know that under all the dung is a beautifully decorated Edwardian house.
I've taken to sending DH and DS to my MIL's house on a Sunday and I've been chipping away at it. I WILL get everything into a home, I just need to pare it down a bit. I put a ton of bags of baby clothes, moses baskets etc that aren't needed for now into the attic so I do have one lovely tidy room that was a dumping ground before...so I am confident I can get there eventually.

Just moved back into my parent's place whilst I start a new job/find a flat. I am a minimalist by nature, my mum is a hoarder. I'm going crazy.

I've just managed to go through my room/childhood stuff and have loads of stuff on eBay, 2 boxes to sell on Music Magpie, one charity box and one bin bag to chuck.

Everything that isn't toiletries/clothing is now stored in 3 big plastic boxes and I feel so much better for it.

Miserable ? No.

Overwhelmed and embarrassed- yes

Biggest problem.is lack of space. Space would mean we could have more storage or things just spread out or arranged more so the cleaning jobs weren't as big/time consuming.

There is just no where to put anything here

Hate clutter, can't relax in a messy house. Tis my downfall. Unfortunately the mess have been shoved in various cupboards over the years. I've been clearing out a room at a time since the new year, because even knowing it's there bothers me. I've been at it since 9am this morning and am about to head to the tip with a carload. It feels amazing once you've done it, I only have one room and the attic to go. I'd been keeping loads of stuff to eBay but I kept it so long it's all gone out of fashion, in fact some of it has came back in yes that long. Anyway I'm clearly never going to get round to ebaying it so I'm going to charity shop the lot.
Oh if anyone fancies some 70's annuals I have a ton .

We have recently found out our local hospice wants clothes and textiles in all conditions so it has made the decision much easier

DH has taken a box of books and 3 boxes of clothes from new with tags on but don't fit anymore to trousers with elastic gone in them etc etc

They recycle all the things they can't sell so it is a win win situation

We don't have to try to work out whether out of fashion clothes can be sold and clothes with stains on or buttons missing or elastic gone get recycled instead of put on tip

They also collect stuff from the house but we think it is easy enough for us to drop the stuff off as we have a car

Furniture has gone to a charity that teaches teenagers who have Finished school but no job prospects how to upcycle and refurbish furniture then it is sold to people on benefits at really cheap prices to furnish their new homes ---- so excellent plan for all, we got rid of wardrobe, people are taught how to upcycle it then it is sold cheaply to family starting up in new home

So anyway, my advice would be to look to see if anything like these are in your area cos it makes it much easier if the stuff has a final place to go

In answer to OP question yes it does make me embarrassed and I do hate it on one level but DH and I are both hoarders so it is very difficult as I want to keep stuff but finding these places where it is better to send it is really good

We have 3 rooms full of cardboard boxes from our house move that need to be sorted and so we are getting there, but very slowly

Yes, I hate it. Unfortunately I have an 18-month-old so a totally clutter-free home is a distant dream. Having a large basket to chuck all toys into at the end of the day helps - I like to reclaim a bit of adult space in the evenings!

** The hospice get money for the clothes etc that they recycle

I have moved three times in the last three years and currently have most of my things in storage. If I was the type to have clutter I would have lost my mind by now!
I can't bear clutter and have a 'one in one' out rule for clothes and books. I only keep a few ornaments that have sentimental value and am ruthless when deciding whether to keep something even if it is a gift. Is it beautiful or do I use it? If the answer is no then it goes.
I also don't like untidiness and always know where things are.
This is easier because there are only two of us in the house and my son has left home,

I find Clutter very difficult. I have been gently doing Kon Mari for about a year and while I haven't got quite at the 'tipping point' yet things are much much better.

Iris we did have our stuff in storage but then decided to just have it in unused rooms as it was free rather than paying for storage units hence why we have 3 rooms of boxes and clear them one at a time

People in the units next to the one we used seemed to use them for storing toys etc and the children would go there every couple of weeks to swap the toys over, cue much excitement but quite expensive to use storage

I'm reading mumsnet rather than tidying up now, so that probably answers how much it bothers me

Thanks for the replies....I actually started on two areas and working my way on a third which is amazing for me....I need to be ruthless like Iris.
I need to stop buying crap and keeping crap! I need to keep on top of clearing clutter...I know it helps me mentally feel more weightless!
Even my desk at work is cluttered....my parents are hoarders so maybe that explains it!
The older I get...the less things I want around me..
Listening to George Micheal to keep me company

Yes clutter makes me miserable so I don't have any. The last person who came into my home for the first time said 'are you in a witness protection programme?' LOL.

My parents were hoarders and I've had to clear and sell their house last year. Some of their stuff has made its way to mine but it was quite liberating to fill 2 skips of junk. I do feel crap having so much clutter around the place. We have very limited storage and I don't want to buy any more for the sake of shoving the junk somewhere. I am trying to do a drawer or shelf a day as I would like to get on top of it this year. It took ages to clear my parents' place as there were some gems amongst the dross but it was all mixed together. I really don't want DD to have to deal with all my junk when I go.

I did get a house clearance firm in to get rid of the rest of the stuff from my parents and they packed and took everything in a day (including my umbrella!). I'm quite tempted to get them in to do my house and start again from scratch

Unable to do anything at the moment due to injury. DH is doing his best but the house needs a decent clean/tidy.

So yes, it is getting me down a bit!

Yes, clutter makes me miserable!

In the past year I have moved our family and also cleared up my parents' large home after their deaths (10 months apart). I am completely fed up of sorting and tidying! I am naturally ruthless and tidy but have more or less given up for the time being.

RTKangaMummy The stuff is only in storage because we are waiting for a moving date. It is expensive I agree but I don't have a choice!

BoboChic That is another reason I don't have clutter. I have a life limiting illness and don't want to leave my family a lot to do!