Where do people store.... stuff??

[Willowy]

Recently I've dismantled a set of shelves that were fitted into the alcove of my living room wall next to the chimney breast. It wasn't just full of books and dvds, oh no! It had tons of the kids rubbish on it too that I'd stuffed there for safe keeping.

Underneath the shelves is a custom built cupboard that the previous owners put in. I went through it and found loads of my old letters that I'd forgotten about, Christmas wrapping paper, my much-loved board games (that I knew where in there) and load of other odds and sods like cables I don't use etc.

Suffice to say, I had a good clear out of said cupboard last night and managed to put all the junk that was on the shelves neatly into the cupboard.

I'm sure nobody else has this problem. My house just seems to accumulate crap (a lot of it generates from the kids - they always come home with something after they've been to school/childminders) then there's all the toys and all the crap they pick up in party bags from friends birthdays, I'm forever chucking things out or trying to store things neatly but I fail.

Where do people store general crap?? When I go to other people's houses they just don't seem to have the same amount of junk toys lying around and everything seems to have its place. I'm baffled.

It sounds like you have more stuff than space. Would you consider reading Marie Kondo or perhaps the 40 day bag challenge?

Sounds interesting... I'm intrigued.

Our dc have a box for all the cheap plastic stuff they get from party bags/ happy meals/ whatever. We go through and chuck stuff out if it starts to get too full.
Other small stuff like lego or train sets or action figures go in different boxes then bigger stuff mostly goes either on shelves in their rooms or they’ve each got a big wicker toy box in their room.

I think in short the kids have too many toys and there's a lot of big items amongst them like big trucks and vehicles. They end up everywhere. I get fed up of post too and have compiled a bag of letters that contain personal details so it needs shredding. I just hate all the crap that accumulates in a house, it irritates me.

We have the same issue. I feel like I am constantly decluttering and binning stuff but it just doesn't help for long.

Glad it’s not just me. Left to my own devices I’m quite minimalist, but for some reason I just can’t seem to declutter the shite from my house properly. Doesn’t help that my house is quite small.

I throw a lot of stuff out tbh.

Kids toys are going to have to go

Doesn’t help that my house is quite small.

I have a theory that houses are like handbags, the bigger they are the more crap you put in them. We are in a very rambling farmhouse and try as I might, the clutter accumulates. Yes we have more space, for example the kids have a playroom but in real that's an excuse not to throw out toys they've grown out of. I have a whole room full of crap upstairs, if the house was smaller it would have to go!

And I always wonder where the clutter is in other people's houses but I think a) they've tidied and b), you notice your own clutter but not other people's.

* And I always wonder where the clutter is in other people's houses but I think a) they've tidied and b), you notice your own clutter but not other people's.*

This could be true but I do feel.... I dunno, baffled at how people seemingly have less crap lying around than I do. It’s wizardry is what it is 😂 you are right about more space = more crap though.

My mum is a hoarder, my dad made her lots and lots of cupboard space in their house and she has filled it to the brim and every-- darn available surface too--

Bold fail

I throw stuff out as I get it lol so it never accumulates so for example If the kids being home tons of plastic tat in a party bag I then dump it whenever they've had a 10 min play with it, and they never notice or ask where it is coz they've forgotten. Same with happy meal toys, lucky bag crap etc....

It's just easier than the big sort out months down the line.

Ugh it's so frustrating isn't it? My house is very neat & tidy. My cupboards are tidy to a point, for instance my kitchen cupboards have just the things I use, as I chucked out random tupperware and my bread maker, but I also have just 'stuff' tucked away in various drawers throughout the house. I'm slowly wading through paperwork at the moment. Also stuff like gift bags that might come in handy/balloons, sewing kit, school stuff, picnic blanket etc etc.
On the plus side I have been selling stuff on facebook and made £90 this past week!

That’s great @Glitter. I may sell some stuff but doing so so that the kids don’t notice is another matter I’m dreading Christmas. Yay more crap to try and store away tidily

I really think the key is for everything to have a specific place and for it always to go back to that place.

Toys
We live in a small flat so have toys in several places:

• The boys' bedroom - toys on a large bookcase (as well as art supplies) and in boxes lined up against the walls
• Living room - we have a storage bookcase thingy that is half boxes and half shelves for their hundreds of books. Bigger items are tidied on top of the bookcase
• the corner of boxes - tucked away in a corner by the sofa, yet more boxes of toys

It sounds like it's a lot but it all gets played with and every so often I sort through it and get rid of stuff that isn't used. Party bag stuff and other crappy little plastic things get thrown out very quickly.

Paperwork
All letters and incoming paperwork gets put in our intrays - one for DH, one for me and another one for filing. Every couple of months I file the paperwork in boxes in a cupboard.

Pens
All pens are in one drawer. With scissors, selotape, rulers etc.

Wrapping paper
All wrapping paper and presents not yet given are in a couple of drawers in our wardrobe. All birthday cards are bought in one go once a year and put in a different drawer

Cables
All cables are together in one drawer

Apart from that, I used the Marie Kondo method (without buying the book - just reading threas on MN) to declutter and get rid of stuff we don't use/like. It made a huge difference to my clothes and meant I actually managed to get rid of a chest of drawers from our bedroom, making more space.

The post above has hit the nail on the head. Once everything has a place you can see what duplicates or things you don't need any more. We had about five hundred usb cables but once they were all in one place we kept the best and chucked the rest. That would be quite a good mantra!! I designated each of us a drawer in a unit that lives in our kitchen.any crap lying around gets flung into it. The idea it should be cleaned at regular intervals needs work though. Post is a nightmare, I tend to rip off the name and address of junk and then recycle the rest.

I agree with a couple of previous posters who said that the more space and more storage you have, the likelier it is that crap accumulates. Yes, good storage is important. BUT you must declutter before you decide what additional storage you need otherwise it never ends.

Both DH and I are pretty minimalist and hate clutter but it still creeps up on you with kids in the house. Chuck or donate things that you don't want or need as soon as they come through the door.

I also try not to buy any toys for the kids as they get far too much stuff from relatives. Usually plastic China crap or evil battery operated singing toys.

Thanks @LoveMyKids. I have one of those already in the living room but I may consider getting one for the boys bedroom. When the youngest has outgrown his cotbed I intend to get bunk beds in there, creating more floor space. Then stick some decent storage solutions in its place. Those ottomans look great and would do the trick 🙂

I know what you mean some people just are able to keep a tidy ordered house - and I am not one of them 😄

I have found the tidiest houses have invested heavily in storage solutions whether shop bought or bespoke - also I notice these houses have a lay out or have their layout tailored to enable better storage e.g. All available space properly utilised and uses for storage etc

Sentimental things, I keep under the bed. The DCs put their treasures and papers in their bedside drawers and every few months we'll weed through and keep the best.