I just found out how tidy people keep tidy!!!!!

[MrsBobDylan]

I have not felt this excited since I discovered sanitary towels can prevent new boot blisters.

You had better sit down.

Tidy people have less stuff. That's how they stay tidy.

No one bothered to tell me this life changing information. Bastards.

We are downsizing to a flat from a four bed house with a garage. I reckon I have donated/taken to the tip, at least half of the contents of our house.

We didn't need all that shit. I don't think I liked most of it.

Turns out, two mixing bowls is fine, 3 pans, 10 mugs, one duvet cover/pillowcase for each bed, no spare bedding for guests since they can bring their own, 6 bath towels, one coat each, three pairs of shoes each...I could go on.

Since decanting half of my house, it is lovely and tidy. I move a few things from room to room each day and clear the kitchen at the end of day. All manageable. I even have time for a nap on the sofa fgs.

Now my cupboards are not filled to the brim, I can PUT THINGS IN THEM.

The easiest and most satisfying clear out, was the knick knack cull. Photo frame we got for our wedding? Gone. Glass vase from my Uncle Harry? Gone. Mini collection of ornamental owls? Get in there!

It is easier to clean a house with less stuff in it. Surfaces get a quick wipe, floors are mopped without have to slalom round tables, chairs and plant stands.

If you have a friend who feels overwhelmed by keeping house, please pass this on.

You're welcome

[NoSquirrels]

Her big thing was a big green machine called The Crusher, which they brought along and crushed up stuff which wasn't even good enough for the Charity shop.

I’d love a big green crusher. Someone should offer this as a community service.

[DemBonesDemBones]

I read a lot. A lot a lot. I have a 'keep shelf' that has become a bit famous. Only one or two books make the keep shelf a year. If a book made the keep shelf it's absolutely brilliant or written by someone I know. I've written a note to my children in the front of each book on the keep shelf and the kids are actually excited about getting older and reading them Most books I read I pass on through a local Facebook group called Sharing Shelves where we all swap what we've read. It's great because we live in a village where we bump into each other most days and we always have books to talk about!
I can't preach too much though because I have over 400 books in the 'to be read' pile...and I can't stop buying more!

[MojoMoon]

It's interesting to see so many people say they can't get rid of things because they can't bear for them to go into landfill.

What happens when you die? You just leave someone else to put it in landfill then. Or you eventually crack and put it in the dump once you are forced to downsize into a retirement property etc.

A broken item sitting in your cupboard is not preventing environmental damage - it's just delaying it. And to be honest, is that perhaps also more of an excuse not to just do it? I know it was for me.

I'd recommend the Olio app - it was originally for food waste (eg food that you were not going to eat in time) but moved into a lot of non food. I found new homes for lots of things on there that I thought no one would want -CDs, elderly duvets, bits of MdF, tiles etc. Freecycle is the same thing but Olio seems more popular now in part because you have a profile and are rated and checked so there is much less time wasting than Freecycle.

My local church hall was happy to take usable but old glasses and mugs since they get through lots.

So....post it all on Olio. See what people will take. You may be surprised.

And if you really cannot recycle or give away, then just take it to the dump. It ends up there if you get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Most dumps also have recycling facilities that don't exist on the doorstep, for example mine will recycle paint and window glass. You may find that by taking it to the dump, it doesn't even end up in landfill.

[secretbookcase]

@MojoMoon - thank you so much for mentioning the Olio app. I'd not heard of it and have lots of things I'd like to find homes for rather than chuck out. I used to use Freecycle all the time but recently it's felt like tumbleweed so maybe Olio will work better.

[stopblowingyournose]

Search Consumed the programme god I was addicted. It's not free on Netflix or Amazon just now though.

I've just found Nick Knowles Big House Clear Out on channel 5 to binge and Stacey Solomon declutter programme is starting tomorrow. I find these shoes really helpful.

[RagzReturnsRebooted]

@MojoMoon I was thinking exactly that, last night. How it is all going to end up in landfill eventually anyway so why do it let it make me feel bad now? The best I can do it just stop buying as much plastic crap, nothing I can do about the stuff that already exists. It was quite a freeing thought!

[WeRateSquirrels]

@MojoMoon makes an excellent point. If something is destined for landfill anyway, you're not helping anyone by temporarily storing landfill in your house. Obviously rehome/recycle if you can, but some things are just junk, so let it go and just be more mindful next time you're tempted to buy something.

Another thing that helped me was the thought that if I'd just binned things as I went along, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. It just so happens that I'm binning several year's worth of junk all at once, which feels worse.

[batmanladybird]

[quote MrsBobDylan]@RosesAndHellebores I am really intrigued by your Murano cockerels. I will be googling them later.[/quote]
Ha! Yes me too

[batmanladybird]

@NoSquirrels

9 billion sistema water bottles with no lids

If only there could be some sort of National Tupperware and plastic kitchenware shite amnesty, like the police organise for knives…

Omg this is so needed

[batmanladybird]

@KloppsTeeth

I need to get rid of boxes and boxes of toys. All small things, like Octonauts, Bob The Builder type characters. Lots of die cast cars. But charity shops don’t want them as they only sell for pennies. Where do people move their on to that isn’t landfill?
Then I would be tidier, as it would free up space.

Try your local buy nothing or free grouo on Facebook groups

[batmanladybird]

@KloppsTeeth

I need to get rid of boxes and boxes of toys. All small things, like Octonauts, Bob The Builder type characters. Lots of die cast cars. But charity shops don’t want them as they only sell for pennies. Where do people move their on to that isn’t landfill?
Then I would be tidier, as it would free up space.

I gave all our ocyonauts to our local preschool. Toy story 3: those toys needs to be played with 😂

[BatshitCrazyWoman]

@LoislovesStewie

My husband is a hoarder. I shall never have a tidy home because he just can't see that too much rubbish is the cause of the clutter; we don't need a bigger home which is what he thinks. He also can't see that living in the muddle that I have to constantly try to tidy is bad for my mental health; to him, it is a security blanket. I wish I could be on one of those programmes on TV where they get rid of all the 'stuff' but I know he won't do that, the best I can do is confine the rubbish to a couple of rooms.

I really feel for you

I am naturally tidy, and not big on 'stuff'. I wonder if my ex-husband is noticing there's no tidying fairy 😂

[BatshitCrazyWoman]

Oh and I second Olio - all my moving boxes were collected by a lovely woman who was living round the corner from me.

[sueelleker]

@MrsTophamHat

You are so right. Since I had children I can't stand how much stuff there is everywhere. Sadly I am married to Mr It Might Come In Handy One Day so my culls are not as ruthless as i'd like.

Do we have the same husband? Every time we moved I threw away a load of stuff, and he never missed it. I still sneak the odd thing into the rubbish before i put the bin out.

[sueelleker]

@NoDecentHandlesLeft

The only thing I horde now is books.
I went ruthless a few years ago, it was very satisfying. Still not quite finished. I have a cupboard I've been meaning to do.

Whenever I find one of my favourite books on Kindle I buy it and ditch the hard copy. I must have got rid of 100 or so in the last few years. And I always buy new ones on Kindle.

[sueelleker]

A good tip for tupperware is to mark the tubs and matching lids with a Sharpie pen so you know which goes with which, eg A with A and B with B etc.
Lakeland do these; www.lakeland.co.uk/62924/Lakeland-4pc-Colour-Match-Lidded-Food-Storage-Containers-Set

[Peregrina]

I still sneak the odd thing into the rubbish before i put the bin out.

Same here. It's the only way.

[JedEye]

sueelleker
‘Whenever I find one of my favourite books on Kindle I buy it and ditch the hard copy. I must have got rid of 100 or so in the last few years. And I always buy new ones on Kindle.’

Throwing away books to replace them with a screen version?!

[DifficultBloodyWoman]

sueelleker
‘Whenever I find one of my favourite books on Kindle I buy it and ditch the hard copy. I must have got rid of 100 or so in the last few years. And I always buy new ones on Kindle.’

That’s just crazy talk!

When I read a good book on kindle, I go out and buy a hard copy because I know I will enjoy that even more.

[NoSquirrels]

@JedEye

sueelleker
‘Whenever I find one of my favourite books on Kindle I buy it and ditch the hard copy. I must have got rid of 100 or so in the last few years. And I always buy new ones on Kindle.’

Throwing away books to replace them with a screen version?!

I think this is smart, though. Different strokes for different folks.

If I loved reading something and I want the opportunity to read it again, digital is amazing. The format/typeface doesn’t date, you take no room storing it, it’s always accessible.

If it’s something I want to share with other people - who return to me my cherished copy - then a really wonderful expensive edition e.g. Folio Society is worth the outlay and shelf space.

Loads of books fall in between - quite liked it, interesting enough etc.Those should get passed on with no second thought.

[ConfusedBear]

Collecting unmatched Tupperware lids and tubs from various people and matching them together into useable pairs sounds like a good fundraising idea for a Brownie pack.

[batmanladybird]

Yogawankonobi
@MrsBobDylan I love you a bit (and your name)because you seem quite excitable.
Thanks! I have two settings, excitable and asleep. My dh brings steady, calm and measured. And long suffering.


Hahaha I am the same

[faithfulbird20]

I've tried having less stuff over the years and it's good. I've gotten to a point where I do need stuff and it's better to have more rather than struggle with less.

[ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba]

it's better to have more than struggle with less

@faithfulbird20

that's so perfectly phrased.
it's exactly what I do.
my 4 youngest take packed lunches. but as the lunchboxes need washing everyday (dishwasher) it works better to have 12 instead of 4 - per child there's always 1 dirty, 1 being washed or in drying phase and 1 clean that's ready to use.
This works for us, I don't ever have to stress or scramble & rush to clean things when I'm tired or in a hurry.
Convenient default systems make life easier - and because I have the space to store it all it's not clutter!