I can't believe how much shit my family have managed to accumulate

[SecretSlattern]

Having a mass tidying up day today, which as my name suggests, is not really a common occurence and I am amazed at just how much crap this family has managed to stash in the four short years we have been living here.

There is literally stuff on stuff on furniture, any available space, including the window sills. I wouldn't mind so much if it was necessary crap, but alas, most of it is not.

DD's bedroom was recently decorated, so a mass clear out took place then, our bedroom was recently shifted around, so again another clear out. I am holding a surprise party for DH at home so am obviously trying to get the place looking spick and span but oh my god... there really is stuff everywhere.

I just don't get how we can stash so much rubbish. I've got rid of bags and bags of clothes that the kids have outgrown, bags and bags of my own stuff and books... We have three walk in cupboards that you can't walk into anymore .

God, it drives me mad!

i try and order a skip once a year. costs about £7, but worth it. i then go round each room and throw out the crap,takes about a week, but you feel much better after

Where do you get a skip for £7 the cheapest round here is £70

oops, missed the 0 off, sorry £70

a skip sounds like a great idea! it is just so frustrating! I work in a school normally and tend to do over and above the hours I'm supposed to so when half term comes I love it because I can get all these horrible jobs done, but then I start to get resentful because I would rather take the kids out than spend all holidays cleaning. Can't win, but i suspect outing all the crap will free up some of that time

i get really frustrated too. why does everyone think that if they have done with something one of my kids will want it i always end up with other peoples crap
i know ther are only being kind but grrrr

We have a rolling semi annual chuck out. It is cathartic and I feel it frees the mind just letting go of things form the past.

Any clothes/shoes not worn for the last 2 years gets binned without question. I have set aside all my old summer clothes already and will bin them at the end of the summer once I have gardened in them and laid on the lawn sun bathing etc. They are too old to take on holiday or wear outside the house so out they go in September.

Toys, we pack away anything that is to young for the kids into a big box and put it in the garage. Anything they do not miss we then chuck away 6 months later.

We have moved houses quite often as well and do a massive chuck out then as well. We genuinely have almost no junk except a small amount in the garage and that is getting a good sorting at the weekend and a bonfire before the kids go back to school.

I even got rid of sofa, push chair and some large kids toys this morning. Partly by using the council large item refuse scheme and partly because people came by the house and asked if they could take stuff. One woman had recycled a push chair who lives a few doors away and I know she will use it.

I know part of my problem though is getting rid of the kids stuff. I hoarded all DD's things in the vague hope I would have another. As time went on, I resigned myself to the fact I would only have the one, got rid of all her stuff and then found out I was pg with DS , so now I can't bear to get rid of anything else other than vests, sleepsuits etc just in case. We didn't try for either of our kids, it just happened. It would be just my like that the same thing would happen again.

We do the stashing things away that haven't been used for months but then we are too lazy to ebay it, car boot it. I was inspired to take stuff to the charity shops but found some of the people in there so rude when you are donating your stuff that it's kind of put me off.

I am at your small amount of junk ABetaDad.

I freecycle mercilously as am too bloody lazy to drive to the tip!

We've had the builders in (think may mean something in British?) seemingly for the past year with loft conversion, kitchen dining room knocked together, gutted and new kitchen. DD had her own hard hat!

There have been bags and bags of stuff in black bin liners in various closets which I just got rid of on the basis that no one has actually asked, 'what happened to that crap that used to live in the corner...' it wasn't necessary...