Stuff - how much do I / WE REALLY need ??

[Mojomummy]

I'm in a state at home, I've just go TOO much STUFF.

DD ( age 25mths ) has about a trillion outfits, I've got a 2 wardrobes full of stuff I never wear, hubby has about 50 + pairs of shoes & countless shirts.

How much many outfits etc do we all really need ?

Please advise 'cos we are drowning in it all ( I think it's a backlash from having a strict army father who wouldn't didn't think anyone needed anything)

Hubby has 50 pairs of shoes??

Mine has a pair of sandals, a pair of black trainers, a pair of walking boots and a pair of wellies.

You need to seriously de-clutter. If the stuff is in good condition how about flogging it on Ebay?

Or giving it to charity shops? Quicker and less hassle.

yes stuff is in good condition - perhaps that's the problem, I think, well might come in useful,

What does your hubby wear to work ? DH has brown loafers, black loafers, burgandy loafers, then probably same colours but different style. Most is bought in the sales though & has been collected over the past 7 years.

Then there are brown & black sandals, beach sandals, those slip on sandals. It's all going a bit wrong.

This summer I've worn 4 pairs of shoes + flipflops, but probably have between 30 + pairs of shoes festering in the wardrobe

If you haven't worn it in 6 months (max a year) get rid of it!

On the shoe front I thought all men had only 3 pairs (like dp) - best, trainers and everyday

put aside the things you all wear for the next month, then of the remaining stuff have a serious look thru, it sounds like you could take away 50% of that stuff and not miss it at all, as to DD if u like to buy for her, buy next size up, really she would only need clothes for 2 weeks in her wardrobe, less on clothes more on outings, sell the clothes to fill-up the car.

Good luck

Firstly, make sure your husband isn't gay.

THEN, CHUCK OUT anything that you haven't worn for 12 months. Be ruthless. There's no point keeping 100 items "just in case" something comes in useful. You can always buy something if you need it.

(Just kidding about your DH of course... )

I'm a serious user of the charity bins. If you haven't used it or worn it in 6 months, and it's not something you find beautiful, trot it down to Bernardo's, Oxfam, or whichever shop/bin you prefer.

If you look at something in your wardrobe, and you think, 'I don't like that', bin it. Someone else less fortunate might love it.

I've lived in pokey places most of my adult life, and never have the space for clutter, so we keep things spare.

you won't miss it or even think about it once its gone and de-cluttering is a marvellous kick!

I can't imagine Any Bloke having 50 pairs of shoes.

Blimey, my dh doesn't buy anything, I have to buy his clothes, and when he needs new shoes I have to MAKE him go and buy them.

Ask him to go through some of his stuff and see what he gives you to throw out. dh is quite good at saying - no don't need that - oh those shoes are a bit uncomfortable I don't wear them etc with a little encouragement.
I had a big sort out a while back and will do so again when we move at the end of the month. I'm trying to do the 'if I buy something new' I get rid of something old to try to continually get rid of clutter and avoid having tons of the same/similar things.

"THEN, CHUCK OUT anything that you haven't worn for 12 months. Be ruthless."

Ooooo I couldn't do that - I've got a couple of gorgeous 'evening' outfits which have only been worn a handful of times (in about 5yrs)- but NO WAY would I chuck them out. I couldn't afford to replace them, and they're reserved for the (very) rare, and (very) special occasions we go out

Look at something and think 'if the house was on fire - would I save it?' or 'if someone threw it out for you without telling you - would you even notice it had gone?'
Or declutter everything into big sacks and store them somewhere like the garage and if they are still there in a year then dump them.

Poor DH is desperate to get rid of stuff - in fact he does do these big charity bags & I end up 'rescuing' them . I did only take out a couple of things & then gave it to the salvation army

It's me that has the problem. If someone could say something like, I manage perfectly on 2 pairs of jeans, 3 tops, 2 jumpers, that might help ?

I think another aspect of my problem is we vist an outlet i.e. Clarks & I find DH a bargain pair of timberlands etc , & they're bought all ready for when the current ones wear out.

These are my problem areas; shoes/towel/bedlinen (beautiful ralph lauren sets bought for double bed, we now have a kingsize bed )DH's shirts/DD's bedlinen (how many sets does she need ?. Working hard & making good progress on magazines

If the house was on fire, I'd save DD, DH & the cat, might try to get & the wedding album & a couple of dvd's of DD.

Anybody need anything ??

Each time - before you ever go near shops - have a look through your wardrobe etc - and make sure you know in your own mind what you actually have in there - it may bring it into perspective how much you have and it be fresh in your mind when you see things in shops.
I could buy cushions and throws and bedlinen every day - but I make myself think about how much I would use something new and what would I do with the 'old' stuff.
The same with ds - when I see something gorgeous - I have to justify it to muyself - I used to just pile my arms with stuff and buy it all. then it would sit in the wardrobe - esp in summer when ds runs around in a nappy 5 days out of 7!

Easy - snap....the only reason dp has more than 3 pairs is because I buy them...
QoQ - I think the 12 month rule can be waived for evening wear (I have a black dress thats 20 yrs old, but it ain't going anywhere near a charity bin...)

I DISAGREE WITH THE EVENING WEAR EXCEPTION!

If it was cool evening wear FIVE YEARS AGO, it will look dated now. You'd be better off nipping to Topshop and getting something fashionable.

ADMIT IT

I never add anything to the wardrobe without throwing something out, especially shoes. We hire clothes for special occasions but then dh works for a clothing hire company.

I think the two week rule is a good one (or perhaps two weeks for summer and two weeks for winter). If your wardrobe is too full the clothes just get ruined. I put winter clothes away in the spring and go through them when I get them out again in the autumn to see if they are still OK.

Somebody please explain to me why I still keep my wedding dress even though it is a size 18 (am now size 10) and I don't plan on getting married again?

Blackduck

I think you and I live parallel lives, Similar work, similar dhs work, similar dhs, each have one son .....

Spooky!!

P.S., know anyone looking for a trainer urgently, my contracts just be trashed by the client.

Mojomummy, for the very lovely stuff that you adore (e.g. the wrong-size bed linen) you may feel better giving it to a friend (or MN-er ) than giving it to Oxfam. Double-warm glow - happy friend and emptier cupboard.

MP - depends - mine is (IMHO) classic stuff.....

PS Mojomummy, I do manage perfectly well on jeans, a few tops that just get washed and washed and washed and the odd smart thing/pretty skirt. Helps to have no sense of style or colour and no interest in the whole fashion shebang and not mind looking like a dork

Easy - you looking permanent or contract? Checked out loadedstar?

morningpaper, when do you do this 'nipping to top shop'? My wardrobe is a disgrace, and apart from basic t shirts and jeans a lot of it is more than 5 years old . I've done about 4 hours clothes shopping on the high street for myself in the last year. When on earth do you do it?
And as for shopping for dh....well he's a big boy now

mojomummy - I have 2 sets of bedlinen for us and ds1 and manage fine
The ds's do have, I confess, more trousers and t-shirts than they can wear in a month...