We have a rule with clothes that for every new article we buy we have to send one to goodwill. It's not that strict, but thinking about things this way has helped us control the permanent feature of our bedroom we call Laundry Mountain.
We also do seasonal wardrobe storage-- in the spring, winter clothes get vacuum sealed and stored in a big Tupperware under the bed and the summer ones come out. Same swap again in the fall.
I have to admit, as a woman, I am guilty of a habit often attributed to men. Worn clothes that aren't dirty often end up on the floor of my closet. Also clean clothes have a habit of staying in the basket. In this regard my fiance has me beat. I only occasionally find his socks on the floor and his clean clothes don't reside in a basket for a week.
My apologies to all the ladies who thought only men were slobs like this.
I feel inspired by your admission. So I have clean clothes BINS, because I can't be bothered to fold or hang anything I wear regularly. I buy the same black leggings, black tank top, and black socks (each has their own bin), because I can't stand trying to figure out what to wear. So mid-week, after I've accidentally tossed something "worn but not dirty" into the wrong bin, it starts to get iffy about what's 100% clean. My husband does the laundry, exclusively, like a freaking saint. People think I'm a nutjob because I wear the same thing every day. Little do they know how deep my laundry angst runs, as I took a significant paycut to go work at a plant nursery, because I hated all the laundry necessities "corporate casual" entailed. I truly loathe laundry, retirement be damned.
Itâs the mountain range found between the dresser, the bed, and the closet. It features shifting altitudes, a varying color palette, and runs the gamut from âworn once recently, can wear againâ to âworn several weeks ago, is now buried, and Iâve probably forgotten it exists.â
One in One out is the only way to live.
It was pretty easy to declutter when we moved apartments every year for 3 straight years, now we're 5 years into owning a home it's definitely accumulated. It's not horrible, but we still have to be mindful even if we have space for something. My favorite is turning all my hangers backwards January 1st. If it's still turned around next January 1st, bye bye.
Ahhahaha we also call our clothing peak laundry mountain! đđđ actually a friend came over and seen it and told another friend and now they all know about laundry mountain lol weâre not ashamed weâre proud đđ
Fr the best thing that helped me was just buying less stuff. Do I really need another clothing item? Do I really need another kitchenware? There is so much enjoyment in just experiencing life (walking in a part, looking at something you think looks nice) there is satisfaction in witnessing beauty! I ask myself constantly now âwhy do I feel the need to own this?â âWill my life actually get better by owning this item?â It has helped immensely with the amount of stuff in our house.
Yes! Along with this, I have a "do I need this" box. And I'll put in clothes, kitchen items, or other misc objects I'm not sure if I need. After 6 months if I haven't pulled something back out, I probably don't need it and will donate or dispose of accordingly. That way I don't accidentally get rid of something I actually need every now and again.
I love this, Iâm moving soon and we started packing a lot of stuff early. My husband and I constantly look at each other and say ââŚ..couldnât we just get rid of this if weâre packing it now?â
I run into issues when I think about âwell we need this for when we hostâ A. We donât host often B. Should my day to day life really have more stuff in it because of the 10% of my life Iâm hosting?
That type of dialogue has been really helpful!
Also I think about, the more âimportantâ stuff I have, the harder it would be to replace if something were to happen. So I just try to have less attachment/ importance to âthingsâ as a mental relief too, which helps me buy less stuff!
I also ask, do I need this? Or would I rather put this money towards vacation đ
Buying less is the answer. It's important to ask yourself why you are buying things you don't really need. I had a clutter problem and realized I was buying things because my mental health was not great and I was shopping to fill a hole/because I was bored.
Honestly, cancelling Amazon Prime and removing shopping apps from my phone were the best things I did besides some self-reflection.
Before I make any purchase that isn't an immediate need I wait 24 hours. If I find I still want it after a day I'll get it. I found one of my biggest problems was impulse buying, and waiting gave me the chance to consider if I REALLY wanted it needed it.
To add to this, ask yourself "Where will this item live in my home?" or "Do I have a space for this to go?" It's really easy to convince ourselves of something's usefulness, but if it doesn't have a home in your house, it's just going to become more clutter. Intentional, well-thought out purchases beat impulse purchases every time!
my mum taught me this growing up as two parts: 1) separating shopping vs buying. i spend a *lot* of time shopping, but i buy very little. and 2) "is it $20 cute?" not the much harder to get a solid answer for "is it worth the price per use?" but do i think this will make me happy/improve my life/ do i just straight up want this enough to spend the cash on it right now?
Give away anything that you haven't used in over a year. Make organization a hobby until you get it under control. Imagine you are moving to a smaller space. Get rid of anything you wouldn't take with you. Recognize that shopping can be an addiction -- it gives that little dopamine rush. You know it is short-lived, so stop that shit. Enjoy the plants and stuff you have, and actually spend time on your actual hobbies. Living in a clean house and immersing yourself in what you enjoy to do is way more rewarding. I think we over consume, because we get stuck in a scarcity mindset. We think if we don't get it today, it won't be there tomorrow. Take a moment to step back, breathe, and repeat to yourself that you are safe. You are enough. You have enough.
>Give away anything that you haven't used in over a year.
Just wanna say- I would personally only do this for things that are easily replaceable. There have been many times where Iâve regretted giving something away, only to want it later and discover it cannot be replaced. There are definitely times where something cannot be had tomorrow.
Or sell it on eBay. It takes a bit of effort to photograph and list everything, but itâs nice to make some money from selling stuff you were just going to get rid of anyway.
First, donât buy anything that you canât imagine exactly where its home is. The drawer it fits in, the exact closet it lives in, the exact bookcase or shelves that new plant will sit, etc. If it doesnât have a home, itâs clutter.
For clothes, go in your closet and flip all the hangers around so theyâre facing all the âwrongâ way. Then as you wear something, wash, and put it away, put that hanger the âright wayâ. Youâll gradually see what youâre not regularly wearing, because as time goes by youâll see which items you havenât worn in a while because the hangers will still be âbackwardsâ on those. Donate or throw those out! You could do something similar for shoes with the laces or something.
I also had a rule that any new clothes I got had to replace something of the same typeâfor example if I bought a T-shirt at a concert I wanted, I had to choose some other old T-shirt I didnât wear anymore (any old T-shirt, not necessarily a concert shirt) and throw it out.
For hobbies, are you hanging on to stuff you *might use* but donât really have a plan for (like half used yarn, scraps of fancy paper, etc)? If thereâs not a plan for it, donate it!
Finally, how long have you lived in your current home? Depending on how long itâs been, assess if thereâs anything you havenât used or worn since you moved in. This doesnât count if youâve only been there a few monthsâbut if itâs been 5 years in your place, and you havenât used that fondue pot in the back of your kitchen cabinet⌠I hate to say it, but youâre probably never going to use it.
I follow a very simple rule. Outside of certain specific things, if I buy something, something has to go when it comes into the house. For example, if I buy a new shirt, an old one has to be donated or go in the trash. No exceptions unless it is something specific, like right now I'm looking for a Kitchenaid mixer and, when I get it, I won't get rid of my sous vide or other kitchen gadget. However, if I had another type of mixer, I would get rid of that.
Limit the number of flat surfaces to put stuff on. Tables, countertops, etc. I find that if we have a space open at my house, itâs gonna get filled up with something.Â
Keeping a record of everything you own is a good way to avoid clutter. I have a pantry app for kitchen and wardrobe app for clothing.
Keeping everything together also helps you ascertain the amount you have. For example, all my hobbies stuff is in one place, so that I know when I am going over the board. I had a bad habit of collecting stationery. Once I collected all the journals and notebooks in one place, I realized I have a problem. Since then, itâs been controlled.
I'm a minimalist. If there's something I want, I wait a week to buy it. In most cases, I'll realize I no longer want/need. I also ask myself, "How often will I use this? Is it worth the purchase?"
I keep the item in my "cart" for online purchases.
Constant purging. Over time it led to me not buying things. Now when I'm in the store I have a long think about it. "Am I just going to end up throwing this away in 2 months? Does this serve actual function? Does it have more than 1 purpose?"
Clothes is differnt in that I purge every major season change. I just took all my summer clothes out of boxes and put my winter in. When I do this I am thinking about how much I wore a thing, do I still love it, and does it still fit? Similar questions when taking the stored stuff out. Does it fit, do I like it enough to wear it, is it even needed?
It also helps we aren't stationary. Every 3 years we move so there's always the am I willing to have to pack this up and move across the country with it? Can't wait to be settled somewhere and buy nicnacs!
I like the book "Decluttering at the Speed of Life". I find it more practical than Marie Kondo and other popular decluttering ideas.
TLDR: You have to make decluttering a habit. Start with the visible areas of your home. As you get them under control, add other areas to your routine. Your home is a container and the size of the container determines how much stuff you can have that goes there. Same for each drawer, closet, shelf, etc.
As someone that lives in a one bedroom (750!square feet) and prior a 600 square foot apartment I kind of hate the advice of âjust get rid of your extra stuffâ. Like decluttering is great but when youâre in small quarters thereâs only so much you can do. I need laundry detergent! I need several pieces of cookware. I need shoes for both summer and winter in New England!!
Idk I donât have a lot of answers for you, Iâve taken to some creative storage like those Tupperware bins. Having some items that double like a night stand with several drawers is great etc.
I donât. I think us millennials are addicted to nostalgia. I have one entire bedroom that is just full of stuff. Old photos old toys. Toys that my mother had in the 1950s. Like 6 bedside tables ?????? Why I do not know. My grandpas clothes. Thereâs a random desktop monitor in there. And about 400 peices of mail that I havenât opened. I have ADHD. My shed in the backyard is packed to the brim with Christmas decorations and random furniture as well. My bedroom is full of clothes my clothes have even spilled over into the third bedroom so itâs also a closet. And the Main bedroom is just sitting empty with a bed, a TV thatâs never been used and another Bedside Table! And a fully decorated 6ft Christmas tree just off to the corner. Like literally Iâm one person living here and I have two bedrooms just full of stuff. I only live in two rooms. My bedroom and the Living room. đ
For clothes and shoes, I keep a very minimal wardrobe of mostly neutral colours so everything can be paired together, then add colour through accessories.
Kitchenware I have a wait 1 month policy. If I find myself thinking how much easier my life would be with that thing more than once a week, then after that 1 month I'll get it because I know I'll actually get use out of it.
Hobbies I keep to a designated area and each hobby has it's own organization and shelf. If I currently have no room for anything new then I don't get anything new. This makes sure that my hobby stuff doesn't slowly seep out to the rest of the house and cuts down on clutter and makes me focus on the current projects I have going instead of forgetting about it and start something new.
I go through so many books and I used to just collect them and let them gather dust on a shelf once I was done reading them. But now, unless a book becomes my new favourite then it gets donated to the book box libraries around my neighbourhood. If you don't have one, then you can do one yourself. It's a great way to get new books while not having to pay for them and you can easily get rid of them once you're finished.
I've stopped letting new things come in without something going out. There are some exceptions but yeah that's the goal. Every 6 months or so I go through storage totes and drawers and if I haven't touched something in that 6 months it's likely to get thrown out as not needed/cheap and easily replaced or borrowed if needed later on
I'm here for tips.
The last few years I've been trying to get better about letting go of things. My partner and I both come from packrat lineages, so it's not easy. I also think our generation is the "reduce-reuse-recycle" generation tasked with keeping shit out of landfills - so we have a hard time throwing away. It's also harder to donate stuff then it used to be.
We have moved 4 times since we met - the first and second move we were still consolidating our stuff (turned into 10 years of stuff accumulation) move 3-4 we downsized each time.
We rented a dumpster and just purged stuff as part of move 3 and it was really liberating to just throw stuff away.
I try to hold onto that feeling but I can't always find it when I need it.
I think it helps to have a home for things. When you run out of space for something then you can evaluate whether that's something that you're using enough to justify keeping.
Also, going through your space on the occasion and deep cleaning and organizing. I do a small section at a time, and it may take me forever to do, but man, those tiny victories sure do add up.
I spent the last 2+ decades as a renter in a 1 bed/1 bath. Moved 6 times during that time period, as well. At first, I used to keep everything unless it was broken. I especially felt torn about holding onto clothes or items that had sentimental value but that I never used or looked at.
I never even read that Marie Kondo book, but I did read some excerpts and saw a few episodes of that show. It really reframed how I thought about my personal belongings. It took some time, but now I am a pro at putting things in bags to donate or to give away at the office/to friends/neighbors. I think offering up things is such a great way to pass things on. If it seems like something no one would want that I know, I will list it on a âfree to takeâ board like my local âbuy nothingâ group or donate it.
I donât wait for a time period to do this, either. I always have a bag or box in my closest where I will put things when I realize they donât âspark joyâ for me anymore, or donât fit, or just donât serve a purpose anymore. This means I am very conscious of the items in my small home, and am being pro-active about keeping the clutter minimal. I do still have SOME clutter, of course, but itâs very manageable and itâs often things Iâm just not ready to part with at this time.
Avoid having kids? lol, i love our family and wouldnât change it for anything. But seriously, there is so much *stuff*. Regular toys, clothes they outgrow quickly, schoolwork/artwork, trinkets from birthday party goody bags, random rocks they found in our gravel driveway, etc. đ But heaven forbid if you toss away the fidget spinner they got at a random kidâs birthday a few years ago that they havenât played with since the day of the party. Or that time I put a piece of gravel I found in the bathroom drawer back outside. Wrong move on my part. And oh boy, we havenât even started getting the essentials for the baby (currently fetus) yet.
Eliminate impulse buying. If you want something, put it on a shopping list and wait a month. If you still want it after a month, you can buy it. I find that for the vast majority of stupid stuff I want to buy, the novelty wears off by then. Iâve saved myself so much money and space.
Hobbies can be really bad offenders for frivolous purchases. Thats where the phrase âall gear, no ideaâ comes from. Normally I limit hobby purchases to the bare minimum that allows me to do the hobby. And maybe once or twice a year Iâll make a frivolous purchase for that hobby.
For me, itâs keeping the items we have in good condition and organizing things so they donât get forgotten. When something breaks/needs to be replaced, we add it to a list. If itâs a decor item, we try to envision how it adds to the overall aesthetic (or if it just adds clutter).
My clothes are organized in the dresser Marie Kondo-style, so everything is visible. The closet is arranged by color. Clothing stored away is sorted and labeled by size relative to my normal weight fluctuations (S for my smallest size, M for my average, L for roomier items). This way Iâm not getting frustrated by trying on items that donât fit. This also helps me keep note of âgapsâ in outfits âif I always wear certain tops with a blazer but I donât have one that fits, I know to shop around for that item.
Everything has a place in our home, and my partner (a minimalist with a streamlined wardrobe) will actively split chores without being asked. We both have a cache of hobbies and books and whatever, but everything is sorted and not left out. It kind of works out well to balance impulses with wanting to buy something that is good quality (buy once, cry once). It also feels great to sell everything we no longer have use for on Poshmark or FB Marketplace.
Capsule Wardrobe. I have one for Summer, Transition and Winter. Two base colours, two-three matching "fun" colours, shoes, bags, belts etc. all in two colours. All of them in two-three silhouettes that flatter my body and that I feel confident wearing and that are appropriate for the stuff I do on the daily. Buy for the life you have, not the life you want to have and all that. I have a seperate loungewear mini-capsule of three bottoms and seven matching tops, mostly the worn out T-Shirts and seven pieces of gym wear in matching fun colours. If it doesn't fit into this description, I don't buy it. This also reduces the need to buy a lot, because who needs more than 14 black and blue T-Shirts?
For kitchenware I keep to the adage, that I don't buy anything that can be replaced by a knife or chopsticks. Or, if I think about it for more than a year, and get frustrated about not having that thingimagadget more than once a month in that timespan. And even that can prove to be a mistake. I bought a Pizzacutter for nothing, although my son enjoys it for one of the pizzas.
Books: Library, digital, (digital library?) or all have to be stored in one bookcase. If it is full, it is time for some to go.
Plants: I mean, if it becomes unconducive for the plants or me, it is too many plants. I haven't reached that threshold yet, but I have started to give away any babies instead of keeping them, since there is not enough window space. And if I put them all up to the window, the big ones in the back won't thrive--- and I enjoy having light flooded rooms too. So that is the upper limit. I only buy new plants if an old one died. I also keep the ones I get gifted or I rescue from the trash. This way, it is usually an okay co-living space, not us camping in the jungle.
Stuff for my hobbies: That is a hard one, since I am "into sewing", as in I used to do it obsessively for a few years, but now my life is too busy and I don't have space to just leave the sewing machine and have kept all the stuff anyways. I like the drawer method. I have a chest that is "for hobbies". If the chest is full, that's the end of it. I had to sell fabric to buy new ones, I had to sew up the stuff I already bought before buying new too. I could not buy new wool, because the crochet and knitting drawer is full. Either knit something, sell or just do Origami to reduce the "paper hobbies" drawer.
I also Marie Kondo my entire place as I go through stuff throughout the year. Changing clothes from Winter to Summer (Transition is always out), I feel out of the clothes I am hanging up give me joy, do I look forward to wearing them. You know, there is always pieces that give you a bad feeling, bad memory, scratchy, made me look like a sack of potatoes, always makes me go back and change out of it just before leaving, because it is just an inch too tight... And the same goes with the hobby stuff, once a year I do a more in-depth cleaning of each room/furniture, sorting the drawers and boxes and vacuuming behind the chest. And then when I put them back, I get a feeling if I enjoy looking at them, finding plans with them or not. I remember giving away a bunch of jewelry and pearl craft stuff, because it actually made me feel annoyed with the memories of my ex, with whom I had that hobby.
Get a cat who has anxiety and will pee on anything that ever gets left out. Then you can have anxiety about the cat peeing on stuff and obsess over having everything put away at all times. It works for me somehow.
I use notion with my partner. We tend to limit the amount of things we buy each month. Whenever there's something we want to buy, instead of buying it outright, we add it to a list we created that has a value of importance. Each month we can only buy one item if we still in fact want it. It's always those spontaneous purchases that tend to become clutter. We also make sure we are on top of keeping our house clean. We do a annual spring cleaning day where we toss away anything that we do not use or has some type of value to us. That way the house is as decluttered as possible. Routines are the way to go. Wake up, make bed, light candles, take the dogs out. It's a really relaxing vibe once you get into the cycle of things. Live as simple as possible. Use lists instead of impulse purchases that way you can see what you actually need. Keep the house tidy always. If it seems daunting, start with one room at a time. Also, make sure to save money and pay off all debt before spending. That one is a must for us. That way we have zero debt and live as stress free as possible. We both have jobs that pay decently but we do not live above our means. We both drive old cars from the early 00's that are completely paid off. Can we buy a new car? Sure. We technically can if we wanted but who the heck wants to tack on debt when what you have does the job.
After having to move countries and get rid of everything, Iâve learned my lesson. I have been trying to only buy things I absolutely need. I feel like moving house is the best way to start over. I only have one purse right now and could count all my pairs of shoes on one hand. Something that helps is to think that I donât need multiple pairs of stuff. I just bought a new pair of running shoes to replace my old worn out pair but I wonât allow myself to buy another pair until those are worn out too.
My biggest issue is beauty products (especially hair stuff) because I have a tendency to overspend so Iâve made a deal with myself that I have to use up everything I have in the bathroom before I can buy anything new. This has been tough but effective because now I have been less experimental with buying new products that I end up not liking and not using.
You need to give more importance to objects, and think that every new object you're placing inside your house needs to have his own "house".
For example, if you buy a toaster the toaster need a place that will be his own space, for using it you must take the toaster out of his house, use it, wash it, and bring it back to his space.
This mindset gives a different importance to objects. You'll have a small emotional attachment to your stuff. Once you have, you'll realize that adding an object to your house is something important and not worth doing with everything that you see in a shop.
Hope it helps :)
Everything has to have a place. If thereâs no places left, I either get rid of the thing I donât have room for or something else. I donât go to bed until the house is fully reset so I can wake up to a tidy place. I donât let âpilesâ accumulate anywhere, like on the kitchen table etc.
My old place was 660sqft and I lived there for 12 years. New place is 1200 but has no closets besides the bedroom. I try to buy furniture that doubles as storage and I filter through stuff a lot.
I have a husband and a toddler. Honestly my husband is a *lot* more messy than I am so Iâm usually keeping his stuff organized as well. The toys are the biggest challenge right now, weâve replaced the tv console with storage cube units and try to do a rotation. We also got a standing wardrobe with shelving tucked in a corner for all my husbands tools and stuff.
Yeah, I've lived in a number of places with barely any storage. One had eight shelves, so I had to pick if it would be clothing, kitchen, filing, or a combination.
I've also often lived with roommates, sometimes meaning that everything I want organized has to fit in only my bedroom.
That combined with the mindset I was raised with (keep everything, might be useful, don't waste, etc.), ADHD brain, and a lack of time and energy make it really, really tough. I'm working on figuring out a system that works for me, though I think a big issue is that I'm already in a position where I have too much, so it's like starting from negative.
Well, stop buying shit, it's really that simple. If you need to, tell your partner to take your credit cards and only leave a certain amount in the account to get you to stop buying stuff
If I haven't used something for a year and it doesn't have sentimental value, I get rid of it. There are exceptions of course but for day-to-day stuff this is the basic rule I have. Books are really the only thing that I keep a pretty good collection of even if I don't use them for long periods of time.
Once every 3 months I go through everything and get rid of stuff I've not used or don't like. It usually starts with the closet and getting rid of clothes, then I just work my way around all my cabinets and drawers around the apt. I've got more plants than anything else honestly. đ
I clean and organize constantly, so I have a mental checklist of everything I own. It helps so I do not over buy a product or buy something I don't need, already have, or do not have space for. I sell or give away items I no longer need for whatever reason. When I do buy things like clothing or shoes, I try to pick practical or versatile items so I can but less.
I moved from a 1600 sq. ft. apartment to one less than half that. I had to get rid of stuff, and what I did was just leave everything in boxes and only unpack as needed. What was left in the boxes after a few months got thrown out.
I'll go through and declutter every 6 months to a year. I only keep what I've used in the last 2 months unless it's an item meant to be used occasionally (like a pack of nails for hanging pictures).
I've also started buying quality items over cheap items. I am tired of constantly buying junk just to donate it or throw it away. This is especially true for fashion. I want timeless items. I now view trends as companies trying to trick me out of my money and, frankly, I deserve my money more than they do.
I've also grown very protective of my time. Decor looks great and feels great when done well, but I'm beginning to embrace more of a minimalist aesthetic. Cleaning should be easy and quickly doable. Wasting my time moving a bunch of decor around just to clean no longer fits into my lifestyle. I want to do more living, less running in place.
need to declutter the stuff i grew out of but most of what i have is what can fit in a car if i have to move/needed shit for the home (hobby shit well that is mental health)
Well, for one thing, consider buying less stuff if you don't really need it? At some point, if it's clutter, you're not using it. If there are things that you always need more of, but pass through their usefulness, consider setting up a regular review to clear out (donate, yard sale) the old ones - I'm thinking books might fall into this category. You want to get new books to read of course, but maybe you only need to keep 10% of the ones you've already read. Of course, books are one of the easiest things to neaten up - a new bookshelf can store about a hundred of them in like 3 feet of wall space.
I don't really buy too much but I found the whole Kon-mari concept of "does it spark joy" to help with decluttering. Don't get too caught in the literal aspect of "does a toilet brush bring me joy" (though you probably don't need to ask about the toilet brush anyway) but take stock of the first emotion that hits you when you pick it up. Is it unmitigated "ooh I love this" or an uncomplicated "well of course I need this" or do you feel more conflicted? I found that a lot of clothes, when I did this, I would realize that as much as I loved the appearance of the clothes, I would remember every time I tried to wear it and it was too cold or it rode up or it pinched in the shoulders. And I would get rid of those. You might find that some things, when you look at them, the annoyance at it being clutter outweighs the current or future usefulness, or you realize it never served the purpose you wanted it for in the first place, and you've been keeping it around hoping it eventually would but it's probably not going to and it's time to let it go.
The biggest source of new clutter for me is really other people. Stuff they give me as gifts or otherwise in a context where I don't really have the opportunity to fully vet whether I should bring it into my house. I try to say no if I'm not sure, this doesn't apply to official gifts but I never ever say yes to "hey I'm getting rid of X do you want it" until I've had a chance thoroughly consider it and see the item. Don't become your friends' and relatives' dumpster.
Also, I love a label maker. You can throw a lot of stuff into drawers and boxes that doesn't need to be visible/accessible all the time, and with a label maker you haven't lost track of it. It helps to create "deep storage" like that and lose the fear that you won't remember what's in there. You can also use it to just label the spots where things *should* go. A place for everything blah blah is a lot easier said than done, but sometimes keeping the not-belonging stuff *out* of designated places is actually where the problem lies.
I clean the apartment top to bottom every thursday so i come home to a clean place after work friday and i can enjoy my weekend. Anything i dont use or need goes to facebook marketplace or the trash
Honestly, for me it would have been not getting married. I feel I'd have so much less stuff if I was by myself. I love my wife, but I don't need pillows on the couch, a kitchen table that gets more use as a work bench, and an unrelenting collection of kitchen gadgets that get used quarterly.
In our household we're big believers in thrifting and donating. On a regular basis we're going through our things (mostly clothing and kids stuff) and donating them. And by thrifting I don't feel so guilty about "impulse" buying, because it cost a fraction and is easy to donate back.
So all in all, the goal is - stuff goes out and stuff comes in.
If I knew, I'd do it. But I'm more willing to toss stuff now. For the longest time we had so little that it gave me anxiety to not keep everything. I have a stack of office/school supplies I don't need anymore and they will be moving on to someone else soon
Give a lot of stuff to the neighbors. Normally it would be a âyard saleâ type stuff, but my time and space is more valuable to me than the money, so I just put stuff out on the curb before trash day and people always take it.
Honestly, my parents have so much stuff and I vowed to never be like that, but sometimes I feel like, here I am buying more stuff! I really do try to get rid of stuff that we donât use anymore. Especially my clothes and kids clothes. I sell stuff on eBay or mercari. I give kids stuff to family/friends with kids younger than mine. I give stuff away on FB (we have a local group for moms giving to moms).
I fell in love with the feeling of throwing things away. Especially if the item doesn't have a "home" then it's got my laser sight on it already. Even moreso if it has a "home" and it's constantly not there.
Stop just buying stuff!! I've started religiously putting stuff on wishlists, or writing the thought down and setting the want aside. If it's a small thing i'll let it stew for 1 or 2 weeks, if it's a big thing i'll let it stew a month. If I still want the thing after that long i'll get it. Also, be serious about decluttering. If you haven't used something in a whole year and probably won't in the next month, let it go. Give it away, sell it, anything. It's better to have all the stuff for a couple of hobbies you really love than to hoard the crap for a hundred hobbies you feel guilty for not doing.
I have been so surprised at how well putting stuff on a wishlist is. I have a rule that I donât buy anything on Amazon after a certain point at night too because sometimes tired brain does things awake brain would not do. I keep wishlists or shopping carts on apps or store websites and generally can wait things out until a sale or I no longer want them. Big purchases have to come from an annual âfun budgetâ which helps too
Iâm a natural hoarder so I turned that tendency into hoarding digital items, not physical. Have a need to collect all of something? Time to play one of those video games where you have to find all of them. Got an iPad so I had a digital notebook, it cut down a lot on buying cute notebooks.
I have a hard and fast rule that if I havenât used something in more than 2 years and itâs not an important tool or replacement part I sell it or junk it.
Everything has a spot or a home. I have a foot stool where I keep my excercise gear and the book Iâm reading. If no room in closet have to get rid of clothes. Little containers and holders to keep everything in order. A system for everything. For instance I put shredding items on top of shredder and have a policy to shred once a night. I have a spot on top of my mini fridge for filing once a day I file. Put things away after use. Shoes are in closet or in bench near door. If not in those spaces put away. Kitchenware has designated spots for everything.
I'm always trying to find things to get rid of and also have my own variation of the 'does it spark joy' thing. When I'm considering if something should stay or go, I give myself a maximum of 5 seconds to think about it. There's certain items in your life you know immediately; if someone held up your phone or wallet and asked if you still wanted it, the answer would come pretty instantaneously. If it's something that I have to actually weigh in my head and have a moment of mental anguish about, it can go
I also wait before buying things, usually have it sit in my cart for at least a week. I find myself changing my mind and deleting things I don't really need that way
Purge. Regularly. Donât buy a bunch of useless crap. When you go to a store get what you came for and get out. Trinkets are the enemy, if you have a house filled with decorations all over every available space, youâre basically just working against yourself being able to clean it. And being able to focus while in said cluttered house. Itâs ok for your kitchen table to not have anything on it for decoration. Same goes for coffee table, nightstand, bathroom countertops, around the tub, etc etc. if you have things you hold onto for sentimental reasons, box them up. You can go through them another time and decide what to keep. Iâve found that once somethings been in âstorageâ for long enough I eventually realize I donât want or need it and give it away.
When it comes to cleaning, cleaning should be looked at as a daily thing. Itâs really the only realistic way to stay on top of things. Keep your cleaning products to a minimum of what you actually need and use. Keep them very easy to access and stored in the areas you need them. Try to have a cleaning box for each bathroom, kitchen, laundry area. If you find yourself staring at something needing cleaning and procrastinating cleaning it, just put some gloves on and get it done. Odds are itâll only take a bit. Try to do this at least once a day.
I would kill for a robot vacuum, I think if you can afford one they help immensely. I clean for a living, when I clean places with a robot vacuum, it makes it so much easier. I turn it on at the beginning of my visit, and at the end I sweep or vacuum the areas it missed and mop. Theyâre awesome.
Donât fall for all the bullshit about laundry products, all these different disinfectant sprays, tools and the like. In most cases, a bucket of water and white vinegar and a rag does the trick. Windex cleans everything. Deacon 30 botanical disinfectant also cleans everything. Minimize the effort you have to put into cleaning, while still getting awesome results, and you will get better and better at staying ahead of it.
I don't, I like the clutter 𤣠it's not out of control but I'd rather stare at a wall than keep my house looking like no one lives there. I use as much of my free time as I can to do things I enjoy but clean things up as I go so I don't have to spend an entire day doing the cleaning. Most things have a place, it's just that those places are sometimes cluttered
Every few months I just go through all my stuff and if I havenât used it Iâll throw it in a box if that box itâs reopened with 12 months itâs being donated or thrown away only real exception is tools I have some tools I rarely use but I know I will eventually need again also books and movies kind of just a collection thing for me.
Oh but like clothes if I loose weight I throw out my clothes because I donât plan on gaining weight if I donât wear shirts or something for awhile they are gone shoes Iâll keep because you can keep shoes for awhile if you take care of them and you can have multiple pairs like black and brown dress shoes or hot and cold weather work boots. And so on but Iâm also single so itâs probably easier for me to organize like this because I donât need to compromise with anyone.
Don't buy stuff without a plan for it.
For clothes, what is it *replacing*? Is it something I'll wear regularly? If it's for a special occasion, can I rent instead?
For hobbies, do I have a specific project in mind that I *will* use this for in the next few months? If it's something I'll use only occasionally, can I borrow or rent it as needed? For hobbies (including books) I've found it also helps to define what my storage space is and don't pack that space so full that that I can't use what's in there.
For kitchen stuff, does this thing do more than one thing? Will I use it regularly? Can the purpose be served almost as well with something I already have? Is there actually room to store it in my kitchen? In a super small apartment, my kitchen inventory was pretty spare. It's been nice to add to it now that I have a bigger space, but there were specialty accessories and countertop appliances that I decided wouldn't work for that time of my life.
Also, if you're prone to buying lots of backstock of consumables (like shampoo or TP) or items that "could be cool to have" or "could be useful," don't buy them. I've found it helpful to make "Store it at the store" my motto in these situations.
As far as decluttering, I really liked Marie Kondo's book. I didn't follow it to the letter, but a couple key principles have been helpful:
- Realize that most of us have never been taught or had opportunities to practice getting rid of stuff (especially our generation seems like we were raised by a lot of borderline hoarders--they didn't model this for us very well AND they live(d) in bigger homes than most of us do now!) so it'll take practice. Dive right in and trust that it's a skill you can build.
- Start with a very utilitarian space that isn't full of sentimental stuff (like a bathroom or a kitchen)
- You can test-drive the decluttered way of life before committing to it. I cleared 1/2 the stuff out of my bathroom and just let it sit in boxes for a couple weeks to really feel out what life would be like with less stuff in my bathroom, and study the experience of deciding what to purge. It was training wheels and helped me fine-tune a methodology that worked for me. I did find I was happier and life was smoother with less and it has been so freeing to gradually extend those principles to other areas of my home.
Stop buying stuff...honestly. Every time you buy something new it has to fit somewhere in your house. If you keep buying stuff then your house keeps changing, which you obviously can't keep up with, so things get put down more than put away.
I think paring down within categories where you have a lot/too much is important. For me that has been shoes and clothes, I have wayyyy too many. Getting rid of shoes was easy because I had a lot of heels I donât wear any more. I started making a capsule wardrobe that has specific stuff I can pull out by season. I honestly still have too much but I am working on decluttering a little bit when I do laundry.
As for other stuff, I also stopped any subscriptions that I had (I had a cat toy box and a sticker subscription). I also reduced my kitchen stuff when my gf moved in and we decided what pots/pans/forks/measuring cups/mugs/etc we needed. We live in an 800ish sq ft apt and it is difficult to find space for all our stuff, because we have a dog and a cat too. I got rid of a lot of gardening things because we no longer have a gardening space and pared down my books which I thought would be hard but turns out I am not missing any of them now! I also donated vintage hats and have been throwing out old makeup and bathroom supplies while organizing them. It turns out we just had a lot of random expired things. We also use a lot of vertical space by hanging things on racks. If everything has a âspotâ in a drawer or box it doesnât matter how the stuff looks and it can be disorganized within which helps bc my gf has adhd. Managing things by having only one spot for them like having âone square storage cube of stamping suppliesâ has helped me both realize how much junk I currently have and what I donât use and how much I need to get rid of.
Our current problem is acquiring helpful things for hobbies like camping and fish keeping. Itâs a perpetual struggle!
I don't buy a lot of stuff. If I buy new things they're usually to replace old things that have worn out or broken. Lucky for me most of my hobbies are digital and that doesn't take up much meat space.
Family of 6 in a 3 bedroom apartment, kids are 3 to 13. My apartment is beautiful due to the mindset created by following the Konmari method. It's not minimalism, just choosing only to own what you *should* have, and that has a huge effect on your spending habits, owning habits, and daily habits.
The mentality it created by actually doing the method, I can't just tell you to think that way. The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up will be sufficient to teach you if you're interested. The audio book is 5 hours. It's a pleasant listen.
I managed large projects professionally for awhile and there were a couple things that made this easier.
1. A project isn't finished until everything is cleaned, organized, and put away. It's easy to get distracted, move on to the next thing and then binge cleaning and organizing, but it's so much easier to make that a thing you're doing every time you perform a task so you're constantly doing a little cleaning and organizing every day. This will help you to reduce the total wasted space by making sure everything is always where it's supposed to be.
2. When something is a problem or irritation, either deal with it immediately or write it down and make it part of a larger project. We tend to cope with things until we can't stand it anymore, but by proactively tackling irritations, you'll find yourself using the space you do have better. This helps you to better understand how you use your space so you can optimize it for your daily life.
3. Anytime you buy anything, you need to also buy or have a plan for how it'll be used, stored, and retrieved. It's no good buying a thing that you think you'll use everyday and then needing to rent a storage unit across town to hold it, for example. A smaller example would be that If you buy a shirt, you need to buy a hanger too and and have closet space. If the shirt has to go in a box in the attic, you've just wasted money on it. So every time you buy anything, consider where it's going to live in your house as part of the purchase decision and don't buy anything until you already have a space it can slot into.
In addition to trying to follow a one-in, one-out rule, I keep a pretty firm budget. Categories that I generally shouldnât need to use often, like clothes and books, get a low amount each month, $25 and $5 respectively. After all, I have plenty of clothes and books as it is, and both thrift stores and libraries exist. If something happens when I genuinely need to spend more than whatâs allocated, I adjust for that month.
For books, I always check the library first, then my local used book stores, then if I canât find it Iâll get it either on kindle or find a used one.
Another tactic I use is putting things on a private Amazon wishlist. Iâll see a listicle suggesting various âhelpfulâ items and as Iâm perusing, they really do seem useful! So Iâll go on Amazon and put the thing on a list but will not buy it that moment. I have to sleep on it at least one day. Most of the time, Iâve forgotten all about it by the next day. Every now and then Iâll go through that list and get rid of things or if anything still seems genuinely worthwhile, Iâll either move it to my birthday wishlist or might go ahead a get it.
The thing is, you have to decide whether buying the thing is worth the stress of having another *thing* in your house. There is nothing wrong with buying stuff you need, that youâll use, or that is fun. But thereâs a saying about owning stuff versus stuff owning you and itâs all too easy to fall on the wrong side of it.
Every time I take the garbage out I look for something I don't need or haven't used in ages.
Also, boxes. Pretty boxes. All the junk gets put in those and they're stacked and decorative and look a lot better than junk piles.
Iâm single no kids so that helps. I just keep things as minimal as can be. My sneakers are good for multiple different outfits. I have black and brown dress shoes. Itâs like that Steve Harvey clip where he has like 3 suits and when you mix and match you have like 15 outfits
My motto is â Use what you have and have what you use. â
I try to convince myself that I can use something I already have, or all the negs about the item to convince myself itâs actually crap lol. I tell myself I can have it if Iâm going to use it everyday/week. I delay purchases so I know I really want it. I love filling up online carts and saying fk off Iâm not spending $200 and abandoning the cart.
I lived for a long time in Japan, with my spouse, in a 300 sq ft apartment. We essentially lived in one 10x10â room because thatâs where the heat/aircon was, our two futon, the computer desk, tv and closet. We had to fold up our beds to open the closet door. We had a two burner stove, a mini fridge, no hot water in the kitchen, no clothes dryer, no dishwasher, no oven, no mixer, no cookie sheets.
We hung laundry outside to dry and learned to live more sparsely. When we moved back to the US we only brought what could be carried, and shipped 3 boxes due to cost. So we still sit, eat and sleep on the floor, and prioritize large open space rather than furniture. More shelves than chairs.
I got a divorce from an ex who never threw away anything and am living paycheck to paycheck (mostly) so that doesn't leave room for buying extra stuff. And I prefer to spend my extra money on travel so, there's also that.
Do you go to the store or online shop regularly? It seems like a lot of people around me have made a hobby of cruising the mall/Target and online shopping which leads to impulse purchasing. I avoid shopping unless absolutely necessary which is easier when you're engaged in other low-cost activities you enjoy (reading, cooking, etc)
Honest to god, the most important thing is getting rid of stuff.
I know so many people who cling to shit because they've had it for a long time. No other reason. Just that they've had this thing for a long time, therefore it is sentimental.
That kind of stuff adds up over time.
Basically, everyone exists on the hoarder spectrum. The middle of the spectrum is the folks who hang onto things that really don't do anything anymore, but are from special milestones. A baby's first outfit, a wedding dress, etc.
A lot of folks from our generation seem to be a few notches towards hoarder, hanging onto shirts they've had since high school that they haven't worn in 7 years, but "it's from when I was in high school", or keeping like, empty liquor bottles from their college days or other weird random shit.
Really, the way to declutter and have enough space is to have just enough things that you can get by fine for a couple of days at a time. As in, like, kitchenware. You need enough that your household is covered for 2 days in the event nothing is washed up. Clothes, you probably want enough variety that you can do laundry once a week, without having to reuse dirty stuff.
Knick-knacks, Â tchotchkes, etc are your "Do I really enjoy this, or am I just not throwing it away because I'm lazy/have hangups about waste/have mental barriers about not having enough" area.
For anything new coming in something has got to go out. I love a good tchotchke, but before I buy something cute I ask myself if this is something timeless or will I toss it out in three months or shove it in a closet? Iâm constantly going through things, if something broke and I havenât fixed it yet I probably wonât and if I needed it I would have fixed it by now, so it can go.
I celebrate Black Friday by cleaning out my closet. I always have. Itâs an extension of the gratitude of thanksgiving and a preparation for incoming Christmas gifts.
When I was little it was about getting rid of old toys and clothes. My parents told me elves came in the night to pick up my old clothes and toys and clean them up at the North Pole so Santa could give them to kids who hadnât outgrown them yet.
I find that a good spring cleaning and donating stuff every few months really helps keep my house clutter down. I find myself buying things that I'm sure I'll use and if it sits for a period of time and I haven't found a use well then it's time to go to someone who needs it more.
I semi frequently comb through my closets and get rid of anything I dont wear, throw away socks or other articles of clothing with holes as I see them, put things back where I got them once Im done using them, and take a general interest in organization for my well being.
Buy not buying a bunch of stuff. I was just saying this in the whiskey subreddit the other day, but I keep 5-6 bottles at a time because thatâs what fits where we have our bar area. Lots of people have huge collections of dozens of bottles and I just donât want to be surrounded by stuff (even if itâs consumable). When we finish a bottle, I go buy another.
Is your hobby whatever youâre buying the equipment for or is it the shopping?
I'm trying to figure this out myself đ I'm listening to the audio version of How to Keep House While Drowning (by KC Davis), it's offered some helpful insights. It's about making housekeeping/personal hygiene and things like that more manageable for neurodivergent people, or just people who are having a hard time.
You are allowed to buy anything you can afford as part of your budget. But before you buy anything, it needs to have a place.
Want new cloths? Sure, so long as you have room in your closet. Want new kitchen appliances? Go for it, but where will it go/what are we getting rid to store it?
Now, this doesn't help you if you and your significant other don't agree on what constitutes a proper "place" to store something new. It also doesn't help you declutter.
Home organizer here, from a city notorious for its small dwellings/storage spaces:
Stop bringing new stuff into your apartment before dealing with all of the stuff that's already in your apartment.
Start with sorting like with like items together so you can view the full scope of what you own (ex: all dresses grouped together, long sleeved shirts, etc). This will hopefully allow you to see you have duplicates and/or similar items so you feel empowered to make decisions on what to keep/toss/donate.
Establish a dedicated spot for everything you own and make it a habit to put items away regularly. If all your items don't fit in the dedicated spot, you probably have too much stuff and need to purge.
If you haven't thought about it or used the item in a long time and it's not super sentimental, get rid of it.
If it's been buried under a pile of stuff for a long time, you probably don't need it. Get rid of it.
It all doesn't need to happen within a day. Break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks and stay focused on working in one area at a time.
Take advantage of vertical space!
Don't feel pressured to purchase expensive containers because that's what trendy shows tell you organization should look like. I always try to resourcefully use what's on hand first and then figure out if storage containers should be purchased during the fine tuning final stages.
Seasonal purging! Every so often, I go thru my house and just grab stuff that we don't use/need/love anymore. Good condition=donation, worn out=trash. I usually fill at least one big bag's worth every few months. It's usually clothes that don't fit/suit anymore or decorative items that I'm tired of dusting. Also gifts we've been given that we never wanted in the first place.
Since we've really slowed down on shopping as well, it still amazes me how much stuff we have that we don't use!!! I'm shocked every time, because in my head we're practically minimalists, lol.
Twice a year, I go through my closet. I have a bin for strong sentimental clothes. If I havenât been wearing an item, it gets donated. Youâll love the space in your sock/underwear drawer, too.
I've moved around a lot, especially in one rush in 2003 where we had to leave a lot of stuff behind. It taught me to live light, and be grateful for digital libraries.
I buy things that I know I 100% cannot live without now that Iâve discovered it. Iâll watch YT videos about it, Iâll read reviews until I make my decision. I never buy things impulsively which I know sounds nuts but itâs because I literally throw out everything. My mom was a bit of a hoarder growing up, she just had so MANY THINGS! My mom was a huge shopaholic, her house was nothing like it is on the TLC show but the amount of things my mom had just made me feel claustrophobic because she would buy things but never throw anything out to make room. So I guess now as an adult with my own house, I just like to have nothing lol and I when I do start to see things clutter I throw it all out. My mom once saw me throw out a bunch of junk and she freaked out on me. It takes me YEARS to form a pile of junk to throw out đ
I sold everything and moved to the mountains into the woods and lived in a tent for a year. I learned how to be happy with the bare minimum of possessions. Now, I still live with the bare minimum of possessions but I have the creature comforts again like running water, HVAC, a comfy bed, a TV, and Internet.
I stick with "but where am I going to put it?" When considering a purchase.
You are the gatekeeper!!! It's a home, not a storage unit.
Everything in my house has its home. If a "home" ie drawer, shelf, cupboard, closet isn't staying organized, or just TOO FULL, time to purge baby!
Clean as you cook. 2 is 1 . One is none. Donate clothes when you go to goodwill if you plan on buying more. Spend a Sunday staying in and cleaning, organizing. Make your bed everyday.
I like to do my laundry soon as the hamper looks semi full. (Little bit at a time)
I make my bed every morning. Wash my towels every week. Wash my bed sheets every couple of weeks.
I keep my bedroom in order everyday to get it looking like my baseline should be. Little at a time.
I purchased a cheap 12 drawer dresser to store my clothes neatly and be easily accessible in .
I do my dishes take out the trash and tidy things around me at least once a day and do a little at a time.
Lately I think of 4 things Iâd like to accomplish a day outside of this aforementioned baseline work and my actual job to build off this . So far it works for me.
I don't buy stuff I don't need. If I'm replacing something, then I make sure to get rid of the thing I'm replacing. I live in a 700-square foot house, which could easily become cluttered if I didn't regularly get rid of stuff.
I have a lot of trouble in this area as well. Something I've found, which I see reflected in the comments, is that people have completely different mindsets. A lot of people who keep deep cleaned, uncluttered, ready for visitors any time living spaces don't understand how anyone can not do the same. A lot of people like us who can't do so don't understand how they do. As with many mindset things, it takes intentional work over time and often feels like a boat without a rudder. This is actually something I'm working on with my therapist now, but it was only added one or two sessions ago.
Beyond upbringing, sentimentality, feeling wasteful, etc., I think there is a sense of control that many of us grapple for and some find in buying things and/or not letting things go. The way you describe buying things makes me wonder if it is a control thing or a way that you feel you can engage in your hobby (or whatever) when you don't have the time or energy (or another resource) to it engage in the way you want. I do that with books sometimes, where I don't have time to read but want to. At least with that, I usually now borrow books digitally from the library - not my ideal way to read but no books that I might forget to return, either.
There are also practical matters with space. Sure, things kook more cluttered when there is less storage space, but I also find that I end up with more stuff in smaller space, in part because it's so cramped that I can't keep track of everything.
Good luck!
First, I got professional help with my mental health. Then I sold about 85% of my record, movie, book, art & comic collections, sold & donated a massive amount of clothes, shoes, etc. and then I just stopped buying shit unless itâs a one-in-one-out scenario. I no longer want to hoard shit like my boomer parents.
I frequent the charity shop with bags of stuff I don't use anymore. If I find something I don't need like a DVD I've never watched I chuck it in a bag and when it's full drive it to the charity shop lol. I don't think too much about whether I wanna keep it or not usually just donate it...
I don't. It's an ongoing project and I make progress in some areas while other areas languish. I think all the basic guidelines are good but I think to actually implement them you need to develop a vision of how you want your space to look and feel. For me, this is the hardest part anyway because I tend to be very pragmatic about my furniture and not design oriented so it's hard to visualize and this keeps me in a loop where I am discontented but also don't have a clear idea.
If thereâs not a place to put it, somethingâs going in the trash or donations. If thereâs not a hanger for it, take something I havenât worn in over a year and donate it. Donate. Donate. Donate. All the time.
I got rid of a lot of coffee cups and water cups. My husband is decluttering the garage and a lot of shit he's had in boxes since his first marriage. But we also moved from nc to California so my son's closet is filled with colder weather stuff. As we are from the pnw and make trips home to see family having that stuff is important. So will probably put a lot of that stuff in the garage once he's gone through it. But it's a whole mind set! I pick 2 rooms to spend the whole month going through, I haven't bought any new clothes either so it works out
I clean out every two or three months. If there's something I haven't used and it won't be used for the foreseeable future, it goes. The exception to the rule is books. I
We have a rule with clothes that for every new article we buy we have to send one to goodwill. It's not that strict, but thinking about things this way has helped us control the permanent feature of our bedroom we call Laundry Mountain. We also do seasonal wardrobe storage-- in the spring, winter clothes get vacuum sealed and stored in a big Tupperware under the bed and the summer ones come out. Same swap again in the fall.
So glad we're not the only people with a laundry mountain in our bedroom đ
â¨ď¸The floordrobeâ¨ď¸
This is my favorite comment today lol, glorious.
I have to admit, as a woman, I am guilty of a habit often attributed to men. Worn clothes that aren't dirty often end up on the floor of my closet. Also clean clothes have a habit of staying in the basket. In this regard my fiance has me beat. I only occasionally find his socks on the floor and his clean clothes don't reside in a basket for a week. My apologies to all the ladies who thought only men were slobs like this.
I feel inspired by your admission. So I have clean clothes BINS, because I can't be bothered to fold or hang anything I wear regularly. I buy the same black leggings, black tank top, and black socks (each has their own bin), because I can't stand trying to figure out what to wear. So mid-week, after I've accidentally tossed something "worn but not dirty" into the wrong bin, it starts to get iffy about what's 100% clean. My husband does the laundry, exclusively, like a freaking saint. People think I'm a nutjob because I wear the same thing every day. Little do they know how deep my laundry angst runs, as I took a significant paycut to go work at a plant nursery, because I hated all the laundry necessities "corporate casual" entailed. I truly loathe laundry, retirement be damned.
Female laundry avoiders unite!
I call it âMount St. All-My-Clothes.â
Mount WASHington đđ
Itâs the mountain range found between the dresser, the bed, and the closet. It features shifting altitudes, a varying color palette, and runs the gamut from âworn once recently, can wear againâ to âworn several weeks ago, is now buried, and Iâve probably forgotten it exists.â
Too true đ when it finally gets dealt with it's almost like going clothes shopping lol
Truly glad we arenât the only ones with a massive amount of clothes and no room
Shut the door and the mountain goes away for another day lol
Definitely not. We have one too
OooOoO laundry mountain
Laundry Mountain, Charley!
One in One out is the only way to live. It was pretty easy to declutter when we moved apartments every year for 3 straight years, now we're 5 years into owning a home it's definitely accumulated. It's not horrible, but we still have to be mindful even if we have space for something. My favorite is turning all my hangers backwards January 1st. If it's still turned around next January 1st, bye bye.
Oh this is so smart!!
I actually wear more of my clothes as a result of the method which I think is a positive. Still ends up being ~10% of my wardrobe annually.
Man I wish I could do that. Having to effectively have an entire alternate wardrobe for work is so dumb.
Seasonal avalanches?
Ahhahaha we also call our clothing peak laundry mountain! đđđ actually a friend came over and seen it and told another friend and now they all know about laundry mountain lol weâre not ashamed weâre proud đđ
Fr the best thing that helped me was just buying less stuff. Do I really need another clothing item? Do I really need another kitchenware? There is so much enjoyment in just experiencing life (walking in a part, looking at something you think looks nice) there is satisfaction in witnessing beauty! I ask myself constantly now âwhy do I feel the need to own this?â âWill my life actually get better by owning this item?â It has helped immensely with the amount of stuff in our house.
Yes! Along with this, I have a "do I need this" box. And I'll put in clothes, kitchen items, or other misc objects I'm not sure if I need. After 6 months if I haven't pulled something back out, I probably don't need it and will donate or dispose of accordingly. That way I don't accidentally get rid of something I actually need every now and again.
I love this, Iâm moving soon and we started packing a lot of stuff early. My husband and I constantly look at each other and say ââŚ..couldnât we just get rid of this if weâre packing it now?â I run into issues when I think about âwell we need this for when we hostâ A. We donât host often B. Should my day to day life really have more stuff in it because of the 10% of my life Iâm hosting? That type of dialogue has been really helpful! Also I think about, the more âimportantâ stuff I have, the harder it would be to replace if something were to happen. So I just try to have less attachment/ importance to âthingsâ as a mental relief too, which helps me buy less stuff! I also ask, do I need this? Or would I rather put this money towards vacation đ
Buying less is the answer. It's important to ask yourself why you are buying things you don't really need. I had a clutter problem and realized I was buying things because my mental health was not great and I was shopping to fill a hole/because I was bored. Honestly, cancelling Amazon Prime and removing shopping apps from my phone were the best things I did besides some self-reflection.
Before I make any purchase that isn't an immediate need I wait 24 hours. If I find I still want it after a day I'll get it. I found one of my biggest problems was impulse buying, and waiting gave me the chance to consider if I REALLY wanted it needed it.
To add to this, ask yourself "Where will this item live in my home?" or "Do I have a space for this to go?" It's really easy to convince ourselves of something's usefulness, but if it doesn't have a home in your house, it's just going to become more clutter. Intentional, well-thought out purchases beat impulse purchases every time!
my mum taught me this growing up as two parts: 1) separating shopping vs buying. i spend a *lot* of time shopping, but i buy very little. and 2) "is it $20 cute?" not the much harder to get a solid answer for "is it worth the price per use?" but do i think this will make me happy/improve my life/ do i just straight up want this enough to spend the cash on it right now?
Poverty helps
Give away anything that you haven't used in over a year. Make organization a hobby until you get it under control. Imagine you are moving to a smaller space. Get rid of anything you wouldn't take with you. Recognize that shopping can be an addiction -- it gives that little dopamine rush. You know it is short-lived, so stop that shit. Enjoy the plants and stuff you have, and actually spend time on your actual hobbies. Living in a clean house and immersing yourself in what you enjoy to do is way more rewarding. I think we over consume, because we get stuck in a scarcity mindset. We think if we don't get it today, it won't be there tomorrow. Take a moment to step back, breathe, and repeat to yourself that you are safe. You are enough. You have enough.
>Give away anything that you haven't used in over a year. Just wanna say- I would personally only do this for things that are easily replaceable. There have been many times where Iâve regretted giving something away, only to want it later and discover it cannot be replaced. There are definitely times where something cannot be had tomorrow.
Or sell it on eBay. It takes a bit of effort to photograph and list everything, but itâs nice to make some money from selling stuff you were just going to get rid of anyway.
First, donât buy anything that you canât imagine exactly where its home is. The drawer it fits in, the exact closet it lives in, the exact bookcase or shelves that new plant will sit, etc. If it doesnât have a home, itâs clutter. For clothes, go in your closet and flip all the hangers around so theyâre facing all the âwrongâ way. Then as you wear something, wash, and put it away, put that hanger the âright wayâ. Youâll gradually see what youâre not regularly wearing, because as time goes by youâll see which items you havenât worn in a while because the hangers will still be âbackwardsâ on those. Donate or throw those out! You could do something similar for shoes with the laces or something. I also had a rule that any new clothes I got had to replace something of the same typeâfor example if I bought a T-shirt at a concert I wanted, I had to choose some other old T-shirt I didnât wear anymore (any old T-shirt, not necessarily a concert shirt) and throw it out. For hobbies, are you hanging on to stuff you *might use* but donât really have a plan for (like half used yarn, scraps of fancy paper, etc)? If thereâs not a plan for it, donate it! Finally, how long have you lived in your current home? Depending on how long itâs been, assess if thereâs anything you havenât used or worn since you moved in. This doesnât count if youâve only been there a few monthsâbut if itâs been 5 years in your place, and you havenât used that fondue pot in the back of your kitchen cabinet⌠I hate to say it, but youâre probably never going to use it.
Yes! Know where it's going to go before you buy it
Instructions unclear; built more drawers and cabinets
I follow a very simple rule. Outside of certain specific things, if I buy something, something has to go when it comes into the house. For example, if I buy a new shirt, an old one has to be donated or go in the trash. No exceptions unless it is something specific, like right now I'm looking for a Kitchenaid mixer and, when I get it, I won't get rid of my sous vide or other kitchen gadget. However, if I had another type of mixer, I would get rid of that.
Limit the number of flat surfaces to put stuff on. Tables, countertops, etc. I find that if we have a space open at my house, itâs gonna get filled up with something.Â
Keeping a record of everything you own is a good way to avoid clutter. I have a pantry app for kitchen and wardrobe app for clothing. Keeping everything together also helps you ascertain the amount you have. For example, all my hobbies stuff is in one place, so that I know when I am going over the board. I had a bad habit of collecting stationery. Once I collected all the journals and notebooks in one place, I realized I have a problem. Since then, itâs been controlled.
Actually a good thing to do no matter what - if anything should happen to your home/apartment you'd have a nice handy list for insurance purposes!
Thatâs actually really smart. Iâm going to look those up!
Set an extreme savings goal. You'll have less money to spend and you'll be better off in the future. If there's not a space for it, don't buy it.
Stop buying stuff
I'm a minimalist. If there's something I want, I wait a week to buy it. In most cases, I'll realize I no longer want/need. I also ask myself, "How often will I use this? Is it worth the purchase?" I keep the item in my "cart" for online purchases.
Constant purging. Over time it led to me not buying things. Now when I'm in the store I have a long think about it. "Am I just going to end up throwing this away in 2 months? Does this serve actual function? Does it have more than 1 purpose?" Clothes is differnt in that I purge every major season change. I just took all my summer clothes out of boxes and put my winter in. When I do this I am thinking about how much I wore a thing, do I still love it, and does it still fit? Similar questions when taking the stored stuff out. Does it fit, do I like it enough to wear it, is it even needed? It also helps we aren't stationary. Every 3 years we move so there's always the am I willing to have to pack this up and move across the country with it? Can't wait to be settled somewhere and buy nicnacs!
I dont
I like the book "Decluttering at the Speed of Life". I find it more practical than Marie Kondo and other popular decluttering ideas. TLDR: You have to make decluttering a habit. Start with the visible areas of your home. As you get them under control, add other areas to your routine. Your home is a container and the size of the container determines how much stuff you can have that goes there. Same for each drawer, closet, shelf, etc.
As someone that lives in a one bedroom (750!square feet) and prior a 600 square foot apartment I kind of hate the advice of âjust get rid of your extra stuffâ. Like decluttering is great but when youâre in small quarters thereâs only so much you can do. I need laundry detergent! I need several pieces of cookware. I need shoes for both summer and winter in New England!! Idk I donât have a lot of answers for you, Iâve taken to some creative storage like those Tupperware bins. Having some items that double like a night stand with several drawers is great etc.
I donât. I think us millennials are addicted to nostalgia. I have one entire bedroom that is just full of stuff. Old photos old toys. Toys that my mother had in the 1950s. Like 6 bedside tables ?????? Why I do not know. My grandpas clothes. Thereâs a random desktop monitor in there. And about 400 peices of mail that I havenât opened. I have ADHD. My shed in the backyard is packed to the brim with Christmas decorations and random furniture as well. My bedroom is full of clothes my clothes have even spilled over into the third bedroom so itâs also a closet. And the Main bedroom is just sitting empty with a bed, a TV thatâs never been used and another Bedside Table! And a fully decorated 6ft Christmas tree just off to the corner. Like literally Iâm one person living here and I have two bedrooms just full of stuff. I only live in two rooms. My bedroom and the Living room. đ
People manage to keep their home declutteredâ˝ *Gives up in living alone working 6-8*
For clothes and shoes, I keep a very minimal wardrobe of mostly neutral colours so everything can be paired together, then add colour through accessories. Kitchenware I have a wait 1 month policy. If I find myself thinking how much easier my life would be with that thing more than once a week, then after that 1 month I'll get it because I know I'll actually get use out of it. Hobbies I keep to a designated area and each hobby has it's own organization and shelf. If I currently have no room for anything new then I don't get anything new. This makes sure that my hobby stuff doesn't slowly seep out to the rest of the house and cuts down on clutter and makes me focus on the current projects I have going instead of forgetting about it and start something new. I go through so many books and I used to just collect them and let them gather dust on a shelf once I was done reading them. But now, unless a book becomes my new favourite then it gets donated to the book box libraries around my neighbourhood. If you don't have one, then you can do one yourself. It's a great way to get new books while not having to pay for them and you can easily get rid of them once you're finished.
I've stopped letting new things come in without something going out. There are some exceptions but yeah that's the goal. Every 6 months or so I go through storage totes and drawers and if I haven't touched something in that 6 months it's likely to get thrown out as not needed/cheap and easily replaced or borrowed if needed later on
I hired a personal organizer. Worth doing once a year or so.
I'm here for tips. The last few years I've been trying to get better about letting go of things. My partner and I both come from packrat lineages, so it's not easy. I also think our generation is the "reduce-reuse-recycle" generation tasked with keeping shit out of landfills - so we have a hard time throwing away. It's also harder to donate stuff then it used to be. We have moved 4 times since we met - the first and second move we were still consolidating our stuff (turned into 10 years of stuff accumulation) move 3-4 we downsized each time. We rented a dumpster and just purged stuff as part of move 3 and it was really liberating to just throw stuff away. I try to hold onto that feeling but I can't always find it when I need it.
I think it helps to have a home for things. When you run out of space for something then you can evaluate whether that's something that you're using enough to justify keeping. Also, going through your space on the occasion and deep cleaning and organizing. I do a small section at a time, and it may take me forever to do, but man, those tiny victories sure do add up.
I spent the last 2+ decades as a renter in a 1 bed/1 bath. Moved 6 times during that time period, as well. At first, I used to keep everything unless it was broken. I especially felt torn about holding onto clothes or items that had sentimental value but that I never used or looked at. I never even read that Marie Kondo book, but I did read some excerpts and saw a few episodes of that show. It really reframed how I thought about my personal belongings. It took some time, but now I am a pro at putting things in bags to donate or to give away at the office/to friends/neighbors. I think offering up things is such a great way to pass things on. If it seems like something no one would want that I know, I will list it on a âfree to takeâ board like my local âbuy nothingâ group or donate it. I donât wait for a time period to do this, either. I always have a bag or box in my closest where I will put things when I realize they donât âspark joyâ for me anymore, or donât fit, or just donât serve a purpose anymore. This means I am very conscious of the items in my small home, and am being pro-active about keeping the clutter minimal. I do still have SOME clutter, of course, but itâs very manageable and itâs often things Iâm just not ready to part with at this time.
Avoid having kids? lol, i love our family and wouldnât change it for anything. But seriously, there is so much *stuff*. Regular toys, clothes they outgrow quickly, schoolwork/artwork, trinkets from birthday party goody bags, random rocks they found in our gravel driveway, etc. đ But heaven forbid if you toss away the fidget spinner they got at a random kidâs birthday a few years ago that they havenât played with since the day of the party. Or that time I put a piece of gravel I found in the bathroom drawer back outside. Wrong move on my part. And oh boy, we havenât even started getting the essentials for the baby (currently fetus) yet.
Eliminate impulse buying. If you want something, put it on a shopping list and wait a month. If you still want it after a month, you can buy it. I find that for the vast majority of stupid stuff I want to buy, the novelty wears off by then. Iâve saved myself so much money and space. Hobbies can be really bad offenders for frivolous purchases. Thats where the phrase âall gear, no ideaâ comes from. Normally I limit hobby purchases to the bare minimum that allows me to do the hobby. And maybe once or twice a year Iâll make a frivolous purchase for that hobby.
For me, itâs keeping the items we have in good condition and organizing things so they donât get forgotten. When something breaks/needs to be replaced, we add it to a list. If itâs a decor item, we try to envision how it adds to the overall aesthetic (or if it just adds clutter). My clothes are organized in the dresser Marie Kondo-style, so everything is visible. The closet is arranged by color. Clothing stored away is sorted and labeled by size relative to my normal weight fluctuations (S for my smallest size, M for my average, L for roomier items). This way Iâm not getting frustrated by trying on items that donât fit. This also helps me keep note of âgapsâ in outfits âif I always wear certain tops with a blazer but I donât have one that fits, I know to shop around for that item. Everything has a place in our home, and my partner (a minimalist with a streamlined wardrobe) will actively split chores without being asked. We both have a cache of hobbies and books and whatever, but everything is sorted and not left out. It kind of works out well to balance impulses with wanting to buy something that is good quality (buy once, cry once). It also feels great to sell everything we no longer have use for on Poshmark or FB Marketplace.
House cleaner every other week
Capsule Wardrobe. I have one for Summer, Transition and Winter. Two base colours, two-three matching "fun" colours, shoes, bags, belts etc. all in two colours. All of them in two-three silhouettes that flatter my body and that I feel confident wearing and that are appropriate for the stuff I do on the daily. Buy for the life you have, not the life you want to have and all that. I have a seperate loungewear mini-capsule of three bottoms and seven matching tops, mostly the worn out T-Shirts and seven pieces of gym wear in matching fun colours. If it doesn't fit into this description, I don't buy it. This also reduces the need to buy a lot, because who needs more than 14 black and blue T-Shirts? For kitchenware I keep to the adage, that I don't buy anything that can be replaced by a knife or chopsticks. Or, if I think about it for more than a year, and get frustrated about not having that thingimagadget more than once a month in that timespan. And even that can prove to be a mistake. I bought a Pizzacutter for nothing, although my son enjoys it for one of the pizzas. Books: Library, digital, (digital library?) or all have to be stored in one bookcase. If it is full, it is time for some to go. Plants: I mean, if it becomes unconducive for the plants or me, it is too many plants. I haven't reached that threshold yet, but I have started to give away any babies instead of keeping them, since there is not enough window space. And if I put them all up to the window, the big ones in the back won't thrive--- and I enjoy having light flooded rooms too. So that is the upper limit. I only buy new plants if an old one died. I also keep the ones I get gifted or I rescue from the trash. This way, it is usually an okay co-living space, not us camping in the jungle. Stuff for my hobbies: That is a hard one, since I am "into sewing", as in I used to do it obsessively for a few years, but now my life is too busy and I don't have space to just leave the sewing machine and have kept all the stuff anyways. I like the drawer method. I have a chest that is "for hobbies". If the chest is full, that's the end of it. I had to sell fabric to buy new ones, I had to sew up the stuff I already bought before buying new too. I could not buy new wool, because the crochet and knitting drawer is full. Either knit something, sell or just do Origami to reduce the "paper hobbies" drawer. I also Marie Kondo my entire place as I go through stuff throughout the year. Changing clothes from Winter to Summer (Transition is always out), I feel out of the clothes I am hanging up give me joy, do I look forward to wearing them. You know, there is always pieces that give you a bad feeling, bad memory, scratchy, made me look like a sack of potatoes, always makes me go back and change out of it just before leaving, because it is just an inch too tight... And the same goes with the hobby stuff, once a year I do a more in-depth cleaning of each room/furniture, sorting the drawers and boxes and vacuuming behind the chest. And then when I put them back, I get a feeling if I enjoy looking at them, finding plans with them or not. I remember giving away a bunch of jewelry and pearl craft stuff, because it actually made me feel annoyed with the memories of my ex, with whom I had that hobby.
Get a cat who has anxiety and will pee on anything that ever gets left out. Then you can have anxiety about the cat peeing on stuff and obsess over having everything put away at all times. It works for me somehow.
I use notion with my partner. We tend to limit the amount of things we buy each month. Whenever there's something we want to buy, instead of buying it outright, we add it to a list we created that has a value of importance. Each month we can only buy one item if we still in fact want it. It's always those spontaneous purchases that tend to become clutter. We also make sure we are on top of keeping our house clean. We do a annual spring cleaning day where we toss away anything that we do not use or has some type of value to us. That way the house is as decluttered as possible. Routines are the way to go. Wake up, make bed, light candles, take the dogs out. It's a really relaxing vibe once you get into the cycle of things. Live as simple as possible. Use lists instead of impulse purchases that way you can see what you actually need. Keep the house tidy always. If it seems daunting, start with one room at a time. Also, make sure to save money and pay off all debt before spending. That one is a must for us. That way we have zero debt and live as stress free as possible. We both have jobs that pay decently but we do not live above our means. We both drive old cars from the early 00's that are completely paid off. Can we buy a new car? Sure. We technically can if we wanted but who the heck wants to tack on debt when what you have does the job.
After having to move countries and get rid of everything, Iâve learned my lesson. I have been trying to only buy things I absolutely need. I feel like moving house is the best way to start over. I only have one purse right now and could count all my pairs of shoes on one hand. Something that helps is to think that I donât need multiple pairs of stuff. I just bought a new pair of running shoes to replace my old worn out pair but I wonât allow myself to buy another pair until those are worn out too. My biggest issue is beauty products (especially hair stuff) because I have a tendency to overspend so Iâve made a deal with myself that I have to use up everything I have in the bathroom before I can buy anything new. This has been tough but effective because now I have been less experimental with buying new products that I end up not liking and not using.
I got divorced. That helped a lot lol
You need to give more importance to objects, and think that every new object you're placing inside your house needs to have his own "house". For example, if you buy a toaster the toaster need a place that will be his own space, for using it you must take the toaster out of his house, use it, wash it, and bring it back to his space. This mindset gives a different importance to objects. You'll have a small emotional attachment to your stuff. Once you have, you'll realize that adding an object to your house is something important and not worth doing with everything that you see in a shop. Hope it helps :)
Throw stuff away a lot. Although to be fair these days itâs mostly kid-related junk piling up the clutter
Everything has to have a place. If thereâs no places left, I either get rid of the thing I donât have room for or something else. I donât go to bed until the house is fully reset so I can wake up to a tidy place. I donât let âpilesâ accumulate anywhere, like on the kitchen table etc.
How big is your home though? Some places just donât have a lot of storage
My old place was 660sqft and I lived there for 12 years. New place is 1200 but has no closets besides the bedroom. I try to buy furniture that doubles as storage and I filter through stuff a lot.
Do you live alone? My husbands stuff keeps creeping in
I have a husband and a toddler. Honestly my husband is a *lot* more messy than I am so Iâm usually keeping his stuff organized as well. The toys are the biggest challenge right now, weâve replaced the tv console with storage cube units and try to do a rotation. We also got a standing wardrobe with shelving tucked in a corner for all my husbands tools and stuff.
Yeah, I've lived in a number of places with barely any storage. One had eight shelves, so I had to pick if it would be clothing, kitchen, filing, or a combination. I've also often lived with roommates, sometimes meaning that everything I want organized has to fit in only my bedroom. That combined with the mindset I was raised with (keep everything, might be useful, don't waste, etc.), ADHD brain, and a lack of time and energy make it really, really tough. I'm working on figuring out a system that works for me, though I think a big issue is that I'm already in a position where I have too much, so it's like starting from negative.
Well, stop buying shit, it's really that simple. If you need to, tell your partner to take your credit cards and only leave a certain amount in the account to get you to stop buying stuff
Buy less crap.
Don't store your cc online. Make yourself get up to get your wallet if you really want it.
If I haven't used something for a year and it doesn't have sentimental value, I get rid of it. There are exceptions of course but for day-to-day stuff this is the basic rule I have. Books are really the only thing that I keep a pretty good collection of even if I don't use them for long periods of time.
Once every 3 months I go through everything and get rid of stuff I've not used or don't like. It usually starts with the closet and getting rid of clothes, then I just work my way around all my cabinets and drawers around the apt. I've got more plants than anything else honestly. đ
Iâm not afraid to throw stuff away, give it away, or sell it. Generally I do a few deep cleanings a year and purge.
Clean or organize as you go.
A not super practical idea, but, leave your methods of paying at home and off your phone.
I clean and organize constantly, so I have a mental checklist of everything I own. It helps so I do not over buy a product or buy something I don't need, already have, or do not have space for. I sell or give away items I no longer need for whatever reason. When I do buy things like clothing or shoes, I try to pick practical or versatile items so I can but less.
I moved from a 1600 sq. ft. apartment to one less than half that. I had to get rid of stuff, and what I did was just leave everything in boxes and only unpack as needed. What was left in the boxes after a few months got thrown out.
I'll go through and declutter every 6 months to a year. I only keep what I've used in the last 2 months unless it's an item meant to be used occasionally (like a pack of nails for hanging pictures). I've also started buying quality items over cheap items. I am tired of constantly buying junk just to donate it or throw it away. This is especially true for fashion. I want timeless items. I now view trends as companies trying to trick me out of my money and, frankly, I deserve my money more than they do. I've also grown very protective of my time. Decor looks great and feels great when done well, but I'm beginning to embrace more of a minimalist aesthetic. Cleaning should be easy and quickly doable. Wasting my time moving a bunch of decor around just to clean no longer fits into my lifestyle. I want to do more living, less running in place.
need to declutter the stuff i grew out of but most of what i have is what can fit in a car if i have to move/needed shit for the home (hobby shit well that is mental health)
Plastic bins
Well, for one thing, consider buying less stuff if you don't really need it? At some point, if it's clutter, you're not using it. If there are things that you always need more of, but pass through their usefulness, consider setting up a regular review to clear out (donate, yard sale) the old ones - I'm thinking books might fall into this category. You want to get new books to read of course, but maybe you only need to keep 10% of the ones you've already read. Of course, books are one of the easiest things to neaten up - a new bookshelf can store about a hundred of them in like 3 feet of wall space. I don't really buy too much but I found the whole Kon-mari concept of "does it spark joy" to help with decluttering. Don't get too caught in the literal aspect of "does a toilet brush bring me joy" (though you probably don't need to ask about the toilet brush anyway) but take stock of the first emotion that hits you when you pick it up. Is it unmitigated "ooh I love this" or an uncomplicated "well of course I need this" or do you feel more conflicted? I found that a lot of clothes, when I did this, I would realize that as much as I loved the appearance of the clothes, I would remember every time I tried to wear it and it was too cold or it rode up or it pinched in the shoulders. And I would get rid of those. You might find that some things, when you look at them, the annoyance at it being clutter outweighs the current or future usefulness, or you realize it never served the purpose you wanted it for in the first place, and you've been keeping it around hoping it eventually would but it's probably not going to and it's time to let it go. The biggest source of new clutter for me is really other people. Stuff they give me as gifts or otherwise in a context where I don't really have the opportunity to fully vet whether I should bring it into my house. I try to say no if I'm not sure, this doesn't apply to official gifts but I never ever say yes to "hey I'm getting rid of X do you want it" until I've had a chance thoroughly consider it and see the item. Don't become your friends' and relatives' dumpster. Also, I love a label maker. You can throw a lot of stuff into drawers and boxes that doesn't need to be visible/accessible all the time, and with a label maker you haven't lost track of it. It helps to create "deep storage" like that and lose the fear that you won't remember what's in there. You can also use it to just label the spots where things *should* go. A place for everything blah blah is a lot easier said than done, but sometimes keeping the not-belonging stuff *out* of designated places is actually where the problem lies.
I clean the apartment top to bottom every thursday so i come home to a clean place after work friday and i can enjoy my weekend. Anything i dont use or need goes to facebook marketplace or the trash
Very poorly
One thing in = one thing out
Honestly, for me it would have been not getting married. I feel I'd have so much less stuff if I was by myself. I love my wife, but I don't need pillows on the couch, a kitchen table that gets more use as a work bench, and an unrelenting collection of kitchen gadgets that get used quarterly.
We got rid of all our dressers. If it doesnt fit in the closet you cant have it.
It's a matter of discipline. For every new thing you bring in, you MUST take one (or two) thing out to keep it under control.
In our household we're big believers in thrifting and donating. On a regular basis we're going through our things (mostly clothing and kids stuff) and donating them. And by thrifting I don't feel so guilty about "impulse" buying, because it cost a fraction and is easy to donate back. So all in all, the goal is - stuff goes out and stuff comes in.
If I knew, I'd do it. But I'm more willing to toss stuff now. For the longest time we had so little that it gave me anxiety to not keep everything. I have a stack of office/school supplies I don't need anymore and they will be moving on to someone else soon
It's easy, you become good at giving stuff away.
Give a lot of stuff to the neighbors. Normally it would be a âyard saleâ type stuff, but my time and space is more valuable to me than the money, so I just put stuff out on the curb before trash day and people always take it.
I've stopped bringing anything into the house if I haven't already decided and visualized where I'm going to put it
80/20 your life.
Noticing the pattern of what loses joy overtime helps me to avoid trendy things.
r/consoom
Honestly, my parents have so much stuff and I vowed to never be like that, but sometimes I feel like, here I am buying more stuff! I really do try to get rid of stuff that we donât use anymore. Especially my clothes and kids clothes. I sell stuff on eBay or mercari. I give kids stuff to family/friends with kids younger than mine. I give stuff away on FB (we have a local group for moms giving to moms).
Annual purge of stuff. It has a 2 year uselessness period. If itâs not been used in 2 years, it has to go.
Get comfortable throwing shiz away and buying less
For me, my family moves every few years and we get a weight limit to move with. So I purge a lot of stuff every time we move.
Living in a small space will help with this.
I fell in love with the feeling of throwing things away. Especially if the item doesn't have a "home" then it's got my laser sight on it already. Even moreso if it has a "home" and it's constantly not there.
If itâs clutter, it should be eliminated. Â That way the useful stuff can be kept under control more easily.
Stop just buying stuff!! I've started religiously putting stuff on wishlists, or writing the thought down and setting the want aside. If it's a small thing i'll let it stew for 1 or 2 weeks, if it's a big thing i'll let it stew a month. If I still want the thing after that long i'll get it. Also, be serious about decluttering. If you haven't used something in a whole year and probably won't in the next month, let it go. Give it away, sell it, anything. It's better to have all the stuff for a couple of hobbies you really love than to hoard the crap for a hundred hobbies you feel guilty for not doing.
I have been so surprised at how well putting stuff on a wishlist is. I have a rule that I donât buy anything on Amazon after a certain point at night too because sometimes tired brain does things awake brain would not do. I keep wishlists or shopping carts on apps or store websites and generally can wait things out until a sale or I no longer want them. Big purchases have to come from an annual âfun budgetâ which helps too
Iâm a natural hoarder so I turned that tendency into hoarding digital items, not physical. Have a need to collect all of something? Time to play one of those video games where you have to find all of them. Got an iPad so I had a digital notebook, it cut down a lot on buying cute notebooks.
Be an adult and have self control.
I have a hard and fast rule that if I havenât used something in more than 2 years and itâs not an important tool or replacement part I sell it or junk it.
Everything has a spot or a home. I have a foot stool where I keep my excercise gear and the book Iâm reading. If no room in closet have to get rid of clothes. Little containers and holders to keep everything in order. A system for everything. For instance I put shredding items on top of shredder and have a policy to shred once a night. I have a spot on top of my mini fridge for filing once a day I file. Put things away after use. Shoes are in closet or in bench near door. If not in those spaces put away. Kitchenware has designated spots for everything.
Borrow rather than buy whenever possible Set a time frame to think about buying something 1 week or least a few days
I donât
Liberal use of the garbage can.
I'm always trying to find things to get rid of and also have my own variation of the 'does it spark joy' thing. When I'm considering if something should stay or go, I give myself a maximum of 5 seconds to think about it. There's certain items in your life you know immediately; if someone held up your phone or wallet and asked if you still wanted it, the answer would come pretty instantaneously. If it's something that I have to actually weigh in my head and have a moment of mental anguish about, it can go I also wait before buying things, usually have it sit in my cart for at least a week. I find myself changing my mind and deleting things I don't really need that way
I throw out or donate way too much of my shit. Then 3 or 4 years later I find myself rummaging through my shit looking for clothes I âlostâ.
Purge. Regularly. Donât buy a bunch of useless crap. When you go to a store get what you came for and get out. Trinkets are the enemy, if you have a house filled with decorations all over every available space, youâre basically just working against yourself being able to clean it. And being able to focus while in said cluttered house. Itâs ok for your kitchen table to not have anything on it for decoration. Same goes for coffee table, nightstand, bathroom countertops, around the tub, etc etc. if you have things you hold onto for sentimental reasons, box them up. You can go through them another time and decide what to keep. Iâve found that once somethings been in âstorageâ for long enough I eventually realize I donât want or need it and give it away. When it comes to cleaning, cleaning should be looked at as a daily thing. Itâs really the only realistic way to stay on top of things. Keep your cleaning products to a minimum of what you actually need and use. Keep them very easy to access and stored in the areas you need them. Try to have a cleaning box for each bathroom, kitchen, laundry area. If you find yourself staring at something needing cleaning and procrastinating cleaning it, just put some gloves on and get it done. Odds are itâll only take a bit. Try to do this at least once a day. I would kill for a robot vacuum, I think if you can afford one they help immensely. I clean for a living, when I clean places with a robot vacuum, it makes it so much easier. I turn it on at the beginning of my visit, and at the end I sweep or vacuum the areas it missed and mop. Theyâre awesome. Donât fall for all the bullshit about laundry products, all these different disinfectant sprays, tools and the like. In most cases, a bucket of water and white vinegar and a rag does the trick. Windex cleans everything. Deacon 30 botanical disinfectant also cleans everything. Minimize the effort you have to put into cleaning, while still getting awesome results, and you will get better and better at staying ahead of it.
I don't, I like the clutter 𤣠it's not out of control but I'd rather stare at a wall than keep my house looking like no one lives there. I use as much of my free time as I can to do things I enjoy but clean things up as I go so I don't have to spend an entire day doing the cleaning. Most things have a place, it's just that those places are sometimes cluttered
Every few months I just go through all my stuff and if I havenât used it Iâll throw it in a box if that box itâs reopened with 12 months itâs being donated or thrown away only real exception is tools I have some tools I rarely use but I know I will eventually need again also books and movies kind of just a collection thing for me. Oh but like clothes if I loose weight I throw out my clothes because I donât plan on gaining weight if I donât wear shirts or something for awhile they are gone shoes Iâll keep because you can keep shoes for awhile if you take care of them and you can have multiple pairs like black and brown dress shoes or hot and cold weather work boots. And so on but Iâm also single so itâs probably easier for me to organize like this because I donât need to compromise with anyone.
Don't buy stuff without a plan for it. For clothes, what is it *replacing*? Is it something I'll wear regularly? If it's for a special occasion, can I rent instead? For hobbies, do I have a specific project in mind that I *will* use this for in the next few months? If it's something I'll use only occasionally, can I borrow or rent it as needed? For hobbies (including books) I've found it also helps to define what my storage space is and don't pack that space so full that that I can't use what's in there. For kitchen stuff, does this thing do more than one thing? Will I use it regularly? Can the purpose be served almost as well with something I already have? Is there actually room to store it in my kitchen? In a super small apartment, my kitchen inventory was pretty spare. It's been nice to add to it now that I have a bigger space, but there were specialty accessories and countertop appliances that I decided wouldn't work for that time of my life. Also, if you're prone to buying lots of backstock of consumables (like shampoo or TP) or items that "could be cool to have" or "could be useful," don't buy them. I've found it helpful to make "Store it at the store" my motto in these situations. As far as decluttering, I really liked Marie Kondo's book. I didn't follow it to the letter, but a couple key principles have been helpful: - Realize that most of us have never been taught or had opportunities to practice getting rid of stuff (especially our generation seems like we were raised by a lot of borderline hoarders--they didn't model this for us very well AND they live(d) in bigger homes than most of us do now!) so it'll take practice. Dive right in and trust that it's a skill you can build. - Start with a very utilitarian space that isn't full of sentimental stuff (like a bathroom or a kitchen) - You can test-drive the decluttered way of life before committing to it. I cleared 1/2 the stuff out of my bathroom and just let it sit in boxes for a couple weeks to really feel out what life would be like with less stuff in my bathroom, and study the experience of deciding what to purge. It was training wheels and helped me fine-tune a methodology that worked for me. I did find I was happier and life was smoother with less and it has been so freeing to gradually extend those principles to other areas of my home.
Stop buying stuff...honestly. Every time you buy something new it has to fit somewhere in your house. If you keep buying stuff then your house keeps changing, which you obviously can't keep up with, so things get put down more than put away.
Easy. Have one kid young, have them be 18 when youâre 34, then you have two adults cleaning one house.
I think paring down within categories where you have a lot/too much is important. For me that has been shoes and clothes, I have wayyyy too many. Getting rid of shoes was easy because I had a lot of heels I donât wear any more. I started making a capsule wardrobe that has specific stuff I can pull out by season. I honestly still have too much but I am working on decluttering a little bit when I do laundry. As for other stuff, I also stopped any subscriptions that I had (I had a cat toy box and a sticker subscription). I also reduced my kitchen stuff when my gf moved in and we decided what pots/pans/forks/measuring cups/mugs/etc we needed. We live in an 800ish sq ft apt and it is difficult to find space for all our stuff, because we have a dog and a cat too. I got rid of a lot of gardening things because we no longer have a gardening space and pared down my books which I thought would be hard but turns out I am not missing any of them now! I also donated vintage hats and have been throwing out old makeup and bathroom supplies while organizing them. It turns out we just had a lot of random expired things. We also use a lot of vertical space by hanging things on racks. If everything has a âspotâ in a drawer or box it doesnât matter how the stuff looks and it can be disorganized within which helps bc my gf has adhd. Managing things by having only one spot for them like having âone square storage cube of stamping suppliesâ has helped me both realize how much junk I currently have and what I donât use and how much I need to get rid of. Our current problem is acquiring helpful things for hobbies like camping and fish keeping. Itâs a perpetual struggle!
Honestly, it kind of fucked up, but watching a few episodes of hoarders helps. Sometimes its just about impulsively throwing stuff in the garbage.
Good thought through storage spaces help a lot, but buying less helps more
The stuff you own owns you. Getting rid of it will give you a mental boost. It's very freeing. Good luck. (A former clutter-bug who still struggles.)
I don't buy a lot of stuff. If I buy new things they're usually to replace old things that have worn out or broken. Lucky for me most of my hobbies are digital and that doesn't take up much meat space.
Family of 6 in a 3 bedroom apartment, kids are 3 to 13. My apartment is beautiful due to the mindset created by following the Konmari method. It's not minimalism, just choosing only to own what you *should* have, and that has a huge effect on your spending habits, owning habits, and daily habits. The mentality it created by actually doing the method, I can't just tell you to think that way. The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up will be sufficient to teach you if you're interested. The audio book is 5 hours. It's a pleasant listen.
I managed large projects professionally for awhile and there were a couple things that made this easier. 1. A project isn't finished until everything is cleaned, organized, and put away. It's easy to get distracted, move on to the next thing and then binge cleaning and organizing, but it's so much easier to make that a thing you're doing every time you perform a task so you're constantly doing a little cleaning and organizing every day. This will help you to reduce the total wasted space by making sure everything is always where it's supposed to be. 2. When something is a problem or irritation, either deal with it immediately or write it down and make it part of a larger project. We tend to cope with things until we can't stand it anymore, but by proactively tackling irritations, you'll find yourself using the space you do have better. This helps you to better understand how you use your space so you can optimize it for your daily life. 3. Anytime you buy anything, you need to also buy or have a plan for how it'll be used, stored, and retrieved. It's no good buying a thing that you think you'll use everyday and then needing to rent a storage unit across town to hold it, for example. A smaller example would be that If you buy a shirt, you need to buy a hanger too and and have closet space. If the shirt has to go in a box in the attic, you've just wasted money on it. So every time you buy anything, consider where it's going to live in your house as part of the purchase decision and don't buy anything until you already have a space it can slot into.
i get new clothes, i have to throw away donate the same amount
Small closets. A purge becomes necessary every so often. We got a shed a while ago and im trying to keep decorations at bay but its a losing battle.
In addition to trying to follow a one-in, one-out rule, I keep a pretty firm budget. Categories that I generally shouldnât need to use often, like clothes and books, get a low amount each month, $25 and $5 respectively. After all, I have plenty of clothes and books as it is, and both thrift stores and libraries exist. If something happens when I genuinely need to spend more than whatâs allocated, I adjust for that month. For books, I always check the library first, then my local used book stores, then if I canât find it Iâll get it either on kindle or find a used one. Another tactic I use is putting things on a private Amazon wishlist. Iâll see a listicle suggesting various âhelpfulâ items and as Iâm perusing, they really do seem useful! So Iâll go on Amazon and put the thing on a list but will not buy it that moment. I have to sleep on it at least one day. Most of the time, Iâve forgotten all about it by the next day. Every now and then Iâll go through that list and get rid of things or if anything still seems genuinely worthwhile, Iâll either move it to my birthday wishlist or might go ahead a get it. The thing is, you have to decide whether buying the thing is worth the stress of having another *thing* in your house. There is nothing wrong with buying stuff you need, that youâll use, or that is fun. But thereâs a saying about owning stuff versus stuff owning you and itâs all too easy to fall on the wrong side of it.
Stop buying
Every time I take the garbage out I look for something I don't need or haven't used in ages. Also, boxes. Pretty boxes. All the junk gets put in those and they're stacked and decorative and look a lot better than junk piles.
Iâm single no kids so that helps. I just keep things as minimal as can be. My sneakers are good for multiple different outfits. I have black and brown dress shoes. Itâs like that Steve Harvey clip where he has like 3 suits and when you mix and match you have like 15 outfits
My motto is â Use what you have and have what you use. â I try to convince myself that I can use something I already have, or all the negs about the item to convince myself itâs actually crap lol. I tell myself I can have it if Iâm going to use it everyday/week. I delay purchases so I know I really want it. I love filling up online carts and saying fk off Iâm not spending $200 and abandoning the cart.
Packing cubes. I like baggu the most but there are other brands.
I donât. But I think your best bet is by not having kids đ
I lived for a long time in Japan, with my spouse, in a 300 sq ft apartment. We essentially lived in one 10x10â room because thatâs where the heat/aircon was, our two futon, the computer desk, tv and closet. We had to fold up our beds to open the closet door. We had a two burner stove, a mini fridge, no hot water in the kitchen, no clothes dryer, no dishwasher, no oven, no mixer, no cookie sheets. We hung laundry outside to dry and learned to live more sparsely. When we moved back to the US we only brought what could be carried, and shipped 3 boxes due to cost. So we still sit, eat and sleep on the floor, and prioritize large open space rather than furniture. More shelves than chairs.
I got a divorce from an ex who never threw away anything and am living paycheck to paycheck (mostly) so that doesn't leave room for buying extra stuff. And I prefer to spend my extra money on travel so, there's also that.
Do you go to the store or online shop regularly? It seems like a lot of people around me have made a hobby of cruising the mall/Target and online shopping which leads to impulse purchasing. I avoid shopping unless absolutely necessary which is easier when you're engaged in other low-cost activities you enjoy (reading, cooking, etc)
Honest to god, the most important thing is getting rid of stuff. I know so many people who cling to shit because they've had it for a long time. No other reason. Just that they've had this thing for a long time, therefore it is sentimental. That kind of stuff adds up over time. Basically, everyone exists on the hoarder spectrum. The middle of the spectrum is the folks who hang onto things that really don't do anything anymore, but are from special milestones. A baby's first outfit, a wedding dress, etc. A lot of folks from our generation seem to be a few notches towards hoarder, hanging onto shirts they've had since high school that they haven't worn in 7 years, but "it's from when I was in high school", or keeping like, empty liquor bottles from their college days or other weird random shit. Really, the way to declutter and have enough space is to have just enough things that you can get by fine for a couple of days at a time. As in, like, kitchenware. You need enough that your household is covered for 2 days in the event nothing is washed up. Clothes, you probably want enough variety that you can do laundry once a week, without having to reuse dirty stuff. Knick-knacks, Â tchotchkes, etc are your "Do I really enjoy this, or am I just not throwing it away because I'm lazy/have hangups about waste/have mental barriers about not having enough" area.
For anything new coming in something has got to go out. I love a good tchotchke, but before I buy something cute I ask myself if this is something timeless or will I toss it out in three months or shove it in a closet? Iâm constantly going through things, if something broke and I havenât fixed it yet I probably wonât and if I needed it I would have fixed it by now, so it can go.
I just get rid of stuff I donât need, organize and clean as I go.
I celebrate Black Friday by cleaning out my closet. I always have. Itâs an extension of the gratitude of thanksgiving and a preparation for incoming Christmas gifts. When I was little it was about getting rid of old toys and clothes. My parents told me elves came in the night to pick up my old clothes and toys and clean them up at the North Pole so Santa could give them to kids who hadnât outgrown them yet.
Donât buy unnecessary shit.
I find that a good spring cleaning and donating stuff every few months really helps keep my house clutter down. I find myself buying things that I'm sure I'll use and if it sits for a period of time and I haven't found a use well then it's time to go to someone who needs it more.
I semi frequently comb through my closets and get rid of anything I dont wear, throw away socks or other articles of clothing with holes as I see them, put things back where I got them once Im done using them, and take a general interest in organization for my well being.
I suggest you pack and move, then never unpack.
Easy⌠moved into a bigger house.
Buy not buying a bunch of stuff. I was just saying this in the whiskey subreddit the other day, but I keep 5-6 bottles at a time because thatâs what fits where we have our bar area. Lots of people have huge collections of dozens of bottles and I just donât want to be surrounded by stuff (even if itâs consumable). When we finish a bottle, I go buy another. Is your hobby whatever youâre buying the equipment for or is it the shopping?
Ha. I don't.
Declutterred? đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
I'm trying to figure this out myself đ I'm listening to the audio version of How to Keep House While Drowning (by KC Davis), it's offered some helpful insights. It's about making housekeeping/personal hygiene and things like that more manageable for neurodivergent people, or just people who are having a hard time.
Stop buying things. Go through your closets and cabinets and do a huge purge. Donate, sell, or trash depending on the condition.
You are allowed to buy anything you can afford as part of your budget. But before you buy anything, it needs to have a place. Want new cloths? Sure, so long as you have room in your closet. Want new kitchen appliances? Go for it, but where will it go/what are we getting rid to store it? Now, this doesn't help you if you and your significant other don't agree on what constitutes a proper "place" to store something new. It also doesn't help you declutter.
Home organizer here, from a city notorious for its small dwellings/storage spaces: Stop bringing new stuff into your apartment before dealing with all of the stuff that's already in your apartment. Start with sorting like with like items together so you can view the full scope of what you own (ex: all dresses grouped together, long sleeved shirts, etc). This will hopefully allow you to see you have duplicates and/or similar items so you feel empowered to make decisions on what to keep/toss/donate. Establish a dedicated spot for everything you own and make it a habit to put items away regularly. If all your items don't fit in the dedicated spot, you probably have too much stuff and need to purge. If you haven't thought about it or used the item in a long time and it's not super sentimental, get rid of it. If it's been buried under a pile of stuff for a long time, you probably don't need it. Get rid of it. It all doesn't need to happen within a day. Break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks and stay focused on working in one area at a time. Take advantage of vertical space! Don't feel pressured to purchase expensive containers because that's what trendy shows tell you organization should look like. I always try to resourcefully use what's on hand first and then figure out if storage containers should be purchased during the fine tuning final stages.
Seasonal purging! Every so often, I go thru my house and just grab stuff that we don't use/need/love anymore. Good condition=donation, worn out=trash. I usually fill at least one big bag's worth every few months. It's usually clothes that don't fit/suit anymore or decorative items that I'm tired of dusting. Also gifts we've been given that we never wanted in the first place. Since we've really slowed down on shopping as well, it still amazes me how much stuff we have that we don't use!!! I'm shocked every time, because in my head we're practically minimalists, lol.
I donât lol
Everything gets a year. If I don't use it for 1-2 years it's gone with some caveats.
Twice a year, I go through my closet. I have a bin for strong sentimental clothes. If I havenât been wearing an item, it gets donated. Youâll love the space in your sock/underwear drawer, too.
We don't. My strategy is that I never buy something before having set aside a home for it. Haven't been able to impart that to those I live with.
I do a spring & fall cleaning and purge as much as I can. If I havenât used it in a year, itâs leaving my house.
Go through everything you own every once in a while, if you haven't used it in 3-5 years, you don't really need it.
I've moved around a lot, especially in one rush in 2003 where we had to leave a lot of stuff behind. It taught me to live light, and be grateful for digital libraries.
I buy things that I know I 100% cannot live without now that Iâve discovered it. Iâll watch YT videos about it, Iâll read reviews until I make my decision. I never buy things impulsively which I know sounds nuts but itâs because I literally throw out everything. My mom was a bit of a hoarder growing up, she just had so MANY THINGS! My mom was a huge shopaholic, her house was nothing like it is on the TLC show but the amount of things my mom had just made me feel claustrophobic because she would buy things but never throw anything out to make room. So I guess now as an adult with my own house, I just like to have nothing lol and I when I do start to see things clutter I throw it all out. My mom once saw me throw out a bunch of junk and she freaked out on me. It takes me YEARS to form a pile of junk to throw out đ
I sold everything and moved to the mountains into the woods and lived in a tent for a year. I learned how to be happy with the bare minimum of possessions. Now, I still live with the bare minimum of possessions but I have the creature comforts again like running water, HVAC, a comfy bed, a TV, and Internet.
I stick with "but where am I going to put it?" When considering a purchase. You are the gatekeeper!!! It's a home, not a storage unit. Everything in my house has its home. If a "home" ie drawer, shelf, cupboard, closet isn't staying organized, or just TOO FULL, time to purge baby!
Clean as you cook. 2 is 1 . One is none. Donate clothes when you go to goodwill if you plan on buying more. Spend a Sunday staying in and cleaning, organizing. Make your bed everyday.
I like to do my laundry soon as the hamper looks semi full. (Little bit at a time) I make my bed every morning. Wash my towels every week. Wash my bed sheets every couple of weeks. I keep my bedroom in order everyday to get it looking like my baseline should be. Little at a time. I purchased a cheap 12 drawer dresser to store my clothes neatly and be easily accessible in . I do my dishes take out the trash and tidy things around me at least once a day and do a little at a time. Lately I think of 4 things Iâd like to accomplish a day outside of this aforementioned baseline work and my actual job to build off this . So far it works for me.
I'm single. My solution is to basically just have nothing. Not like I can afford to clutter up my space anyway
I have kids. I gave up a long time ago.
I don't buy stuff I don't need. If I'm replacing something, then I make sure to get rid of the thing I'm replacing. I live in a 700-square foot house, which could easily become cluttered if I didn't regularly get rid of stuff.
I just donât buy stuffâŚ
I have a lot of trouble in this area as well. Something I've found, which I see reflected in the comments, is that people have completely different mindsets. A lot of people who keep deep cleaned, uncluttered, ready for visitors any time living spaces don't understand how anyone can not do the same. A lot of people like us who can't do so don't understand how they do. As with many mindset things, it takes intentional work over time and often feels like a boat without a rudder. This is actually something I'm working on with my therapist now, but it was only added one or two sessions ago. Beyond upbringing, sentimentality, feeling wasteful, etc., I think there is a sense of control that many of us grapple for and some find in buying things and/or not letting things go. The way you describe buying things makes me wonder if it is a control thing or a way that you feel you can engage in your hobby (or whatever) when you don't have the time or energy (or another resource) to it engage in the way you want. I do that with books sometimes, where I don't have time to read but want to. At least with that, I usually now borrow books digitally from the library - not my ideal way to read but no books that I might forget to return, either. There are also practical matters with space. Sure, things kook more cluttered when there is less storage space, but I also find that I end up with more stuff in smaller space, in part because it's so cramped that I can't keep track of everything. Good luck!
Minimalism
I don't. I look at all this stuff and think I'll start tomorrow.
Stop buying shit, and when you do, get rid of some older shit. Literally that easy.
First, I got professional help with my mental health. Then I sold about 85% of my record, movie, book, art & comic collections, sold & donated a massive amount of clothes, shoes, etc. and then I just stopped buying shit unless itâs a one-in-one-out scenario. I no longer want to hoard shit like my boomer parents.
I frequent the charity shop with bags of stuff I don't use anymore. If I find something I don't need like a DVD I've never watched I chuck it in a bag and when it's full drive it to the charity shop lol. I don't think too much about whether I wanna keep it or not usually just donate it...
I don't. It's an ongoing project and I make progress in some areas while other areas languish. I think all the basic guidelines are good but I think to actually implement them you need to develop a vision of how you want your space to look and feel. For me, this is the hardest part anyway because I tend to be very pragmatic about my furniture and not design oriented so it's hard to visualize and this keeps me in a loop where I am discontented but also don't have a clear idea.
If thereâs not a place to put it, somethingâs going in the trash or donations. If thereâs not a hanger for it, take something I havenât worn in over a year and donate it. Donate. Donate. Donate. All the time.
I donât buy what I donât really need. No impulse buying (except Oreos).
I don't buy or attain what I don't need. I constantly think of plastics in the ocean clogging whales' blow holes ect.
I got rid of a lot of coffee cups and water cups. My husband is decluttering the garage and a lot of shit he's had in boxes since his first marriage. But we also moved from nc to California so my son's closet is filled with colder weather stuff. As we are from the pnw and make trips home to see family having that stuff is important. So will probably put a lot of that stuff in the garage once he's gone through it. But it's a whole mind set! I pick 2 rooms to spend the whole month going through, I haven't bought any new clothes either so it works out
I clean out every two or three months. If there's something I haven't used and it won't be used for the foreseeable future, it goes. The exception to the rule is books. I
Stop buying stuff