Anyone else feel like this?

I gave stuff away on Freecycle it's a good way to ensure someone utilises something you do not need. You only have to leave wrapped up in a safe place by porch bin etc. Ok sometimes people let you down and don't pick up. But it got a shed of ours emptied. It's better than taking it to a charity shop just be careful thought. Do not give your address publicly and only when you are text they are ready to pick up.

But dogstrust wont be collecting either,due to the coronavirus.

I did a bit of clearing out just before all this kicked off but my son never go round to taking them to charity shop for me- now im stuck with them as first they weren't accepting them,then they closed the shops of course.Ive had to shove them in a small outside brick shed.(used to be like a coalshed i think) but i desperately need to declutter kitchen cupboards too but then itl be in shed with more stuff! And house has two cupboards (on landing& in lounge) that are full to brim of "might come in useful" stuff or items we use occasionally,board games,knitting stuff family photos etc.?and tip is closed too.

I have no problem with the idea of getting rid of the ton of stuff that's been cluttering our cellar for decades. But any attempt to get rid of the daughter's Lego collection meets with massive resistance from her. She'll be 40 this year..

I agree with Yorkie, unfortunately my husband doesn’t. He keeps all manner of rubbish , just in case, but as he never knows what he’s got or where it is he usually has to buy stuff he needs, thus adding to the pile. If I die first it won’t be my problem but if he goes first I’ll have to hire a colossal skip.

An old lady once told me every year she has a death clear out everything that she thinks will be thrown away or given away by relatives she gets rid of wish I could be like that to much rubbish in my house ?

Losing ones house & entire contents in last years bushfires made for a pile of ash
Now replacements are being bought after much thought as to what’s really needed !

yorkie20
Do you have a DogsTrust in your area? I contacted mine and they came and collected my unwanted china and glass together with a hoard of old books which they sell on their 'open days'. They also appreciate, washed of course ,old blankets,sheets and towels.These are essentials for recued animal's bedding.

I keep a special corner in the wardrobe to donate unused/unwanted gifts to local school/club raffles/tombolas. The rest goes to charity shops. I put the hangers a certain way in the wardrobe and if that hanger hadn’t been turned to the ‘worn’ way after a year that garment goes to charity too.

I try not to keep too much,as it's not fair on my family.But I still have too many things that I find it hard to part with.I have more time on my hands at the moment,but I already have a cupboard full of things for a car boot that I was waiting for nice weather to do with my daughter,not happening now of course.No charity shops open,they're going to be inundated when they do,so it's a problem what to do with things at the moment,I don't like boxes of things laying around,so decluttering will have to wait

Yorkie20 if you haven't used them, you don't need them! Your family will not relish the job of getting rid of them when the time comes (and may it be a long time!). When the lockdown is over, make a firm commitment to get rid - you will feel so much better! Some charities will collect if you have a large amount, or you could take a bag at a time to your favourite charity shop. Then you will have the consolation of knowing that the charity will benefit from your generosity. Good luck!

Everybody is different. I often read advice about getting rid. of clothes you haven't worn for a few months. That may be ok for people, who buy a lot, but I don't. So every time I re-organise my wardrobe, I may find things I haven't worn for years and give them a new lease of life. Much better than the throw away mentality of younger generations. For my daughter's graduation I wore a 20 year old skirt and 35 year old top.

I cleared out my wardrobes the other day and have several bags to go to charity when we're allowed out. We also cleared about 20 years of old business records on Sunday - far too many to shred so had a good ripping session and filled two huge boxes. I managed to empty one into the recycling bin this week so just hoping that they don't stop collecting that imminently!

As for the garage ....... boxes and boxes of old stuff that came from my parents as well as craft stuff I put away in case I ever got round to doing any again

Beanie654321. I too have been ruthlessly getting rid of things including books which was very hard! But being practically confined to the house through pain and disability I need hobbies and I find that they require storage space for the bits and pieces.

ValerieF I understand the difficulty if dealing with your Grandma's items.
What I would like to remind us about is that our parents or grandparents lived through the war and through times when there were no jobs and nothing in the house. I was born after the war but brought up not to waste anything. Everything had a second purpose or would 'come in useful one day' and therefore was not thrown away. So I do understand why that generation held on to things.

When we come out the other side of the current situation which could easily be a year for us older ones, you could have a garage sale and donate the funds to charity. There are also websites such as freecycle where you can give items away for free to someone who wants them and will come and collect. Again not possible at the moment.
My whole house is a rubbish tip and I am coming to the reluctant truth that if I can't clear in the next 2-3 months then it is never going to happen.

I often hear about people keeping items of a sentimental nature but are never then are taken out of boxes. Can I suggest taking a photo of the item, pop it into an album along with others and then you can donate the item so someone else can then get memories from your item. When you're gone, your family can then sit down and look though the album, maybe even adding items of their own into it to be passed on.

My dad in particular was a great "might come in handy" storer!
We had bags of nuts, bolts and screws from when he was at work - he used to put animal feeding systems together and always brought home the bolts etc that were left over !
After he died, my brother took most of them to a scrap merchants and got paid £50 for it all ! Just about paid for his hernia repair !! ha ha!

I moved home early last year and have only the things I need or love in my home now
Nothing more
Easy to keep clean and maintain
And beautifully calming for the mind

I cleared my loft out because I knew it was full of things I might need in the future. What did I do with most of it? Put it in the garage, of course. At least it’s easier to get to if I ever DO need it!

I used to have loads of just incase stuff, but I dont any more. Last year I decided after 40 years to hang up my uniform and take early retirement from nursing. I then decided to update the house, doors, central heating, bathrooms, furniture, the lot, will not be doing that again. It was utter chaos as every room was done, so it gave me an opportunity to donate or throw out so much stuff that we had accumulated over the years and boy was there alot. We now have an easy to manage, clutterfree home, that I have more time to clean that needs less time to do it. It does make it easier to get things done and gives me more time to go out and work in the garden, which I think needs to become easier to manage. Xx

I'm like you, M0nica, If it goes to the tip then it is of no use to anyone.

This is what I did Yorkie. We downsized last year, and we don’t even have a garage now just a shed. I told myself I could only keep a third of what was in the garage ornaments, extra Kitchen stuff, books etc the rest I gave to charity, Some i sold and the funny thing is nearly a year on I hadn’t even thought about it until I read your thread.its only stuff.

I've moved several times in the last 20 years so have de-cluttered quite regularly.

Lockdown has made me have another big clear-out.

I am a declutterer. Everything goes to a Charity shop, Freegle, auction sale, within days of me deciding it is surplus to requirements. Only in extremis does anything go to the tip. That is an admission of failure.