How good are you at sorting out your life's belongings and how do you decide what to throw away?

When my father died (the last remaining parent), my husband and I cleared out his house. He and my late Mum weren't minimalist in the modern sense, they just hated too much 'stuff' so there wasn't much in the way of furniture and ornaments. They were extremely clean and tidy so we were very surprised to find, in one of the dining room drawers, half a set of false teeth, beautifully wrapped in a napkin. As he wore a full set, we wondered how that had come about!

If I dont want it I put it in my Ebay shop and sell it. As I dont have transport to take stuff to the charity shop I sometimes get nephew to take it away. He leaves items downstairs in the foyer of the flats where he lives where it soon disappears, Even old bits of tech (like a tablet with a crack) go quickly. Its great to have a recycling culture. One mans rubbish may be another mans treasure,

My husband is a chucker outer. This week he decided to clear the drawer where we keep our old spectacles. He has a huge number and got rid of all but two pairs to our local optician. They recycle them. Yesterday we had to go back to the opticians as he realised he had thrown out his new distance glasses! He spent ages going through the box but couldn’t find them so we booked an eye test. Going to cost a fortune to replace!

All the toys went years ago and we have got rid of 100s of books, although we still have loads. We sold/ gave away 500 CDs. I had a special collection of a series of books - 250 - and I just sold those to another collector. As for photos, I spent several years of Sunday afternoons going through all the albums. I only kept photos of people and special occasions. I put them all in three large albums, each photo labelled as to who, what and where, and gave them to DS for the GC. We don’t go in for ornaments but I have been collecting my dinner service for years and buy any piece I see so I probably have 200 pieces by now. The DC will probably put it in a skip!

KathrynP
I’m afraid your husband has not reached the level expected to be a true chuckerouter.
A true chuckerouter would never get to the stage where they have hundreds of anything.
Just this week I did what a true chuckerouter does: I got my new glasses so the spare was thrown out to be replaced by the pair I’ve just changed.
But it’s good to see he’s making an effort 👏👏👏👏

I’m mainly in the ruthless gang. I try to keep one of things that are of sentimental value and throw the other 20 away. My husband is he hoarder in our house. At the moment I’m trying to get rid of books - I have loads. I’m reading them again and then in the charity pile - unless they’re very special. I’m getting rid of most of the children’s books as they’re too old to read them now.

My mother was a chucker-outer petra, I still remember some of my childhood things which were thrown out 😥
Likewise my DB, I passed all my childhood books on to his children, when I asked for them back when they'd grown and I had children, he'd thrown them in the skip when thry moved.

I don't keep many sentimental things; I'm a "might come in handy" person.
And a "might fit me again one day when I've lost four stone person.

Clothes are one thing I can give away without worrying. It’s the gifts and the children's stuff I struggle with and photos and cards

MissAdventure

I don't keep many sentimental things; I'm a "might come in handy" person.
And a "might fit me again one day when I've lost four stone person.

You're like my DH!

I think "I wonder if that old ornament is worth a fortune?"

You could do a scrapbook for each child.
Photos, swimming badges, cards, all of that: their life story up until now.

Two scrapbooks each, maybe?

Something that infuriates me is people who keep, say, a broken iron iron, in case their new one conks out.

MissAdventure

Something that infuriates me is people who keep, say, a broken iron iron, in case their new one conks out.

DH would keep it for the bits and any spare parts 😁

He'd be in bits and spare parts if I found that!
As thrifty tight as I am, it really riles me.

He has a garage - no bits indoors!!
Otherwise they'd go to the tip.

Ah, that's OK then.
I have a sort of "shed cupboard" in my flat, but it has so much stuff in it that I have to buy new things, as I can't find the original.

He's allowed one drawer in the house for useful tools 😁

I’m going through this at the moment. I also have property of both parents in storage units costing £400+ per month!

I’ve decided the following

- Offer to anyone who wants them
- Charity
- What can be thrown

You remember these people every day. You don’t need things to attach you to them

With clothes let them go if:
- they don’t fit
- You never reach for them
- you forgot you have them
- Numerous duplicates (like jeans)

The following are not reasons to keep things:
- they were expensive
- Never worn
- you’ll slim into them/ you may regain weight
- you may go on a cruise one day

Good luck.

Seven pairs of jeans (two new with labels and the rest nearly new) went to the charity shop earlier this year.
I've decided I'm not a jeans person any longer.

I live by the simple mantra if you haven't seen or used it for 3 years then sell it, bin it or take to charity shop. DH a nightmare, will not get rid of anything which may come in useful, as in a metre of string even although we have umpteen rolls of string . He actually bought a cabinet to house our CD collection when we moved in 2022 ! Why , oh, why !

I'd love a nice tidy house and no junk but I'm married to a hoarder and I must admit I find it hard to let go of stuff too. Oh dear. The young people love it when they come round - which is fairly frequently and so do the little people so I grit my teeth and carry on

I'm doing pretty well I think
I've done kitchen/diner
lounge is ok
I've sorted the shed/greenhouse/office room
started on the landing and one son has agreed to sort his room so that was done this morning, just one cupboard to go through

several drop offs to dump and charity shop

It is just one of my sons dragging his feet. Honestly I dread to think what his own place will look like. I had 2 children by the time I was his age!

My system is to get rid of anything which hasn’t been used for 6 months. This gives me a tidy, junk-free house, which is what I want.
If your house is stuffed full of old, unused stuff, that must be the way you like it. Stop agonising over it and leave it to your unfortunate descendants to clear out when you’re gone.

it has so much stuff in it that I have to buy new things, as I can't find the original.

When I first started decluttering (nearly 5 years ago!) I found all sorts of things I'd forgotten I even had. Plus things that I'd looked for and replaced - usually stuffed in weird places where I wouldn't have thought to look for them.

I do one decluttering pass a year now - every drawer, cupboard and room gets a going over at some point and it's much easier to get rid of things. Plus it gets quicker every year. I think my brain has now switched from 'I couldn't possibly get rid of this' mode to 'Yeah, I still haven't used this. Might as well get rid of it' mode.

Two years ago I moved from a 4 bed detached house to live with my son in his house while I built a self contained one bedroom annexe in his garden. I was very ruthless and gave my children their things from the loft and sold lots of furniture. I now live in the annexe on my own, no loft, one small cupboard for storage. My study is currently my store room too, but not much in it. My suitcase is the biggest thing to store. It’s great sorting things out but you have to be ruthless. I still have things to chuck or shred! I am lucky to have. Utility room also which is more of a boot room with the dogs things in.