Help me to throw out...

Incidentally soontobe single /double sheets make great picnic blankets as can be easily washed and, if on the beach, they are light to carry, don't collect sand and are gentle on little ones' knees.

The older I get, the less I want or need. This view dovetails well with my natural minimalist tendencies.

What does it give people holding on to all this stuff? Recycling and charities are there for all sorts of unwanted items, and useful for others in need.

Does one really need the security blanket of keeping things just in case. Just in case of what? For instance, I keep string, because it is useful - but I don't need all the string that is available and comes my way. Same goes for plastic bags, containers, cardboard. Just enough but not more.

Several months ago I went through my wardrobe completely on instinct. I dumped a good half into several bin liners. What was left was a surprise. Old and much loved, practical, interesting, favourite colours and comfortable clothes were left. Everything worked together, fitted and is a pleasure to wear. Why keep anything else?

I have not visited the bin liners since. Shortly all will be donated to Emmaus.

If you donate your stuff to Oxfam, and Gift Aid them, you get a nice warm glow twice - once when you give the stuff away, and remind yourself how each item will do good for someone in the world. And again when you get an email telling you how much they raised from your stuff (which you get for tax purposes). Can't lose really.

I dont have gc yet loobylou, but I have kept a bit of old linen.

After reading this thread I just threw out a load of plastic bags which were packed so tightly into the bag holder that I couldn't get anything out.

I spent two hours in the lean-to today and only cleared out a quarter of it. It's a wonder I can get in there at all. The next section is all the large trays that meat sits in when you buy it from supermarkets - I thought they would be useful for seed trays and propagator lids. So tomorrow will be spent matching them up to all the 'family-sized mushroom' containers I have been collecting as seed trays, as they are half the size exactly of a large seed container and fit inside nicely.

I think I may have to stop buying mushrooms for a bit. And buy more meat from the butcher instead.

I am a bit sad to see that so many of us have loads of plastic bags. Don't you take your own bags to the shops? If you have old curtains, or material, or duvet covers, please check out www.morsbags.com and discover a very easy way to make bags out of old material - saving the oceans and wild animals from the masses of plastic bags that are out in the world.
But … although I nearly always use my own bags, dh likes to get the plastic ones to take the veg peelings etc down to the allotment compost bin (we don't have a garden).
We seem to have loads of used envelopes in the desk drawers. Now, they do come in useful, but not in the amount that we actually have!

I have the same problem with dh and glass jars for nails, screws etc. Can't get into our garage for all his saved stuff. And bags of rags! What for?
oh dear, need to de clutter seriously then this year!

I sometimes get a home food delivery from my supermarket. Comes in loads of plastic bags!

I dont know about your bags Nanabelle, but my plastic ones that I do have, could not manage a refill of groceries. They are awfully thin.

I agree that it is the quantity of some useful items that is my problems too. I dont need 15 whatever, I need barely 5. So I will try and keep to that regime.

I agree, Nannabelle, about using your own shopping bags. Also I always keep a couple of good quality carrier bags in the car and one in my handbag. If we do acquire a thin plastic one it gets reused as a bin liner. I also keep a few to put in the holiday suitcases for dirty washing and shoes. Jiffy bags are taking over my craft room, though!

charleygirl can you come and stay with me for a fortnight and declutter my house for me?

My DM was like you, a great clearer-outer, and MIL was a hoarder!

Some supermarkets have a recycling bin near the door for plastic bags.

We keep quite a lot because they are useful for sending stuff to the charity shop (if we get round to decluttering) and giving away apples in the autumn.

Please could we have a meet up to pair tupperware type boxes?

My problem with plastic boxes is that they are useful for storing, say, packets of stock cubes etc, in the pull out cupboard. Of course, there would be no point putting a lid on those. Then I do a matching session and throw all the unmatched lids away. Then, I decide to use the box storing the stock cubes and have no flipping lid for it!!

I have started a new system - the lids go UNDER the boxes in the cupboards - at least that was the idea. I have medicines allsorted into different types, little jars of flavourings etc. in one cupboard. Then DBH reaches a box or two down when he is looking for something and outs them back in different places, sometimes he pulls the lids down too and puts them to one side and it never finds its way home. He thinks I am being fussy. grrrr

I read a tip once about putting everything that you think that you might need/want to keep into a box, seal it and mark the date on it. If after 6 months, you can't remember what's in the box, give it away to a charity.

I have two problems with this:
1. I cant remember where I've put my door key (5 minutes ago), let alone what I've secreted in a box with the intention of forgetting, and
2. I've got nowhere to keep the wretched box!

I've recently moved into a small, rented flat on my own and am gradually decluttering. It is really lovely when I get rid of a load of stuff

It's possible that a charity shop would welcome a supply of carrier bags - they usually put purchases into a re-used supermarket bag. I take my stuff there in a carrier bag and leave it there.

"If you do like the memories, but not the clutter of it, you can always take a photo before disposing of the item carefully."

This is worrying, Mrs. P has been tasking photos of me recently

I acquire my plastic carrier bags through my weekly delivery from Asda. They could cut the amount down by putting several items in one bag, but no, I quite often get one packet of Ibuprofen tablets in a carrier of it`s own, likewise one body spray, or other such small items, resulting in a plethora of carrier bags.

I give all of mine to Tesco, they don't care whose they get, they recycle them so it no longer worries me. I do keep as many as I need for bin-liners. Also nice big ones for carting presents and cast-offs around in. When we go shopping we always have cloth bags with us, but carrier bags still turn up. In fact there is one flapping around in my garden right now, and it's definitely not one of mine.

pompa

I read something similar about clothes viney. If a person hasnt worn them for a year, get rid of them, or something like that.

But I find that one season of one year, is not necessarily or even generally the same as next year, so clothes not much worn one year, may well be the ones I use most next year. So I dont go by that at all.

Nor is my size!

This is worrying, Mrs. P has been tasking photos of me recently

Oh, that has given me such a laugh, pompa

kitty I do the same with plastic boxes.

I did throw out some clothes that I hadn't worn for years only to find they have just come back into fashion (those trench coats mentioned on another thread).

We have just done our weekly shop - took our own re-usable bags. virtuous

I'm convinced Him Indoors is secretly binning plastic tubs (including lunch box lids ) and hates old biscuit tins. I have been known to hide them. I laughed out loud at loupylou's footstool/stash being 'discovered'.

I am banned from keeping toilet roll tubes - it's the old playgroup leader in me that thinks they can be made into something - I did come downstairs once and find that Firstborn had created a nativity scene from toilet roll tubes, masking tape and scraps of material. These days they go to the hamster but she can't keep up (and no she is not being crafty with them, just chewing them). The plastic bag stash is not overflowing at the moment as I am using cloth ones more these days - but then often that means we have none to use as bin bags.

I'm a terrible hoarder. I keep things that are total rubbish because I think I might be able to make them into something artsy. I have had some massive clear outs over the last couple of years and another one is due as the builders are coming to sort our Futility room which looks like Steptoe has been living in it.

btw I used to spur myself on to throw things away by listing them on here todayithrewout.wordpress.com and I still take photos before sending stuff off to the dump or charity shop. Making a note of what has gone helps me feel as though I am achieving something. Mind you, I have a massive 'car boot' pile to deal with next.

I should imagine that anyone artsy is going to have particular problems in disposing/giving away things.
Though, judging by this thread, I dont think that in real life, there will be any problem in getting enough materials from people that you know, should an art moment/time strike.

No, in fact I have been sending much of my sewing, crafting and dressmaking stuff to friends. When I used to make my own evening dresses, I sewed beads on them, so had a huge collection of antique tiny glass beads. Most of them have gone. As have ribbons - to be made into baby comforting 'snugglies', around the edges. Zips to a friend who does trouser repairs. I have halved my button collection to one giant tin - that was quite tough! All my card making things have gone to DD. My watercolours and acrylics went ages ago, and paper. Half of my embroidery silks have gone, and all of my tapestry wool. Old sewing patterns have nearly all gone. It was very cathartic, and because it had all been promised, I had to get on and do it.

Oh golly
You've just reminded me that I have three large boxes of jewellery making stuff, that I haven't touched for yonks..........