For those who are destashing why do you think you have so many things?....

[Jill in Chicago]

I always wonder about this. I see so many posts on the boards I visit (here and other places) about people who want to have less things.

Does it just happen slowly? Do you shop for deals and then not use the items? Do you lose things you buy and they collect? Shop for materials for hobbies/projects and never do them?

My girlfriend's home is literally strangling her with stuff. I go over and help, but it continues to pile up. I finally told her that we could do her whole home and in a year she would fill it back up again. Why is it such a struggle?

Is it like losing weight? (I am very overweight.) Is it that some people have issues with one thing, and some have issues with other things?

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

In my case it's the kids. I have 5 kids and as they grow clothes and toys get outgrown. The collection of Happy Meal toys has to be purged after the novelty has worn off. My clothing gets outgrown. Things wear out gradually and get shoved in the back of drawers in favor of newer items (like socks).

Lately my MIL has been cleaning out her house to do some painting and other work and has been bringing me crap.

Some people save things for "just in case" and it just gets to the point where they have so much stuff saved they don't even remember they have it and buy more.

It really can be any number of things. Some people just like stuff or don't like to throw things out.

 

[njmom47]

I think my house is full of stuff because it was a power struggle with my kids...they wanted stuff (mostly clothes) and we would go shopping every weekend (well, maybe not EVERY weekend)...my middle child has so many clothes they don't all fit in her closet which is a double width, plus she has 2 laundry baskets overflowing with dirty clothes, plus her dresser! I didn't buy ALL those clothes (we have a "fairy godmother" who gave her name brands that I can't afford). Now that I'm enrolled in a debt management program, it feels good knowing I'm not wasting my money anymore! I have my spending MUCH more under control. My DH has paper issues (newspapers, mail, etc altough he shreds quite frequently). I have joined my local Freecycle group and haul stuff to the charity bins but somehow it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference. My son's bedroom is only 10x12 so he sortof has an excuse. My oldest one still has a bedroom at our house but she is going to have a baby within the next couple of weeks, so her room is chock full of baby stuff. My son has said "Mom you and dad need to go on that show' ("Hoarders") and I reply we're not THAT bad!! My kitchen/living room/dining room are ok, it's the basement and upstairs closet/bedrooms that are bad..
I personally have too much weight, and that's my issue.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

It's a combo of me being a packrat (not to be confused with hoarder, lol) and DD having so many toys, and DS's arrival... we just have a lot of 'stuff.'

 

[secretpantssam]

I'm a bit of a packrat. I like to buy new things but I don't always like to get rid of the old. I think I always feel like I might need it or sometimes I have some sort of silly sentimental attachment to an item. I never let it get to a point of hoarders, if I can't hide it in a closet or crawl space, I try to get rid of it. I like to keep myself a "closet hoarder"

 

[kelleyrn2000]

I buy too much. DH asks me what void I am trying to fill??? I don't feel a need to hold on to things though, I am perfectly fine getting rid of it, giving it away, etc. The things I save are sentimental, like kids artwork, favorite toys, etc.

Part of it is that we are a family of 5, and not enough storage for things like dishes, coats, no pantry, so I blame part of it on the person (man) who designed the house It looks like we have more stuff because there's no out of sight place to put it.

Some day I dream of remodeling and having a pantry, guest bathroom, mudroom/laundry room, and more kitchen cabinets!! But that's going to cost a fortune and I wish we had just bought a bigger house to begin with...but DH had his heart set on this particular house.

 

[Ava]

My parents brought up all the stuff out of my old bedroom at their house, and I just haven't gotten around to going through most of it yet. They decluttered their house by cluttering up mine!

 

[abmitch01]

my kids have too much. their dad buys them so much but I'm to blame, too. Or they outgrow their clothes and I don't get rid of them fast enough.

I tend to be thrifty but I'm a sucker for a good sale. I end up with more clothes than I need. I also have a bit of a purse problem, lol.

I have been using the rule of 1 item out if 1 item comes in.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

The vast majority of our "stuff" is clothes, toys (3 kids) and kitchen things. Making the time to sort through stuff and do a nice big purging is a good feeling.

Clothes. I need to make more time to clean out the boys' closets as they outgrow stuff but they all have different tastes and body types so it's a matter of figuring out who will wear what and what fits who. Same goes for me - as my weight and tastes fluctuate, my closet and dresser drawers get overly full.

Toys. Seriously, some days I think Toys-R-Us threw up in our house. They come in as gifts, earned rewards, etc. and they multiply like rabbits when no one is looking. I'm convinced that a single Lego set can expand to fill a small warehouse if given enough time and darkness.

Kitchen stuff. Do we really "need" that iced tea maker or the ice cream maker or the S'mores maker? Nope. But I want to be able in good conscience to tell those folks that gave them to us how much I used it so I have to keep it for at least a year before it gets purged.

Other things tend to accumulate, too. Mismatched drinking glasses, flower vases, baby gear, kids, dogs... oh wait... those last two probably shouldn't be part of our destashing plan...

 

[mrsklamc]

My big ones were 'skinny' clothes that I was saving until they fit again (now when I lose weight I just reward myself with new ones- the old ones wouldn't be 'me' anymore anyway-) and keepsakes/sentimental items.

The rest of the stuff, it's not necessarily that I have a lot, it's just that I have found a certain satisfaction out of 'less.' I'm really trying to hang on to only what is beautiful and or/useful and pass on the rest- live with what I love, and not just what I am used to being there.

 

[ilovepete]

We are always getting rid of things because we just no longer need them or have outgrown them. I don't think we have too much stuff, but we get rid of old when we bring in new so that it doesn't get out of control.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

We certainly don't have a cluttered or messy house, but if I were to go through and "destash" the things I would be getting rid of are things that one time had a purpose, but don't any more. It's not like one day they suddenly didn't have a purpose and I could get rid of it, it's a gradual thing that happens over time. Making up a much smaller percentage are things that used to be sentimental, but that aren't any more.

If you truly had a hoarding problem, you'd have to ask a psychologist "why?"

 

[Chelley00]

My dad and stepmom buy all 6 of what they like to call "A big bag of crap" for Christmas.

It's a HUGE giftbag full of dollar store things. Some of it is really useful...fingernail clippers, loffah sponges and bath "poofs", kitchen gadgets etc. A lot of it is smelly bath soaps, candles that don't stay lit, hairbows and barrettes for my tomboy daughter, flimsy things and junky toys the kids toss aside. I try and hold on to it to put it in our annual yard sale.

We have 4 kids. 4 kids outgrow clothes quickly, and get toys that they outgrow and get bored with.

My biggest clutter maker - Kids School Papers. I swear each of my kids kills 50 trees a year on assignments, tests, quizzes and notes.

I don't think we have as much clutter as many people, but once a year it gets on my nerves. Then we yard sale, and take the rest to Goodwill.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Why do we have so many things? That's a good question!

1.) As others have posted, kids. That's my #1 reason: Outgrow, outlast, lose interest. You name it. And they are still growing! It's a constant gather and de-clutter process. I wish the kids didn't grow so fast, not for "the cycle" but to enjoy the time longer while they are young.

2.) Also as others mentioned, pack rat. I tend to hang onto items that remind me of the children's different developmental stages etc.. I have gotten better about it though.

3.) Phases of life. Changing tastes. Why did I ever buy that? Not my color, style, bad design etc.., don't need it, don't want it, what did I need that for?

4.) There once was a sucker for a sale. She left her stuff in my closets!

 

[JamesMom]

Three reasons I have tons of stuff in my house: Husband, Kids and a dead mother.

My husband is a pack rack. He shops half price regularly and buys about 5 books a months - reads maybe one and hates to part with any. He collects movies and video games - lots bought at GameStop cheap, but still take up tons of room. He just this year relinquished his VHS collect - we don't even have a VCR. Most of it is in his study which resembles a college dorm room with TV, game systems & guitar but it does leak out into our dinning room much to my chagrin.

Kids - at one time my boys (now 5 & 7 yo) had 4 train sets, 2 bins of hot wheels cars & tracks and Legos-lots and lots of legos. I have passed down alot to their younger nephew but some they still use. Plus they have there own libraries of books and games, craft supplies, toys, fish tank and ....
Older son is in scouts so that means sport equipment, camping equipment and just scout stuff (since I am the den leader, it is all stored at my house)

Lastly, my mother passed away in February and guess where all her 'stuff' went? You guessed it - my garage. I joked with my husband that God was trying to tell me something when I had an overwhelming desire to clean out the garage . So much so we could park 2 cars in it before Christmas so we could stuff it full again when she passed. My mom had, no joking, TEN bankers boxes of just pictures which I need to scan when I am able (both timewise & emotionally). My brother, who lives in trailer, wanted some of the furniture - still waiting for him to take it. And my hubby wants to replace his current bookcases in his study for my moms - but he has to move his stuff first.

Now I am not off the hook (holiday decor for Halloween & Christmas take up quite a bit of room in the attic and bath products tucked in containers under the sink), but I dont' buy books anymore - Kindle & Library are my friends. Don't buy movies or TV shows - Rent on Netflix and let them store them. And my game of choice is World of Warcraft - online. Magazines are thrown out within days and junk mail instantly. All my pics are digital. As for kids school papers - I take pics of those I want to remember and chuck most of the originals, but I do have two boxes of memoribiliia filled to the gills with first outfits home, birthday cards & school pics and original artwork. I also have boxes of my memoriablia - photo albums, yearbooks, scout sash and stuff from the pre-digital age.

I despise clutter, but I am the only one in my family who does. If it was up to me I would chuck half the stuff we own, but as a part of a family, it isn't up to me I am one of those people who wants nothing on their tables & countertops, but it never works out that way...

 

[Ericandjenng]

My big ones were 'skinny' clothes that I was saving until they fit again (now when I lose weight I just reward myself with new ones- the old ones wouldn't be 'me' anymore anyway-) and keepsakes/sentimental items.

The rest of the stuff, it's not necessarily that I have a lot, it's just that I have found a certain satisfaction out of 'less.' I'm really trying to hang on to only what is beautiful and or/useful and pass on the rest- live with what I love, and not just what I am used to being there.

OH, my gosh...I could have written this exact answer!

Part of my destashing was a garage sale last year where I sold my "skinny" clothes and donated what didn't sell.

I still have "too much stuff" but part of the issue is the same as another PP as that I don't have enough storage and we also have a new baby in addition to our DS who has so many toys and also loves trains. Another thing, I got alot growing up, but my DH did not. I think some of our things come from me trying to make up for his lack during his formative years.

 

[Swimalie]

My mother in law is borderline hoarder. You can't see most of her kitchen table because of calendars, bills, pill bottles and, the last time we were there, motor oil . Nine bookcases, newspapers from years ago, etc. When I saw that, I refused to let my husband become like that so I am the opposite. I have become minimalist. Plus, we have moved across the country twice (east to west and west back to east) at our own expense. Pay for a move yourself and you will get rid of so many things. The last move cost us over $5000 and that was with as little as possible. So I'm the opposite of so many of my friends and have probably thrown out things that I need to replace later

 

[Gigi22]

We have too much stuff too! We purchased our first house when we married, and have stayed put. We had space to store stuff, so we did.

Our parents (and some childless aunts, as well as some friends) passed away, estates were divided--we may have kept too many things from those estates that we don't need, but those things held emotional ties for us.

DH is starting to get rid of some materials for hobbies that he is no longer able to pursue, we are both working on decluttering in general so that we can redecorate our home, get better organized--and downsize with the idea of eventually moving to a condo.

As we go through the decluttering process, we try to be as responsible as possible so that our old stuff does not wind up in a landfill. Being responsible about disposal seems to take longer--we send clothing and household goods to the Diabetes Association, the Habitat for Humanity store gets our old hardware and building supplies that we will never use, we take toxic goods to the city hazardous waste disposal program, and we donate used books to the public library bookstore. We shred paper like mad, and put bags of it into the twice a month paper recycling pickup.

 

[npmommie]

I'm a bit of a packrat. I like to buy new things but I don't always like to get rid of the old. I think I always feel like I might need it or sometimes I have some sort of silly sentimental attachment to an item. I never let it get to a point of hoarders, if I can't hide it in a closet or crawl space, I try to get rid of it. I like to keep myself a "closet hoarder"

The things I save are sentimental, like kids artwork, favorite toys, etc.

Part of it is that we are a family of 5, and not enough storage for things like dishes, coats, no pantry, so I blame part of it on the person (man) who designed the house It looks like we have more stuff because there's no out of sight place to put it.

Some day I dream of remodeling and having a pantry, guest bathroom, mudroom/laundry room, and more kitchen cabinets!! But that's going to cost a fortune and I wish we had just bought a bigger house to begin with...but DH had his heart set on this particular house.

The vast majority of our "stuff" is clothes, toys (3 kids) and kitchen things. Making the time to sort through stuff and do a nice big purging is a good feeling.

Clothes. I need to make more time to clean out the boys' closets as they outgrow stuff but they all have different tastes and body types so it's a matter of figuring out who will wear what and what fits who. Same goes for me - as my weight and tastes fluctuate, my closet and dresser drawers get overly full.

Toys. Seriously, some days I think Toys-R-Us threw up in our house. They come in as gifts, earned rewards, etc. and they multiply like rabbits when no one is looking. I'm convinced that a single Lego set can expand to fill a small warehouse if given enough time and darkness.

I could have written the posts above so I copied
I am very sentimental especially with the kids things. I find it hard to let go.
thats why there is a high chair, and various other kid gear, in my basement

 

[StephMK]

For us, it's been a combination of sentimental items, kid stuff - toys & clothes, and stuff that I hang on to "just in case", and some recreational shopping purchases. I have gotten much better about only keeping the things I really love but I know I could do better. I really plan to pare down to the essentials before we move again because I want a smaller place next time.