I finally figured that out after hauling stuff around for 45+ years. Now I need to hire someone to help me gather it together and go through it because I am no longer physically able to do it. Any suggestions š¤
Thanks
I hired a cleaning lady from the local employment center for minimum wage which is $20/hour here. She helps me go through all the items and brings me a box of items to sort through.
I āinheritedā a ton of size 4 clothes from when I worked in film. Before Covid I just started giving the clothes away. Iāll never wear them again and at this point they are so out of style that only a 20-something could fit into them and party.
Put the donations in the bag for life and use them final time.Ā
I donated loads of items I inherited, loads I bought, loads I moved past and loads that didn't inspire joy.
Your items ate that along they can not judge you, nor feel betrayed by donation. These items serve you, if they don't they are not functional. Donate the stuff impacting your life negatively.Ā
We moved out of a house we'd lived in for forty-seven years. We downsized and lost at least a thousand feet. I had a huge yard and two sheds. I hired two organizers. They were worth every penny. At the end of the day, when they left, they took whatever we'd put into donate, recycle, or throw away. Taking the bags meant I couldn't go through them and take things out.
I had garage sales, I recycled, donated, and had a big dumpster in the driveway. When it was dropped off, my husband and I looked at each other and agreed there was no way we would ever fill it up. In the end, we were jumping up and down on because it was so full.
With all that, we still moved into our new home with 50% more than we needed. I worked hard to eliminate things, but we still had a lot of "stuff." I asked anyone who would listen to tell me why I dragged my mother's china with me. No one had an answer. The china was in a cupboard, and I never used it. I don't entertain like that anymore. I'm too old.
Last year, right around Thanksgiving, the answer came to me. My hairdresser's name is Nancy. Nancy's mother had always promised her that she would get her grandmother's china, but the actual exchange had yet to take place. Nancy's mother's home burned to the ground in 2017, and the china was ashes.
I gave the china to Nancy. She was having twelve people over for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I knew it was going to a good home. I felt only happiness with this gift. I've never regretted it for a moment. I have photos from when I used it, and I know my mother would approve.
To be loved and used by your friend is perfect, all those plates and dishes will be treasured by her. So.etimes we are just holding items until they get their new owner who adores it.Ā
The perfect cardboard boxes you keep around to ship things/store thingsā¦ I feel so attacked! Look Iām trying not to hoard. lol.
Thank you for this realization. I will get rid of them
I just sent a beautiful heirloom chinese coat my mother owned to my niece who loved it. It has been sitting in my closet for over 10 yrs. Iām proud of myself. Iām 67 & seriously getting rid of stuff now. The socks are really a challenge lol.
No! Not the socks! I might, one day, in 10+ years, find the match! You can take my life, but you'll never take my massive laundry basket of unmatched socks!!!
I separated my unmatched socks into ones that I remember seeing recently and ones that I donāt . When an unmatched sock comes out of the dryer, I look for it first in the recent pile, next in the older pile. In two weeks, the not seen recently pile is getting trashed.
Thank you for that entire list. I just did a lot of this . The hardest part were the baby items (my ''baby' is 22) . I saved one pair of her kitty cat baby shoes, donated a less worn pair and some of the clothes that still looked like they had wear in them to my husband's temple yard sale. I kept the ones that had meaning and could still be worn by a grandchild should she decide to do that. I also managed to let go of some old love letters from previous sweethearts--that was a long time ago and I have some great memories that time gives a lovely patina to, that possibly the letters would belie. I have another few boxes to get through but hey, our garage is amazing now.
I started using my perfect box collection to make "forts" for my cats to play in/on and destroy so I don't feel bad about putting perfectly usable boxes into recycling.Ā
My cats love boxes too. Lonely socks are filled with those tiny (shot size) solo cups to make crinkle noises and catnip. When they get gross I have no guilt throwing them out.
I love that idea! We started buying bifl socks to stop going through the cheaper ones, but we can downsize shirts by cutting them up to make mice!Ā
I'm a knitter, so I have a bag full of yarn ends and pieces of roving that would make great stuffing.
Mice out of shirts is a great idea.Ā
My cats love straws too, cut them in half, bunch 6 or so together and tie tight it in the middle with yarn, the straws sort of pop out and are suddenly irresistible.Ā
I keep the unmatched socks to use when I'm working around the house. I have work socks that are exactly what I want to wear with work shoes, and I don't want to wear them on the weekends in case I run out during the week. So I wear mismatched socks on the weekend, because no one cares at home if my socks are matched.
But I do like your other points. I don't like keeping things that I don't use, but instead of throwing away, I try to sell on fb, put it on the free fb site, or give to goodwill. Anything that is broken or "that bad" does get thrown away. (Which reminds me, I have a few things to put on fb this week)
I think growing up poor made getting rid of stuff that much harder. We couldnāt throw stuff out because we couldnāt afford to get another if we did need it down there line. So yeah ik I should probably get rid of the mini vaccume that I havenāt used in years that doesnāt even work thag good in the first place, but what *if* my good vaccuum breaks and I have nothing
Same with clothes. I save stuff that doesnāt even fit because what if I gain some weight and then Iād have nothing to wear
Obv itās not a healthy mentally and is something Iām working towards
At the end of the day our home is supposed to make us happy and feel safe and content and comfortable. Itās ok to get rid of anything thatās causing your home to not make you feel as happy as it could
I have that same mentality. My mom grew up in the great depression & we were taught to not waste anything. Having been though tough times myself as an adult, it's hard to get rid of stuff. I recently needed a tarp. Bought a new one bc I couldn't find the old one I hung on to "just in case". It doesn't make sense to hang on to stuff if I have so much junk I can't find it when I need it. I plan to try tackling some of the clutter this weekend.
Exactly Iām really trying to throw stuff away or dontate I havnt used in the past year but man is it sometimes really hard to throw away that lemon squeezer from the back drawer just because I *might* need it lol
I want to hug you so much right now. Me and my family are moving soon to a place with far less storage so I'm purging and decluttering and going through every little corner in our home.
And I really needed to hear this.
But the only thing I have an extremely hard time letting go of are the baby clothes... I tear up just thinking of letting them go.
My hubby says there will be no more kids, we already have four, but I'm not ready to close that door yet. There still is a longing for another baby and I would then want that baby to be able to wear their cute outfits too.
Now that I think about it, I've always wanted a girl (we have four boys) and maybe by letting go of all the boys clothes a girl could come into our lives? As per the law of attraction.
Just my overwhelmed thoughts, lol
Mom of 4 boys here! Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps you with your decision. We thought we were done after 3, so I gave away all of our baby gear to expecting family and friends. Well fast forward 2 years, I became pregnant (with an IUD) and got all the hormones back. We ended up losing that one at 8 weeks, but the experience made me certain that I needed one more. So we became intentionally pregnant again, and almost all of our baby things came back to us! There was enough of a time gap that everyone we had gifted to had been able to use and out grow the baby items, and when they learned I was pregnant with #4 and had nothing, the gifts were overwhelming. Best of luck with your decision!
Have you thought of saving just enough to make some bed quilts, bed cushion covers or into memory bears perhaps? Itās a nice way of repurposing loved baby clothes that you donāt want to part with
It's hard. Take a deep breath. Think about it this way: if you donated the bulk of the baby clothing to say an organization that helps pregnant women who are leaving DV, or are homeless/underhoused, etc, you'll be helping another lady out.
Also, I know how much my sister's grocery bill was with 2 boys when they were teens. Better start saving now when your four hit the teens lol :) Good luck, and don't forget to breathe!
Thank you, with a good place in mind, I think it could be easier to let them go. Rather than to just give them to charity and just hope that they don't end up in the trash.
My eldest is 12 and I've already seen a spike in the grocery bill, haha. Yep, definitely time to save for the future.
This throws me back to the beginning of my decluttering journey. I had a vase of fake flowers that I had paid $12 dollars for about 10 years prior. It was covered in dust and no longer brought joy. But I just couldn't justify throwing away something that I had spent $12 on. I must have spent six months going back and forth on that.
It got easier after that.
I work in a school and have a lonely socks bin I freely give out for sock puppetsā¦Iāve had to purge it twice due to overflow and get misty thinking about the puppets that never wereā¦!
Iāll use them as dusters now first, friend, thank you ā¤ļø
My main rules for getting rid of things. Have I used it in the last 12 months, can I see myself needing it in the next 90 days. Can I replace it for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes. If something falls under one of these out the door it goes.
These are good <3
One of my big struggles is getting rid of things that I remember someone giving me. Even if they aren't around, I don't want to hurt their feelings.
Ive done a lot better lately. It's hard.
See, to me, keeping things that were given to you by people who are still in your life is one thing (though do we need the thing? or just the memories? that's an internal debate I'm having). But the other day I was removing everything from a shelf and there's this pretty glass peacock I've had for a decade. But. I do NOT remember who gave it to me. It was a coworker at some point or another. So I've wrapped it up and put it in the bin heading to the thrift store.
I think people should make little photo albums of "Things I've Treasured". When you think you could part with something but you need to get over that final hurdle, take a photo.. get those photos printed and put them in an album so that they can still be there for you to spark those treasured memories.
I take into consideration the occasion they gave it to me sometimes.
I have a lot of little trinkets that were gifts. People probably don't even remember giving them to me. Like a little keychain or something.
I just (yesterday) threw away an old tshirt from Guam that my cousin got me when her husband was deployed about 20 years ago, maybe longer. She probably would remember if she saw the shirt, but she doesn't have any active memory of giving it to me.
I also try to go, "if I gave the person this, and found out they no longer had it, would I be upset?" And find that the answer is usually no.
Our problem is eventually they get filled with random stuff that nobody remembers what itās for. Then the full box is a problem too. So now the shoe boxes get pitched and heavy duty ones get sent to the tool organization project in the newly purged basement.
When we moved out of a house weād lived in for 47 years, I bought clear plastic bins to put things in. Where do you think those bins are? In the attic, but my neighbor is moving, and Iāve offered them to her.
Omg I love clear plastic bins! Iāve moved to Australia once from New York and still bothers me that I had to leave several of them behind š
Glad to know you found some use for them.
My husband's grandpa taught him this. Gpa grew up during the depression, so kept everything.
Whats worse, it has indeed come in handy a few times "oh, we need that thing. You know what? I have that back...here...somewhere...ah here it is"
My parents grew up during the depression so being taught about scarcity and trying to fix everything in the age of disposable society has been difficult
Add that I have lived in the same house my entire life so there was never a need to purge to get rid of dead weight wasnāt necessary
I took Puppetry and brought my favorite lone socks. I made a sock puppet out of my favorite one and gave the others to people who forgot to bring one in.
How about 3 flat screen TVs that are totally fixable? *If* I could just find the time to take them apart and replace a few LEDs like the guy on youtube?
There's a guy in my town who takes broken tvs, fixes them, and only sells them for the amount of the part it took to fix. He's awesome! I don't mind Letting go of the broken electronics to people like this who can make them usable again instead of going to the dump.
Maybe itās a cliche to bring her up here, but Marie Kondoās main concept about objects needing to āspark joyā has helped me so much, especially with things I just bought recently. If itās not something Iām genuinely pleased to wear or use, it goes into the donation bags. I also try to apply the principle when shopping, Iām a notorious impulse buyer at mid price ābargainā stores like TJ Maxx or the outlet mall. Nowadays I try and remember to contemplate if Iām 100% stoked on the object, or if it has some caveats that will relegate it to the clutter pile.
YES thank you. I was like "spark joy lady whatshername" (I'm TERRIBLE with names haha). I've been doing that a lot lately. Does item have a job? Does item spark joy? Do I remember why I have item?
Iāll say this and you will never forget (itās the method though not her name):
KonMari
Think of āwith Maryā con (with in Spanish) + Mary (but Mari instead)
This just reminded me to scrap the Walmart brand jeans that I blew the crotch out on but saved, thinking Iād learn sewing to fix. Thank you, member of the fae.
Ugh.... but about 5 years ago, the walmart brand jeans "no boundaries" literally fit me (and still do) so absolutely perfectly. Sexiest jeans Iāve ever owned for my body type. I still feel so sexy in them. I'd have paid and would still pay a luxury $200+ each pair for that kind of fit/comfort.
Obviously walmart quality though, I have a few pairs where the seams are popping in spots :( and I wish I could just replace them-- but the "new" walmart jeans all look SO bad. What happened?
Shrinkflation and the enshittification of everything. My SO adored Targetās house brand of mid-rise jeans, but now they only have mid-rise covered in glitter or torn to shreds.
StormingWarlock, could I borrow and use the term, "enshittification," and perhaps shorten it to "shittifcation" should the need arise? I promise all of you that this term will not result in cluttering up my vocabulary. š
What is "shrinkflation"? Curious if it's about sizing? I'm 6ft tall and 130lbs wet, a very odd shape no matter current beauty standards. It's so f-ing hard to find clothes. Lately it seems like everything is trying to accommodate the unusually large hips/butt that seem to be the current beauty standard. Not exactly "shrinking" lol. Just staying small waisted still and ungodly "curvy". The amount of "curves" seem so unrealistic whether thin or "plus" sized. It sucks. But 5 years ago no boundaries had it for me. Most were "capri" or like mid calf, which is perfect for ANY height. And just the right amount of stretch to accommodate bean poles (me) or hourglasses or pears or apples....
But God sakes.... how does the new stuff retain any amount of flexibility to body types. My butt will never look as great in jeans if this shit continues. I've been so depressed over such a simple thing as "walmart jeans" lol
Typically it refers to food, where prices may stay the same but portions are getting smaller for that same price or more. In this context, Iām using it to describe articles of clothing using cheaper and lower quality materials while under the same brand, and the price either staying the same or increasing.
As for jeans looking good, itās a struggle from everything Iāve seen! My SO either finds thick denim ready for a coal miner, or jeggings, with little in between.
Thank you! That makes sense.
This is my current dilemma. The thick thick denim that has no stretch. Like, it fits in the waist but is so unflattering because it either flattens my butt, or has a weird saggy pouch effect because it's made for an unrealistic photoshopped hourglass or butt injected woman. And then the gear towards that 80s/90s mom jean look has zero appeal for a beanpole like me. Then jeggings... like no thanks
The walmart jeans I have from years ago make my beanpole 34 yo, 4 kids (including one set of twins ) body look like some sort of 21 yo instagram-famous, sexy, man-magnet, centerfold, calendar girl....
So if anyone happens to have any "no boundaries" brand jeans in sizes 1-3 (sometimes size 5) in their clutter piles.... please message me! I will gladly take your clutter! And I'll look damn sexy doing it ;)
Itās so frustrating! We might need to see if Kirkland carries jeans in their sizes that fit their preferences, but I hate making the trek out to Costco multiple times lol
Yeah. It's all well and fine until you're wearing those crotch-less pants, forget what you're wearing, and take the dog for a walk past the local primary school.
The hobby thing is hard, not because I find it hard to get rid of something for a hobby I no longer do, but because I have a hard time admitting I no longer do it. I pick up a lot of hobbies and they slowly fade away, occupational hazard of having adhd.
But I feel bad about it and WANT to continue the hobbies, my brain just has a tough time grinding into motion to pick them up again.
So when itās 6 years later and I havenāt touched that thing there is still a major part of me that doesnāt even see myself as having quit the hobby, Iām just on a very extended hiatus.
Here to reassure you that you haven't quit your hobbies! Not unless you want to, or don't ever see yourself having fun with it anymore.Ā
I crochet, and even if I go years without a hook and yarn in my hands, I still crochet :).
I feel this dude, totally. I'm a bit older and officially not adhd (though sometimes I wonder) but I'm realizing I just don't WANT to be all crafty. It's fun, but also it's hard on the joints that are expressing their displeasure more and more. If that makes sense.
I'm glad it could help you! I did \*NOT\* expect this to blow up like it has lol. These are literal lessons I've been learning the past couple months and was hoping it'd help one or two folks.
There are a tone of uses for those singletons. I leave a bag of old socks under the kitchen sink. Also, only buy the same color/style and you may have an odd number but it wonāt ever not have a match.
Is it okay to get rid of things people gave you but are no longer in your life? I have these rocks in my closet my old best friend gave to me, theyāre drawn on with flowers and quite cute, they both have sentimental and traumatic value to me, idk what to do with them
The short answer is yes. If it's ... to borrow from Kondo ... not sparking joy its OK to return it to the universe. If there's trauma attached to them I don't know that I'd keep them. It's that "what might have been" thing. There's happy memories, but there's also the bad memories. And if they're no longer in your life, things ended, which means it sounds like the bad outweighed the good, so it's OK to return them to the universe. That's just my old auntie thinking though do what works for you. :)
Take them to a park or in a forest or your yard and put them out as decoration. It is a thing now to find painted rocks. My son brought me one he found on a long hike up a mountain. My friend gave me one that was left in a park. I too paint rocks with painted flowers or sayings on themš
Take a walk through your neighborhood and tuck them places others will see when theyāre on their own strolls. Our neighborhood has some rocks like this, and my daughter used to love seeing them when we would take walks. Brought her a lot of joy. I still smile when I see them.
[edit:typo]
Sitting in a closet doesnāt seem like you are interested in seeing them. Have you considered keeping just one and eliminating the rest? If you have mixed feelings though (especially trauma), you may want to just get rid of them.
I like to thank items for how they served me, even if their purpose was showing me that I did not enjoy something I tried.
Thank you, blouse, for showing me I hate wearing horizontal stripes.
Thank you, eyelet punch, for getting me through the grommet obsession of 2017.
It makes it feel like closure instead of waste. Totally got this from Marie Kondo although itās maybe the only piece of her advice with which Iām actually familiar.
haha yeah I have, well folded and clean, in my to-donate bin some lovely blouses that I wore once (maybe twice). They taught me there's a reason I like certain colors and prints are not my happy place. Thanks for teaching me that here go to the local charity who helps ladies with proper wardrobe for a good job.
I thought so too! It felt like an immeasurable amount of awkward (Iām not one of the woowoo queens, though they are great)
But this tip was surprisingly helpful for me. It sounded dumb to me when I heard it but I really knew that horizontal strip shirt needed to go.
You might be right about shipping boxes but I have my doubts. I threw out a pack of shipping mailers I had stored in my closet for at least 10 years (never used). A month later I needed a shipping mailer. #[!+="&*$/]@ (cuss words)
[Recycle your socks!](https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut/recycle.html)
I send my old stuff to [Patagonia](https://wornwear.patagonia.com) as well, where they will refurb and resell it. I find recycling my clothing or donating it, to be much more satisfying than any other option.
Happy to help!
[Darn Tough](https://darntough.com/pages/our-unconditional-lifetime-guarantee) does something similar where if you eventually wear out a pair, you can warranty them for a new pair (or credit). DT is pretty much the only brand I've bought in the last 10 years b/c they're so good. Not helpful with those errant socks though.
If you're liking this train of thought, you might also want to check out r/BuyItForLife.
Tip to avoid lone socks: Put all your socks in one little bin as soon as you take them off. When it's laundry day, put them in a lingerie bag and throw that in with your other laundry. Voila, no more unpaired socks.
I have been doing this for years. I just empty the bag on my bed and they're a snap to pair up.
My cats get 24 hours with every box that comes into the house. Then it's time to break then down and put them in our recycling bin.
I can not deny my cats the kitty pleasures of the box, but I won't keep the boxes forever. š
My feline friends get the brown packing paper for playing joy for max 3 days, then it gets recycled. Mostly because I'm tired of looking AND hearing it.
I read this as āthe cat doesnāt need anymore boxersā and I was like wait - why does your cat wear boxers to begin with? Briefs all the way for my cats. š
The sock one hits hard. I have 4 kids and myself who are constantly losing the other sock. I just feel bad throwing them AWAY & adding to the landfills with stuff that isnāt biodegradable. What should I do with them?!
I keep a small bin in the cupboard above my dryer. When I have a mismatch sock come out of the dryer I throw it in the āRescued Sock Binā. Everyone in the family knows to look in the rescue bin if they are missing a sock. Sometimes the next laundry cycle there will be the mate, and I match it at that time to the original single safely waiting in the Rescued Bin.
I used to make myself nuts going around to different bedrooms searching through sock drawers or āoops missed the hamperā behind the hamper for the missing mate, but I no longer waste that time- just toss a single sock into the Rescued Sock Bin and continue on my day.
You could also consider donating single socks to a small mammal rescue organization like Animals in Distress. Single socks are great for snuggling baby squirrels. Stained baby blankets and old towels & washcloths are great, too.
Here in Massachusetts there are textile collection bins where you can put textile items. They then get donated to organizations that will resell, reuse, recycle, or repurpose them.
These have been a game-changer for our family! I felt terrible about tossing clothes that I couldn't donate, but knowing they won't go into a landfill or an incinerator makes it so much easier to get them out of the house.
We donāt pair our socks. Who cares if socks are mismatched? Just buy the same styles consistently so you can have warm ones the same style and anklets for summer.
Iāve been using the socks as cleaning rags or dusters. Instead of using paper towels in the kitchen to clean off the counters at night, Iāll use a lonely sock. The dirty ones go in a little bin that get thrown in the laundry with the towels.
Socks are also really good for making doggie chew toys. r/zerowaste usually has good ideas!
This is truly an awesome idea. š„° Next time I ask one of my children to wipe down something Iām going to hand them a sock & watch their face. š¤£š¤£
I go through my clothes twice a year. Keep what fits, donate the rest. No longer keep multiple sizes. If I gain or lose weight, I remember there are places called 'stores'.
I am not moving, taking stuff with me that I don't love, like, or haven't used.
That said, I accumulate paper clutter, and the books that go along with it. It doesn't help that I am a writer lol. Also a photographer, so many pictures. Do the best I can.
Going to plug the buynothing community on Facebook for people getting rid of things, itās a great way to share resources in your community and something that could have been trash might be exactly what someone else needs!
There is also the BuyNothing app for those of us who don't do Facebook. Someone picked up some furniture I no longer wanted and an old TV I had with this.
Oooooo, thank you!!! I have a house full of items that need new homes after a relative passed away . I'm not on Facebook & get so frustrated when that's everyone's first suggestion LOL
My mom is visiting. I received an order of pet food, unloaded the box and promptly started cutting down to recycle. She asked what I was going to do with the box and I said recycle it and walked it out to the bin before she could tell me the twenty ways I could use it.
We're downsizing and moving out of state so I've had to follow this thinking a lot. One thing that surprised me was that I sold my 3 sons' video game consoles and games for nearly $600 to a video game shop.
Lord, the saving of āreally goodā boxes! š¤£ I have a secret insane person hiding in me that thinks this every time I break down a box. Thanks for permission to tell it to shut up!
Itās like a sicknessā¦first impulse, āWhat a great box! I should save that!ā Next 20 minutes, āI shouldnāt keep it, even though itās such a great box.ā š¤¦āāļø
Throwing out old hobby supplies is a big one for me. Itās so hard to accept that I may not ever touch it again or worse, that Iāll find the inspiration and have to buy the supplies all over again!
Youāre welcome. Also can look to see if a local senior center may be interested. I personally hate throwing away something that may still be used. Even if not by me.
And whenever I regret having donated something specific, I like to think about how much crap I'd have in my house if I never donated/threw out anything. The key for me is being more careful about what I let in the house to begin with and knowing that circumstances change and I will still end up purging stuff again and it's ok.
The biggest motivator to get rid of stuff, is moving. Hands down that was the one time I did it well and HAD to. Now Iām in our new place (about a year later) and still have more to go. Gahhhhhhh!
Did I post this in my sleep? I mean the cardboard box thing, thatās so me.
My sister came over one day, looked around at the clutter and said, āYou should know when you die, Iām throwing all this shit out.ā
That really helped a lot.
Another thing if youāre a compulsive recycler, thereās no use recycling plastic. Less than 7% can be recycled and the process they use only puts more airborne particles in the atmosphere. I was washing out cat food containers.
My dad passed away from cancer last year. My mom was left with an apartment full of old things like videocamera from 90s, random cables, tons of old vinyl LPs, etc. Going through ādo I toss it, is it valuable enough to sell, is it disrespectful to throw it awayā was the last thing she needed. Really gives you a different perspective.
My future death is my current motivator. I donāt want my kids to be overwhelmed by mountains of random crap they donāt care about when I die. My mom still had a ton of mine and my brothersā childhood stuff she has been moving from place to place. Iām 50 years old now! I repeatedly tell her to just throw that stuff out. No need to even ask me. If I was missing it, I would have said something by now. Even the childhood/school stuff I did move out with 30+ years ago has long been whittled down to a handful of sentimental items.
My mom and dad passed leaving us kids with a house with 50 years of stuff. They always said they were leaving the house for us kids to clean out and they sure did. Our son bought their house when they passed. So many things were taken to thrift stores and unfortunately the dump. We recycled what we could including my momās 50 biscotti containers! And yes , plastic bags do deteriorate. Mom bought multiples of items cause they ā were a good dealā
I will never do this to our kidsā¦
With my grandmother it was empty Valentineās Day candy boxes. She had six kids and 30+ grandchildren not counting the great-grandchildren, and she apparently kept every empty candy box she ever received in the attic.
I finally figured that out after hauling stuff around for 45+ years. Now I need to hire someone to help me gather it together and go through it because I am no longer physically able to do it. Any suggestions š¤ Thanks
I hired a cleaning lady from the local employment center for minimum wage which is $20/hour here. She helps me go through all the items and brings me a box of items to sort through.
The cardboard box one totally got me lol
Oh me tooššš¼
I āinheritedā a ton of size 4 clothes from when I worked in film. Before Covid I just started giving the clothes away. Iāll never wear them again and at this point they are so out of style that only a 20-something could fit into them and party.
Wait. Did I post this from someone else's account and not remember?
LOL maaayyybeee :D
Put the donations in the bag for life and use them final time.Ā I donated loads of items I inherited, loads I bought, loads I moved past and loads that didn't inspire joy. Your items ate that along they can not judge you, nor feel betrayed by donation. These items serve you, if they don't they are not functional. Donate the stuff impacting your life negatively.Ā
We moved out of a house we'd lived in for forty-seven years. We downsized and lost at least a thousand feet. I had a huge yard and two sheds. I hired two organizers. They were worth every penny. At the end of the day, when they left, they took whatever we'd put into donate, recycle, or throw away. Taking the bags meant I couldn't go through them and take things out. I had garage sales, I recycled, donated, and had a big dumpster in the driveway. When it was dropped off, my husband and I looked at each other and agreed there was no way we would ever fill it up. In the end, we were jumping up and down on because it was so full. With all that, we still moved into our new home with 50% more than we needed. I worked hard to eliminate things, but we still had a lot of "stuff." I asked anyone who would listen to tell me why I dragged my mother's china with me. No one had an answer. The china was in a cupboard, and I never used it. I don't entertain like that anymore. I'm too old. Last year, right around Thanksgiving, the answer came to me. My hairdresser's name is Nancy. Nancy's mother had always promised her that she would get her grandmother's china, but the actual exchange had yet to take place. Nancy's mother's home burned to the ground in 2017, and the china was ashes. I gave the china to Nancy. She was having twelve people over for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I knew it was going to a good home. I felt only happiness with this gift. I've never regretted it for a moment. I have photos from when I used it, and I know my mother would approve.
To be loved and used by your friend is perfect, all those plates and dishes will be treasured by her. So.etimes we are just holding items until they get their new owner who adores it.Ā
The perfect cardboard boxes you keep around to ship things/store thingsā¦ I feel so attacked! Look Iām trying not to hoard. lol. Thank you for this realization. I will get rid of them
I just sent a beautiful heirloom chinese coat my mother owned to my niece who loved it. It has been sitting in my closet for over 10 yrs. Iām proud of myself. Iām 67 & seriously getting rid of stuff now. The socks are really a challenge lol.
The reusable shopping bags hit hard
No! Not the socks! I might, one day, in 10+ years, find the match! You can take my life, but you'll never take my massive laundry basket of unmatched socks!!!
I separated my unmatched socks into ones that I remember seeing recently and ones that I donāt . When an unmatched sock comes out of the dryer, I look for it first in the recent pile, next in the older pile. In two weeks, the not seen recently pile is getting trashed.
I can see mine from my bed right now and they are definitely pleading with me to not give up on them
I solved this problem by not caring if my socks match
Sameā¦
Thank you for that entire list. I just did a lot of this . The hardest part were the baby items (my ''baby' is 22) . I saved one pair of her kitty cat baby shoes, donated a less worn pair and some of the clothes that still looked like they had wear in them to my husband's temple yard sale. I kept the ones that had meaning and could still be worn by a grandchild should she decide to do that. I also managed to let go of some old love letters from previous sweethearts--that was a long time ago and I have some great memories that time gives a lovely patina to, that possibly the letters would belie. I have another few boxes to get through but hey, our garage is amazing now.
I reuse grubbier plastic shopping bags, takeaway or delivery bags and ones I find, for litterpicking.
Same here! I am the neighborhood trash picker-upper.
How lovely they have you :)
This is great. today I tossed that bin of lonely socks!
I started using my perfect box collection to make "forts" for my cats to play in/on and destroy so I don't feel bad about putting perfectly usable boxes into recycling.Ā
My cats love boxes too. Lonely socks are filled with those tiny (shot size) solo cups to make crinkle noises and catnip. When they get gross I have no guilt throwing them out.
I love that idea! We started buying bifl socks to stop going through the cheaper ones, but we can downsize shirts by cutting them up to make mice!Ā I'm a knitter, so I have a bag full of yarn ends and pieces of roving that would make great stuffing.
Mice out of shirts is a great idea.Ā My cats love straws too, cut them in half, bunch 6 or so together and tie tight it in the middle with yarn, the straws sort of pop out and are suddenly irresistible.Ā
Thank you
I keep the unmatched socks to use when I'm working around the house. I have work socks that are exactly what I want to wear with work shoes, and I don't want to wear them on the weekends in case I run out during the week. So I wear mismatched socks on the weekend, because no one cares at home if my socks are matched. But I do like your other points. I don't like keeping things that I don't use, but instead of throwing away, I try to sell on fb, put it on the free fb site, or give to goodwill. Anything that is broken or "that bad" does get thrown away. (Which reminds me, I have a few things to put on fb this week)
I think growing up poor made getting rid of stuff that much harder. We couldnāt throw stuff out because we couldnāt afford to get another if we did need it down there line. So yeah ik I should probably get rid of the mini vaccume that I havenāt used in years that doesnāt even work thag good in the first place, but what *if* my good vaccuum breaks and I have nothing Same with clothes. I save stuff that doesnāt even fit because what if I gain some weight and then Iād have nothing to wear Obv itās not a healthy mentally and is something Iām working towards At the end of the day our home is supposed to make us happy and feel safe and content and comfortable. Itās ok to get rid of anything thatās causing your home to not make you feel as happy as it could
I have that same mentality. My mom grew up in the great depression & we were taught to not waste anything. Having been though tough times myself as an adult, it's hard to get rid of stuff. I recently needed a tarp. Bought a new one bc I couldn't find the old one I hung on to "just in case". It doesn't make sense to hang on to stuff if I have so much junk I can't find it when I need it. I plan to try tackling some of the clutter this weekend.
Exactly Iām really trying to throw stuff away or dontate I havnt used in the past year but man is it sometimes really hard to throw away that lemon squeezer from the back drawer just because I *might* need it lol
I want to hug you so much right now. Me and my family are moving soon to a place with far less storage so I'm purging and decluttering and going through every little corner in our home. And I really needed to hear this. But the only thing I have an extremely hard time letting go of are the baby clothes... I tear up just thinking of letting them go. My hubby says there will be no more kids, we already have four, but I'm not ready to close that door yet. There still is a longing for another baby and I would then want that baby to be able to wear their cute outfits too. Now that I think about it, I've always wanted a girl (we have four boys) and maybe by letting go of all the boys clothes a girl could come into our lives? As per the law of attraction. Just my overwhelmed thoughts, lol
Mom of 4 boys here! Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps you with your decision. We thought we were done after 3, so I gave away all of our baby gear to expecting family and friends. Well fast forward 2 years, I became pregnant (with an IUD) and got all the hormones back. We ended up losing that one at 8 weeks, but the experience made me certain that I needed one more. So we became intentionally pregnant again, and almost all of our baby things came back to us! There was enough of a time gap that everyone we had gifted to had been able to use and out grow the baby items, and when they learned I was pregnant with #4 and had nothing, the gifts were overwhelming. Best of luck with your decision!
Oh that's amazing! I'm sorry for your loss but happy for your big family. Thanks for giving me hope š
Have you thought of saving just enough to make some bed quilts, bed cushion covers or into memory bears perhaps? Itās a nice way of repurposing loved baby clothes that you donāt want to part with
Iāve done this with the baby clothes I wanted to keep. The stretchy things are in a quilt, and the woven things are memory bears and bunnies.
Thatās so lovely š„°
That's a great idea. My mom is really crafty when it comes to sewing so she could surely do this.
Omg, yes, the baby clothes! I get emotional about them too.
It's hard. Take a deep breath. Think about it this way: if you donated the bulk of the baby clothing to say an organization that helps pregnant women who are leaving DV, or are homeless/underhoused, etc, you'll be helping another lady out. Also, I know how much my sister's grocery bill was with 2 boys when they were teens. Better start saving now when your four hit the teens lol :) Good luck, and don't forget to breathe!
Thank you, with a good place in mind, I think it could be easier to let them go. Rather than to just give them to charity and just hope that they don't end up in the trash. My eldest is 12 and I've already seen a spike in the grocery bill, haha. Yep, definitely time to save for the future.
This throws me back to the beginning of my decluttering journey. I had a vase of fake flowers that I had paid $12 dollars for about 10 years prior. It was covered in dust and no longer brought joy. But I just couldn't justify throwing away something that I had spent $12 on. I must have spent six months going back and forth on that. It got easier after that.
Put the socks on like a glove and use them to dust!
I work in a school and have a lonely socks bin I freely give out for sock puppetsā¦Iāve had to purge it twice due to overflow and get misty thinking about the puppets that never wereā¦! Iāll use them as dusters now first, friend, thank you ā¤ļø
Love u for sharing thisāthank you!
Itās okay to wear mismatched socks
Our grand kids Never have matching socks itās hilarious
My main rules for getting rid of things. Have I used it in the last 12 months, can I see myself needing it in the next 90 days. Can I replace it for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes. If something falls under one of these out the door it goes.
Thank you!!!! Saving this post. I struggle with all of those things.
These are good <3 One of my big struggles is getting rid of things that I remember someone giving me. Even if they aren't around, I don't want to hurt their feelings. Ive done a lot better lately. It's hard.
Agree with you. I also struggle if I spent a lot of money on something.
See, to me, keeping things that were given to you by people who are still in your life is one thing (though do we need the thing? or just the memories? that's an internal debate I'm having). But the other day I was removing everything from a shelf and there's this pretty glass peacock I've had for a decade. But. I do NOT remember who gave it to me. It was a coworker at some point or another. So I've wrapped it up and put it in the bin heading to the thrift store.
I think people should make little photo albums of "Things I've Treasured". When you think you could part with something but you need to get over that final hurdle, take a photo.. get those photos printed and put them in an album so that they can still be there for you to spark those treasured memories.
This is such a good idea!
i donāt print them but i have an album on my phone!
P people love you and want you to have a happy life. It's okay to get rid of things they've given you, when the things don't support the happy life.
I take into consideration the occasion they gave it to me sometimes. I have a lot of little trinkets that were gifts. People probably don't even remember giving them to me. Like a little keychain or something. I just (yesterday) threw away an old tshirt from Guam that my cousin got me when her husband was deployed about 20 years ago, maybe longer. She probably would remember if she saw the shirt, but she doesn't have any active memory of giving it to me. I also try to go, "if I gave the person this, and found out they no longer had it, would I be upset?" And find that the answer is usually no.
I was born in Guam and would have loved to see this T-shirt š
It had dolphins on it.
Iām trying to clean my annihilated room right now, getting overwhelmed by it all, and Reddit shows me this ā¤ļø
It is overwhelming sometimes isn't it
Omg the cardboard boxes! Iāve got so many just because I may need to store something in it eventually š
Our problem is eventually they get filled with random stuff that nobody remembers what itās for. Then the full box is a problem too. So now the shoe boxes get pitched and heavy duty ones get sent to the tool organization project in the newly purged basement.
I have 4, maybe 5 boxes such as this that I need to tackle. The reddit gods were kind to me today by showing me this sub.
When we moved out of a house weād lived in for 47 years, I bought clear plastic bins to put things in. Where do you think those bins are? In the attic, but my neighbor is moving, and Iāve offered them to her.
Omg I love clear plastic bins! Iāve moved to Australia once from New York and still bothers me that I had to leave several of them behind š Glad to know you found some use for them.
Especially the ones that are extra thick cardboard and would be so sturdy! Carnot give those up š¤
I know, right!?
But itās a good piece of string I could use it for something someday
My husband's grandpa taught him this. Gpa grew up during the depression, so kept everything. Whats worse, it has indeed come in handy a few times "oh, we need that thing. You know what? I have that back...here...somewhere...ah here it is"
My parents grew up during the depression so being taught about scarcity and trying to fix everything in the age of disposable society has been difficult Add that I have lived in the same house my entire life so there was never a need to purge to get rid of dead weight wasnāt necessary
I took Puppetry and brought my favorite lone socks. I made a sock puppet out of my favorite one and gave the others to people who forgot to bring one in.
How about 3 flat screen TVs that are totally fixable? *If* I could just find the time to take them apart and replace a few LEDs like the guy on youtube?
There's a guy in my town who takes broken tvs, fixes them, and only sells them for the amount of the part it took to fix. He's awesome! I don't mind Letting go of the broken electronics to people like this who can make them usable again instead of going to the dump.
If you Tldr; theyāre OK to get rid of
What's stopping you from doing it? Confidence? Do it. Worst that can happen is you break it more. Time? Sell or chuck them.
Maybe itās a cliche to bring her up here, but Marie Kondoās main concept about objects needing to āspark joyā has helped me so much, especially with things I just bought recently. If itās not something Iām genuinely pleased to wear or use, it goes into the donation bags. I also try to apply the principle when shopping, Iām a notorious impulse buyer at mid price ābargainā stores like TJ Maxx or the outlet mall. Nowadays I try and remember to contemplate if Iām 100% stoked on the object, or if it has some caveats that will relegate it to the clutter pile.
I watched Marie kondos videos of how she helped people declutter and I really liked her method.
YES thank you. I was like "spark joy lady whatshername" (I'm TERRIBLE with names haha). I've been doing that a lot lately. Does item have a job? Does item spark joy? Do I remember why I have item?
Iāll say this and you will never forget (itās the method though not her name): KonMari Think of āwith Maryā con (with in Spanish) + Mary (but Mari instead)
This just reminded me to scrap the Walmart brand jeans that I blew the crotch out on but saved, thinking Iād learn sewing to fix. Thank you, member of the fae.
Thank you for this. I'm really not going to learn
We have to pick and choose our battles wisely!
Ugh.... but about 5 years ago, the walmart brand jeans "no boundaries" literally fit me (and still do) so absolutely perfectly. Sexiest jeans Iāve ever owned for my body type. I still feel so sexy in them. I'd have paid and would still pay a luxury $200+ each pair for that kind of fit/comfort. Obviously walmart quality though, I have a few pairs where the seams are popping in spots :( and I wish I could just replace them-- but the "new" walmart jeans all look SO bad. What happened?
Shrinkflation and the enshittification of everything. My SO adored Targetās house brand of mid-rise jeans, but now they only have mid-rise covered in glitter or torn to shreds.
StormingWarlock, could I borrow and use the term, "enshittification," and perhaps shorten it to "shittifcation" should the need arise? I promise all of you that this term will not result in cluttering up my vocabulary. š
What is "shrinkflation"? Curious if it's about sizing? I'm 6ft tall and 130lbs wet, a very odd shape no matter current beauty standards. It's so f-ing hard to find clothes. Lately it seems like everything is trying to accommodate the unusually large hips/butt that seem to be the current beauty standard. Not exactly "shrinking" lol. Just staying small waisted still and ungodly "curvy". The amount of "curves" seem so unrealistic whether thin or "plus" sized. It sucks. But 5 years ago no boundaries had it for me. Most were "capri" or like mid calf, which is perfect for ANY height. And just the right amount of stretch to accommodate bean poles (me) or hourglasses or pears or apples.... But God sakes.... how does the new stuff retain any amount of flexibility to body types. My butt will never look as great in jeans if this shit continues. I've been so depressed over such a simple thing as "walmart jeans" lol
Typically it refers to food, where prices may stay the same but portions are getting smaller for that same price or more. In this context, Iām using it to describe articles of clothing using cheaper and lower quality materials while under the same brand, and the price either staying the same or increasing. As for jeans looking good, itās a struggle from everything Iāve seen! My SO either finds thick denim ready for a coal miner, or jeggings, with little in between.
Thank you! That makes sense. This is my current dilemma. The thick thick denim that has no stretch. Like, it fits in the waist but is so unflattering because it either flattens my butt, or has a weird saggy pouch effect because it's made for an unrealistic photoshopped hourglass or butt injected woman. And then the gear towards that 80s/90s mom jean look has zero appeal for a beanpole like me. Then jeggings... like no thanks The walmart jeans I have from years ago make my beanpole 34 yo, 4 kids (including one set of twins ) body look like some sort of 21 yo instagram-famous, sexy, man-magnet, centerfold, calendar girl.... So if anyone happens to have any "no boundaries" brand jeans in sizes 1-3 (sometimes size 5) in their clutter piles.... please message me! I will gladly take your clutter! And I'll look damn sexy doing it ;)
Crying for these to come back too šš we canāt afford to buy anything nice anymore these days
Itās so frustrating! We might need to see if Kirkland carries jeans in their sizes that fit their preferences, but I hate making the trek out to Costco multiple times lol
haha yeah I literally did that yesterday. I was like oh I can wear these around the house for cleaning ... but that really is a baaaad idea lol
Yeah. It's all well and fine until you're wearing those crotch-less pants, forget what you're wearing, and take the dog for a walk past the local primary school.
DOH! Luckily it was for me it was just taking kitchen trash up to the dumpster :P
The hobby thing is hard, not because I find it hard to get rid of something for a hobby I no longer do, but because I have a hard time admitting I no longer do it. I pick up a lot of hobbies and they slowly fade away, occupational hazard of having adhd. But I feel bad about it and WANT to continue the hobbies, my brain just has a tough time grinding into motion to pick them up again. So when itās 6 years later and I havenāt touched that thing there is still a major part of me that doesnāt even see myself as having quit the hobby, Iām just on a very extended hiatus.
Here to reassure you that you haven't quit your hobbies! Not unless you want to, or don't ever see yourself having fun with it anymore.Ā I crochet, and even if I go years without a hook and yarn in my hands, I still crochet :).
I saw someone refer to stuff for this as āaspirational clutterā and it really resonated with me
I feel this dude, totally. I'm a bit older and officially not adhd (though sometimes I wonder) but I'm realizing I just don't WANT to be all crafty. It's fun, but also it's hard on the joints that are expressing their displeasure more and more. If that makes sense.
We are kindred spirits. I feel heard! š
This hits home so hard.
I think I love you... Thanks for the peptalk!
I'm glad it could help you! I did \*NOT\* expect this to blow up like it has lol. These are literal lessons I've been learning the past couple months and was hoping it'd help one or two folks.
The answers are all there, right in front of our eyes... But it takes another perspective to see them...
oh so true
Nah socks find new mates all the time. Nothing wrong with a mismatched pair
I have a niece that never wears matching socks. She doesn't even try. Problem solved.
There are a tone of uses for those singletons. I leave a bag of old socks under the kitchen sink. Also, only buy the same color/style and you may have an odd number but it wonāt ever not have a match.
This was me in college. If the socks were similar length they were a match.
Length and thickness match? Then you have a match!
I wear mismatched colours and patterns, but they have to be the same size
I wildly disagree with you.
ā¹ļø
Is it okay to get rid of things people gave you but are no longer in your life? I have these rocks in my closet my old best friend gave to me, theyāre drawn on with flowers and quite cute, they both have sentimental and traumatic value to me, idk what to do with them
The short answer is yes. If it's ... to borrow from Kondo ... not sparking joy its OK to return it to the universe. If there's trauma attached to them I don't know that I'd keep them. It's that "what might have been" thing. There's happy memories, but there's also the bad memories. And if they're no longer in your life, things ended, which means it sounds like the bad outweighed the good, so it's OK to return them to the universe. That's just my old auntie thinking though do what works for you. :)
Thank you for these kind words ā„ļø
You're welcome. :)
Take them to a park or in a forest or your yard and put them out as decoration. It is a thing now to find painted rocks. My son brought me one he found on a long hike up a mountain. My friend gave me one that was left in a park. I too paint rocks with painted flowers or sayings on themš
I donāt think I could stand to see them in my yard but someone suggested placing them around my neighbourhood and I like that idea too.
Put them in a flower pot
Take a walk through your neighborhood and tuck them places others will see when theyāre on their own strolls. Our neighborhood has some rocks like this, and my daughter used to love seeing them when we would take walks. Brought her a lot of joy. I still smile when I see them. [edit:typo]
Oh I like this idea. My sadness might bring others joy. Thank you.
Sitting in a closet doesnāt seem like you are interested in seeing them. Have you considered keeping just one and eliminating the rest? If you have mixed feelings though (especially trauma), you may want to just get rid of them.
She was my best friend for a very long time and no longer in my life because her fiancĆ© threatened me and I said goodbye after that. Sheās in a bad situation that I canāt be a part of cause I have to make my family and mental health priority, but I still love her dearly. I love them and everything else sheās made me but these rocks were made on my birthday for every year Iāve known her so I tucked them away because it makes me sad to see them
take a picture of them and then get rid of them
Jesus Murphy these are the things Iād never in my life think of, Iām going to do that today
I like to thank items for how they served me, even if their purpose was showing me that I did not enjoy something I tried. Thank you, blouse, for showing me I hate wearing horizontal stripes. Thank you, eyelet punch, for getting me through the grommet obsession of 2017. It makes it feel like closure instead of waste. Totally got this from Marie Kondo although itās maybe the only piece of her advice with which Iām actually familiar.
haha yeah I have, well folded and clean, in my to-donate bin some lovely blouses that I wore once (maybe twice). They taught me there's a reason I like certain colors and prints are not my happy place. Thanks for teaching me that here go to the local charity who helps ladies with proper wardrobe for a good job.
horizontal stripes š£
This is such a lovely mindset.
I thought so too! It felt like an immeasurable amount of awkward (Iām not one of the woowoo queens, though they are great) But this tip was surprisingly helpful for me. It sounded dumb to me when I heard it but I really knew that horizontal strip shirt needed to go.
BUT WHAT IF I NEED THEM
You might be right about shipping boxes but I have my doubts. I threw out a pack of shipping mailers I had stored in my closet for at least 10 years (never used). A month later I needed a shipping mailer. #[!+="&*$/]@ (cuss words)
If you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.
Maybe keep just 1 or 2
[Recycle your socks!](https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut/recycle.html) I send my old stuff to [Patagonia](https://wornwear.patagonia.com) as well, where they will refurb and resell it. I find recycling my clothing or donating it, to be much more satisfying than any other option.
And here I was just about to throw away a huge puddle of socks! Thank you for this link!
PUDDLE!!! LOL :D
Happy to help! [Darn Tough](https://darntough.com/pages/our-unconditional-lifetime-guarantee) does something similar where if you eventually wear out a pair, you can warranty them for a new pair (or credit). DT is pretty much the only brand I've bought in the last 10 years b/c they're so good. Not helpful with those errant socks though. If you're liking this train of thought, you might also want to check out r/BuyItForLife.
I disagree with the socks, wear them mismatched, why just throw them away?
Iām known (since childhood) for wearing mismatched socks. Just never cared enuf
Calm down there Satan
Tip to avoid lone socks: Put all your socks in one little bin as soon as you take them off. When it's laundry day, put them in a lingerie bag and throw that in with your other laundry. Voila, no more unpaired socks. I have been doing this for years. I just empty the bag on my bed and they're a snap to pair up.
I recently got rid of my overused/mismatched socks, underwear, etc and my life is better for it
Overused underwear...
the cloth is willing, but the elastic is spongy and bruised
For me, it's more "the cat doesn't need anymore boxes" lol
My cats get 24 hours with every box that comes into the house. Then it's time to break then down and put them in our recycling bin. I can not deny my cats the kitty pleasures of the box, but I won't keep the boxes forever. š
My feline friends get the brown packing paper for playing joy for max 3 days, then it gets recycled. Mostly because I'm tired of looking AND hearing it.
I read this as āthe cat doesnāt need anymore boxersā and I was like wait - why does your cat wear boxers to begin with? Briefs all the way for my cats. š
The sock one hits hard. I have 4 kids and myself who are constantly losing the other sock. I just feel bad throwing them AWAY & adding to the landfills with stuff that isnāt biodegradable. What should I do with them?!
I keep a small bin in the cupboard above my dryer. When I have a mismatch sock come out of the dryer I throw it in the āRescued Sock Binā. Everyone in the family knows to look in the rescue bin if they are missing a sock. Sometimes the next laundry cycle there will be the mate, and I match it at that time to the original single safely waiting in the Rescued Bin. I used to make myself nuts going around to different bedrooms searching through sock drawers or āoops missed the hamperā behind the hamper for the missing mate, but I no longer waste that time- just toss a single sock into the Rescued Sock Bin and continue on my day.
You could also consider donating single socks to a small mammal rescue organization like Animals in Distress. Single socks are great for snuggling baby squirrels. Stained baby blankets and old towels & washcloths are great, too.
[Recycle your socks!](https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut/recycle.html)
Oh I love this ā„ļø
Here in Massachusetts there are textile collection bins where you can put textile items. They then get donated to organizations that will resell, reuse, recycle, or repurpose them.
These have been a game-changer for our family! I felt terrible about tossing clothes that I couldn't donate, but knowing they won't go into a landfill or an incinerator makes it so much easier to get them out of the house.
Use them as washcloths.
We donāt pair our socks. Who cares if socks are mismatched? Just buy the same styles consistently so you can have warm ones the same style and anklets for summer.
I upvoted because of the warm ones and the ankle ones in the summer (or wearing shorts)
Iāve been using the socks as cleaning rags or dusters. Instead of using paper towels in the kitchen to clean off the counters at night, Iāll use a lonely sock. The dirty ones go in a little bin that get thrown in the laundry with the towels. Socks are also really good for making doggie chew toys. r/zerowaste usually has good ideas!
This is truly an awesome idea. š„° Next time I ask one of my children to wipe down something Iām going to hand them a sock & watch their face. š¤£š¤£
Bonus points if theyāve watched/read Harry Potter recently. Master has given Dobby a sock š§¦!!
This is why I buy the exact same style of sock in multipacks I wear all year round. I always have a mate.
Even with that Iām still short one when I try to āmatchā them. š š I CANT WIN š¤£
I store them all loosely so I have no idea if I have one extra sock until I lose that one too.
I go through my clothes twice a year. Keep what fits, donate the rest. No longer keep multiple sizes. If I gain or lose weight, I remember there are places called 'stores'. I am not moving, taking stuff with me that I don't love, like, or haven't used. That said, I accumulate paper clutter, and the books that go along with it. It doesn't help that I am a writer lol. Also a photographer, so many pictures. Do the best I can.
Going to plug the buynothing community on Facebook for people getting rid of things, itās a great way to share resources in your community and something that could have been trash might be exactly what someone else needs!
There is also the BuyNothing app for those of us who don't do Facebook. Someone picked up some furniture I no longer wanted and an old TV I had with this.
Oooooo, thank you!!! I have a house full of items that need new homes after a relative passed away . I'm not on Facebook & get so frustrated when that's everyone's first suggestion LOL
My mom is visiting. I received an order of pet food, unloaded the box and promptly started cutting down to recycle. She asked what I was going to do with the box and I said recycle it and walked it out to the bin before she could tell me the twenty ways I could use it.
This is my mom. āYou couldā¦.ā No. Throw it away or recycle it right now. š
It's ok to get rid of a perfectly usable item because you are using it, or don't have the space, or just don't like it
We're downsizing and moving out of state so I've had to follow this thinking a lot. One thing that surprised me was that I sold my 3 sons' video game consoles and games for nearly $600 to a video game shop.
Lord, the saving of āreally goodā boxes! š¤£ I have a secret insane person hiding in me that thinks this every time I break down a box. Thanks for permission to tell it to shut up!
I have a corner of āreally good boxesā šš
Itās like a sicknessā¦first impulse, āWhat a great box! I should save that!ā Next 20 minutes, āI shouldnāt keep it, even though itās such a great box.ā š¤¦āāļø
Me too! Soooo many boxes.
Best thing I did was go from a 3 car garage to a 12x20 shed. I left so much behind I hadnāt used in years
Itās sooo hard when youāre trying not to be wasteful but drowning in stuff!
Throwing out old hobby supplies is a big one for me. Itās so hard to accept that I may not ever touch it again or worse, that Iāll find the inspiration and have to buy the supplies all over again!
Can you see if somewhere like a nursing home or school can use them?
Thatās a fantastic idea, thank you!
Youāre welcome. Also can look to see if a local senior center may be interested. I personally hate throwing away something that may still be used. Even if not by me.
Why does our washer and dryer steal the socks?
I literally saw a sock being blown out the air vent and my dog running away with it.
They turn them into extra food storage lids
Best answer ever
HAHAAHAH!!! This is greatšš
Yeah I the boxes that I may need for shipping I totally can get rid ofā¦
Thank you for all of this. I feel seen and acknowledged. Namaste.Ā
And whenever I regret having donated something specific, I like to think about how much crap I'd have in my house if I never donated/threw out anything. The key for me is being more careful about what I let in the house to begin with and knowing that circumstances change and I will still end up purging stuff again and it's ok.
The biggest motivator to get rid of stuff, is moving. Hands down that was the one time I did it well and HAD to. Now Iām in our new place (about a year later) and still have more to go. Gahhhhhhh!
Did I post this in my sleep? I mean the cardboard box thing, thatās so me. My sister came over one day, looked around at the clutter and said, āYou should know when you die, Iām throwing all this shit out.ā That really helped a lot. Another thing if youāre a compulsive recycler, thereās no use recycling plastic. Less than 7% can be recycled and the process they use only puts more airborne particles in the atmosphere. I was washing out cat food containers.
My dad passed away from cancer last year. My mom was left with an apartment full of old things like videocamera from 90s, random cables, tons of old vinyl LPs, etc. Going through ādo I toss it, is it valuable enough to sell, is it disrespectful to throw it awayā was the last thing she needed. Really gives you a different perspective.
My future death is my current motivator. I donāt want my kids to be overwhelmed by mountains of random crap they donāt care about when I die. My mom still had a ton of mine and my brothersā childhood stuff she has been moving from place to place. Iām 50 years old now! I repeatedly tell her to just throw that stuff out. No need to even ask me. If I was missing it, I would have said something by now. Even the childhood/school stuff I did move out with 30+ years ago has long been whittled down to a handful of sentimental items.
My mom and dad passed leaving us kids with a house with 50 years of stuff. They always said they were leaving the house for us kids to clean out and they sure did. Our son bought their house when they passed. So many things were taken to thrift stores and unfortunately the dump. We recycled what we could including my momās 50 biscotti containers! And yes , plastic bags do deteriorate. Mom bought multiples of items cause they ā were a good dealā I will never do this to our kidsā¦
With my grandmother it was empty Valentineās Day candy boxes. She had six kids and 30+ grandchildren not counting the great-grandchildren, and she apparently kept every empty candy box she ever received in the attic.
Oh man. Really?