Simplifying/living with less

Lalaladybird

I am currently going through a process of simplifying our home by decluttering and trying to live with just the things we need. For example having 6 matching mugs instead of 20 mismatched ones, having one coat instead of 4, not keeping books I have read or cd's I don't listen to etc. I am being really strict actually and have got rid of all but 2 cd's and they are in my car, all my dvd's because I can always find something new to watch and most of my books because I really have not read them again. I am finding it quite easy to do this with my stuff but the kids stuff is another matter. They have more shoes than me....wellies, snow boots, good boots, shoes for playing in, school shoes and trainers and slippers and party shoes! The same thing applies to their clothes, nightwear, toys etc....far too much.

I was wondering if anyone else is doing/has done this sort of extreme decluttering, any tips and also what do kids actually NEED in terms of toys? For example there are lots of toys I will get out for them and they will happily play with them for 10-15 mins then get bored so I am at the stage where I am thinking if something doesn't get used for at least half an hour at a time it is going to go to the charity shop. What do you think?

BlondeHeadOn

Lalaladybird wrote: »

I am currently going through a process of simplifying our home by decluttering and trying to live with just the things we need. For example having 6 matching mugs instead of 20 mismatched ones, having one coat instead of 4, not keeping books I have read or cd's I don't listen to etc. I am being really strict actually and have got rid of all but 2 cd's and they are in my car, all my dvd's because I can always find something new to watch and most of my books because I really have not read them again. I am finding it quite easy to do this with my stuff but the kids stuff is another matter. They have more shoes than me....wellies, snow boots, good boots, shoes for playing in, school shoes and trainers and slippers and party shoes! The same thing applies to their clothes, nightwear, toys etc....far too much.

I was wondering if anyone else is doing/has done this sort of extreme decluttering, any tips and also what do kids actually NEED in terms of toys? For example there are lots of toys I will get out for them and they will happily play with them for 10-15 mins then get bored so I am at the stage where I am thinking if something doesn't get used for at least half an hour at a time it is going to go to the charity shop. What do you think?[/QUOTE]



I think the toys belong to your kids, and if they are using them at all then you should respect that and don't even think about getting rid of them.

In fact this post has made me quite cross. It's fine for you to decide you want to chuck your own stuff out, but not other members of your family. I'd only get rid of kids stuff once they had outgrown them, and then only after asking them first!

Or is it just me who thinks that this is out of order?

BitterAndTwisted

I agree with BlondeHeadOn: declutter and get rid of your own superfluous carp if you want but keep your hands off your kids' stuff! It's not yours to dispose of.

In any case, I'd say only one coat is a couple too few. So don't get too carried away or you might regret it.

Shovel_Lad

Have you had a look at the Old Style board?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33.

You might find this thread from there helpful/inspiring.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4361947

CH27

Lalaladybird wrote: »

I am currently going through a process of simplifying our home by decluttering and trying to live with just the things we need. For example having 6 matching mugs instead of 20 mismatched ones, having one coat instead of 4, not keeping books I have read or cd's I don't listen to etc. I am being really strict actually and have got rid of all but 2 cd's and they are in my car, all my dvd's because I can always find something new to watch and most of my books because I really have not read them again. I am finding it quite easy to do this with my stuff but the kids stuff is another matter. They have more shoes than me....wellies, snow boots, good boots, shoes for playing in, school shoes and trainers and slippers and party shoes! The same thing applies to their clothes, nightwear, toys etc....far too much.

I was wondering if anyone else is doing/has done this sort of extreme decluttering, any tips and also what do kids actually NEED in terms of toys? For example there are lots of toys I will get out for them and they will happily play with them for 10-15 mins then get bored so I am at the stage where I am thinking if something doesn't get used for at least half an hour at a time it is going to go to the charity shop. What do you think?

How old are your children?
When my son was young(under 4) I used to sort through his toys every so often & take away broken or forgotten ones.

Rockporkchop

Seems a bit strange. I can understand maybe cutting down on buying superfluous stuff, and not replacing things if they wear out or break. But I don't think I would throw out things I had already bought and paid for. Why get rid of 14 perfectly good mugs just because they don't match - what if you suddenly have 7 people over for coffee? And surely you need more than one coat?

Lalaladybird

BlondeHeadOn - I feel that my role as a parent is to provide for my childrens needs, love them and teach them how to be good people. Letting them have lots of material possessions and flitting from one activity to the next are not valuable lessons IMHO. I would ask them first if we can pass on the toys they don't use much of course.

sparrer

Another who agrees the children's belongings belong to the children. To say 'there are lots of toys I will get out for them and they will happily play with them for 10-15 mins then get bored so I am at the stage where I am thinking if something doesn't get used for at least half an hour at a time it is going to go to the charity shop.' sounds a bit too controlling.

By all means get rid of any of your own property if you really don't want it, I do with mine if I haven't worn, used, watched, listened to etc., something for about 12 months, but not quite so drastically as down to one coat.

You don't say how old the children are but I'm presuming they're quite young as you get toys out for them. If so, remember a child's attention span isn't like an adult's, whereas we can concentrate on a book, hobby or interest for sometimes hours, they tend to lose interest particularly if they don't understand a toy or the parents doesn't play with them to show them what it does. You ask what children need - they need variety, stimulation, teaching. Also, if you cut their toys to the bare minimum they're going to get even more frustrated just having the same old things brought out over and over. I certainly would never go as far as getting rid of something that is theirs without their permission.

Lalaladybird

Rockporkchop wrote: »

Seems a bit strange. I can understand maybe cutting down on buying superfluous stuff, and not replacing things if they wear out or break. But I don't think I would throw out things I had already bought and paid for. Why get rid of 14 perfectly good mugs just because they don't match - what if you suddenly have 7 people over for coffee? And surely you need more than one coat?

I do only have one coat - it's a black cosy winter coat fron next, looks fine with jeans or over a dress for going out in. In the summer I will have one showerproof jacket and put my coat away til the colder months. I see your point about the mugs though :rotfl:

Goldiegirl

I'm going through a decluttering process.

Over the years, most people build up more stuff than they ever really need or use.

However, I wouldn't throw away perfectly good things - A lot of my old stuff has been eBayed or given to charity shops.

I've still got more mugs than I need - some of them probably will go. I'm not sure how many I will have at the end of the process, probably more than 6 though. However, I've never had 7 people in for coffee, and I doubt if I ever will.

I haven't got children so can't really advise on what children need clotheswise. I think it's reasonable for a parent to get rid of clothes that no longer fit a child, but I'd draw the line at toys. The toys belong to the child, and I think it's up to the child to decide when they've grown out of a toy.

Lalaladybird

The other thing about toys is that a lot of toys are bought by people other than my husband and myself as birthday/xmas presents etc. For example my dd recently had a party and got a lot of presents some of which were perfect for her, others like polly pocket, barbie etc are really not things she plays with but I obviously let her open them and play with them but she will never choose to play with them, if I put them in front of her she will look at them for 10-15 mins and dress them, brush their hair but then gets bored and would rather draw etc so to my mind that is just cluttering up her room. I am surprised that I am supposed to leave this alone rather than create a nice room with more space for her to do the things she likes best. It's a bit like if someone handed me knitting needles and wool I would probably try it for ten mins to see if I could still knit but I'd never choose to do it.