Simplifying/living with less

zippybungle

Nothing wrong with having a good clear out, it makes me feel better when I have off loaded a load of stuff. It's easy for kids to accumulate loads of toys/clothes etc, they soon outgrown things.

Just today I took 2 bin liners of clothes and toys to the charity shop, unfortunately the Kids also came with me.........so ended up coming back with a mouse trap game, a jigsaw, a beenie baby, rubix cube and small alien in a goo pod! lol :mad::o.....plus I bought some clothes for the kids, but these were things that they actually needed .

Zippy x

Brighton_belle

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?

But does the OP need 20 mugs though? It's about knowing her real lifestyle, not her aspirational one: we have one each and just rinse them after each use. We have 2 spare ones for guests. Works brilliantly for us because we know we will as good as never have 7 people back for coffee. If we had more than 2 guests back, we would have no problem using the 2 small mugs that come with our flask for ourselves.
This means we don't have a cupoard shelf stuffed with unused mugs which means their is room for stuff we do need regulalry that we can keep off the counter so that is very easy to keep clean.

I also own one winter coat and one summer coat:D. I can't think of any occasion when I have needed more than my one warm winter coat this winter. This means in a small home, I am not overwhelmed by clothes I don't use. I think this is what the OP is after.

As for the kids stuff - OP it is as much about how to limit what comes into the house in the future. As they grow out of clothes/shoes, just don't replace with so much. Toys are harder because other people tend to buy them but perhaps introduce to the children the idea of them weeding their own stuff, especially before xmas and birthdays. There is always a risk of chucking stuff when they are not looking of them getting anxious and hoardery as they grow up.
Encourage the giving of presents by family in the form of experiences rather than 'things'.

Person_one

I have three coats. A smart(ish) belted one for work and day to day, a warm fleece lined waterproof one for snow and freezing cold and a lighter waterproof one for when its wet but not freezing. Oh, and a lighter smart casual jacket for when its a bit warmer.

I could manage with one coat, but I'd spend a lot of the time too hot/cold/wet/underdressed/underprepared!

Brighton_belle

But the OP thinks she'll be fine with one coat I think, but others have suggested this is not possible. Well it is possible for some of us, it depends on your individual circumstances. I wouldn't refuse to buy another one if my lifestyle changed and I felt the one I had wasn't suitable for every occasion.
I certainly don't think everyone needs to live with just one coat.

balletshoes

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?

I think you're giving them too much choice all at once. Put a few toys in a stackabox, and a few in another. Get one stackabox out for the kids to play with. When they get bored with that, they tidy it away before the other one comes out. I had 2 boxes that I rotated between the living room and the bedroom when my child was little.

To be honest, unless you're struggling with storage etc, I'd just leave the kids stuff alone until they outgrow stuff, then I'd ebay/charity shop it etc.

balletshoes

good_advice wrote: »

I now look at an item and ask myself if it has been used in the last year?


Kids stuff = they are growing all the time. I would wait till they have out grown the shoes and clothes.
Toys, if they have not played with in a long time I would send some to new homes before Christmas.

yes, thats a sensible idea I think, if they haven't played with something in a year, then they possibly don't want it - but I'd still ask the children before getting rid, especially if they were presents.

geoffky

As i have posted before,We moved three years ago with just the clothes on our backs and a lawnmower and big tv..We gave everything else away and skipped the rubbish...
I have just thought on we also brought our photos..
It was so good to move into this house with no clutter and we just bought what we needed.
We have just had a clear out and it was three bin bags of stuff and one of them contained a quilt..
It was the best thing we could of done as dragging stuff house to house is madness..

victory

I have one coat:D 2 for spring/ summer so 3 all year round coats but they all do their job well:D

I see what everyone is saying about the kids toys, I certainly wouldn't go into my sons room and declutter it without asking/ explaining what's about to happen, his things and all that:D

System

I'm going to embaress myself by admitting i only have one coat. Its leather and is cool enough in the summer if i need one and i just wear an extra layer under it for the winter.

Though i must admit, i dont go out that much.

LottieLou

I'm all for having a clear out once in a while, my mum used to have frequent 'decluttering' sessions. However, she threw away my much loved polly pockets and my little pony. I was so so unbelievably gutted, and still am!! I know its only toys, but to me they were priceless objects i wanted to keep forever (or atleast throw them away myself when i felt they were cluttering my space)