We just need enough clothes so we don't get arrested in public for being nude, and enough other possessions to see to our daily needs. Sadly that is not me

I live in Perth Australia and have found a great place to donate things to - Dreambuilders in Midland West Aust. I shifted from my other house to here about 15 years ago - and still have boxes of stuff I brought with me that have never been opened. I am definitely going right through my house and getting rid of stuff I am not using. Sometimes you can be emotionally tied to stuff - but I am now saying I would prefer to have somebody use some of these things - than just sit in my house. I am sure that where ever you live you will find some charity that is happy to take stuff in sellable condition.

I sell or donate things I don't need

Sell your stuff on FB Marketplace or donate to charities

So is my house … stuff from my daughter still here after she got married and moved out over 6 years ago … toys from grandchildren that they have grown out of … and oodles of other stuff that just seems to accumulate over time … I just haven’t got the energy to sort it out and get rid of it ??

What do you do when your kids have left home and leave behind stuff like drum gear, some good clothes and electronic/computer stuff? They live too far away to collect it and they live in rented, temporary accomodation. The answer is that you end up storing it for goodness knows how long! What you do for love...

Last year I downsized and got rid of 9 van loads of stuff.

I go through everything once a year and sell stuff I don’t use anymore. Great way to make some extra cash too

If you haven't used it in the last 6 months , the odds that you will use it in the next 6 months are pretty slim so get rid of it, sell it or give it away. Clear the clutter from your life, selling it may get you enough to have a good holiday treat yourself. Be FREE!!!

Like you weve amassed tonnes and keep saying we will take to salvos but each time I goto hubby always does the but, what if routine

Not used for two years out it goes to the Salvation army or hopice shop. The sheds outside are a disarster but they are my husbands problem, until i am left with them then will get lions club or similar to come in and autin things. They have part of the money.

Market place on facebook is a good site for selling and GIVIT site there are a lots of people in need looking for items lost in the bush fires and the floods need to be real about prices as I hear that the OP shops are now expensive .I have had a number of gargage sales and if you get a $1 for the simple things it has moved on . Secondhand clothing is big as donated stuff ends up in the dump . if it needs mending or stained or marked cut off buttons and cut up for rags for cleaning trades like bags of rags -clean ones,, Tackle one room at a time ,If you have space lay everything out and do like the hoarding show have sections -keep -donate -put in the bin . Vets or dog rescue like towels /sheets for the animals . Check out your local church or soup kitchen they seek items for the homeless.Women shelters want clothes for themselves and children . Have not needed it used it or seen it in 6-12 months move it on ,. Something has to go before you replace it ,Good luck Free up your life If you have treasured items pass on now so that person knows that you want them to have it now it means more when you give it to them. Edited 13-Oct-22 17:40pm

I have down-sized immensely with 3 garage sales over the years and giving stuff away or donating items to Op Shops. I detest clutter and see no point in hoarding dated clothes or shoes or clothing that no longer fits.

My rule is if something comes in, something goes out. And they need to be size comparable. Otherwise you could rationalize bring large treasures home and throw out some papers. Doesn't work that way. Another rule to go by, is if you haven't used it in 6 months, you won't use it at all. If you don't want it to go to waste because it's still got value, donate it, or give away. When you declutter, it's a very liberating feeling. Good luck!

I have way too much stuff, including a garage full of my late mums stuff, can’t wait for better weather so I can have a garage sale.

You could have a garage sale or give the items you dont need to charity.

you only need what you use, get rid of all the stuff that hasn't been used for the last 12 months. Think of who will have to clean it out when you are gone, that could happen anytime.

We live on a rural farm and have stuff spilling out of sheds, I'd hate to think what we must have to get rid of when we do move to a small house in the burbs.

ONE MANS JUNK OTHER MANS TREASURE

That's not downsizing, it's decluttering, It's also a clear indic ation of acquiring what you might want tather than what you actually need. Flog everything you don't need and enjoy what you've got.

It is always good to do cleansing

Give them away to the poor {families who are struggling to make ends meat. You will feel much happier, and sleep well at night

We were in a flood almost 3 years ago. Lost most everything. So we downsized and it was great. I was so traumatized at that time of homelessness and having to put my cat down, I just didn't care. All we had left would fit into a small single room. So we started off fresh and haven't cluttered

We only think of de-cluttering when we are about to downsize. Before that just relax.

I am dressing from the right of my wardrobe and replacing clothes I have worn to the left of the wardrobe. If I haven't worn them in a year....they're going to charity. I am also rotating my tshirts and jeans piles, dressing from the bottom of the pile and replacing on top from the washing/folding. Same again....not worn in a year....out it goes. Same with jumpers, shoes and accessories, such a scarves, jewellery etc. I have collected many toys and action figures over the years....a quick check on ebay showed me just how much they are worth to collectors these days. Making a small fortune on ebay selling the toys off.Same with other items around the house....list them on local marketplace sites. The money is worth more to me atm than the items taking up space and collecting dust.

Again define what we do not need. What you do not need today you will need sometime in the future if you bought it for a reason other than just an Impulse Buy. For instance I have a Cro here which I do not use often less than once a year but when I need it it is needed and saves me lots of time and effort which means it's initial cost has been recovered numerous times since I bought it years ago and while I could say I need a Digital Storage Cro and it would be useful the Analog Cro I have here does everything I need it to. When it comes to hand tools I don't use any particular spanner often well except for spanners in the range of 10 to 13 mm which are the most common spanners I need here but does that mean that the 36 mm Socket which fits the crankshaft bolt and is used to turn a motor over once a week when it is not being run isn't needed? It stops metal valves getting rust on the sealing surface so it saves pulling heads off and reseating valves but it's a rare use item. The same as Tie Rod pullers they are rarely used but there is nothing that can do their job when they are needed without destroying the ribber boots on the tie rod ends and if they get used once every 5 years it's a miracle. I remember the wife throwing out a pressure cooker because it never got used and then a week latter she needed it but she had not touched it in nearly a decade. Where problems arise is people who buy things because a sign says x amount off so they think that they are saving money when they buy something that looks nice to them at the time but will never be used.That however is MARKETING which so many people fall for and is all about selling people stuff they neither want or need just to move those items off the shelves because some buyer thought that they would be a good seller not because anyone actually needs them. As for downsizing anything involved changing houses is just plain expensive where all you are doing is paying the Banks. Titles Office and Solicitors vast amounts of money to transfer ownership of one place for another. I once looke dat the sale of a house by a friend who claimed that they had made 200K by selling their current house and buying one further out cheaper and when all the sums where added up they where 50K worse off but they bought the place for 300K sold it for 500K so they had made 200K on the sale and they could not be dissuaded from the profit that they thought that they had made even though they freely accepted that they had less money in the new place than what they had in the Old Expensive to run place and where now finically worse off.

I love to shop a bargain but I only buy if I am going to use it or I purchase as a gift .If you have a room full of bought purchases and you are not using it you really need to do a clean out. I do one draw or cupboard a week and go through every thing that I am not using.

I have totally sorted out both my shoes and all my clothes...everything not being used is now in a charity shop...and THAT is an amazing feeling...the next thing is my huge book library...I started out well and cleared a couple of shelves...then had my son asking about books that had gone..I don't know...its hard isn't it?

Any thing you have not used or worn in 6 months has to go. Garage sale on a Saturday afternoon, advertise on a lamp post or on Gumtree. We sold some of our stuff before we went on our caravan trip that way. Saved storing it and gave us some cash before we left. Yes it is amazing how much people hoard. I was at my parents place just recently and I thought my Mum was a neat person but after what I saw no they aren't either of them. This was brought about because my Dad has had a stroke. Nothing major thank goodness but it is a concern. I am dreading the time when they are both gone and it will happen. Knowing Dad he'll linger on being a pain as much as he can. Have to love them though after all they are my parents and they brought me into this world. Do down size if you can. We did and it is the best thing we have ever done.We love the country and we are way better off. Rates are cheaper, we don't have to pay for water, we have more land and we do not have to deal with traffic or people.

I haven’t kept on top of it and desperately need to sort it out..! I did get into it once and started off with three piles, one to sell, one to bin and one to give away but it ended up looking like Mt. Cook…

Keep planning to have a 'clean out' but am a hoarder and have troubling doing this. "That might come in handy" ... and sure enough after I throw it out someone wants it.

Every few months go through your stuff, sort into Save it, Store it, biff it, or sell/ give it away. And get rid of multiple copies of things, also only keep what your HONESTY, ACTUALLY gonna use.

I get rid of things that I don't need or uses.

Anything you haven't used across one year - that it the four seasons and all the special events - should go. If it is unused just picture the pleasure someone who actually needs the stuff will experience. Easier said than done but good on for you for reaching this first step in the decluttering.

We keep finding things we haven't used or never used. I made a big mistake. I got a fold down ladder to free up attic space - now 20 odd years later we keep thinking about getting it all back down from there.

If you have heaps of things, especially new and in boxes, Facebook Marketplace/Gumtree or local supermarket classfied boards are good. I have the same problem but my daughter is moving out and there are heaps of things she will be taking to use. I seem to have boxes everywhere too! I hate it!

Having moved numerous times in our married life together, we have learned to get rid of items we no longer need or use every six months or so. As well as this, I regularly make trips to our local donation centres when clothes or kitchen items like dishes or extra cutlery are no longer needed, so we don't have a lot of clutter at all. Once you begin to live in a home without clutter you find how much easier housework becomes, as there are no items crammed into cupboards, or extra furniture sitting in corners. I would hate our children to have to clear out lots of rubbish when we pass on, as I found this very difficult when my parents and my sister died.

If you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it (sell it).

I have so much stuff that is incredibly useful….maybe…one day, even after I’d done a Swedish death cleanse…..lol prolly gonna have to do it again

I have absolutely no problems with clutter in my home – I just put it in the spare room and ignore it.

We downsized a few months ago from a 6 bedroom home to a 3 bedroom home and donated or sold every thing that we no longer used. And I also go through thing once a year to look at what we are really using or not. The only things I will never dispose of is the cards and items our grandchildren have given us.

You only need 3 items of underwear. On,in the wash and 1 spare

yearly chuckout

I donate to Amvets every month! I say if it’s not being used and not planning on it either donate or sell stuff on offer up to make extra gas money lol plus I have OCD everything needs to be in place.

If it's brand new you should resell and make some money from it that you can put into savings for something you do need. Even 2nd hand if it's in great condition. Just think about whether you really need it or if you will ever use it.

Throw it on ebay or gumtree make a few bucks

Donate

if you havent used something in 6 month, throw it out, empty your wardrobes every 6 months of cloths you havent worn,and leave the wardrobes empty!

I am downsizing me! I am starting to sort out clothes to sell that are way too big now.

I have just down sized and still have a garage full of stuff I have to get rid of. First of all my daughter went through my wardrobe, and she was really drastic. I gave away some stuff to family and still have a heap left. I am thinking I will just advertise it in the local community column online and just give it away. I already did that with a queen size bed with all the covers and the man was so grateful because they had lost everything in the flood.

I am a bit of a minimalist, if I don't need I don't buy it, I try to repurpose everything, eg my last fridge became an esky/seat in the backyard took some time but has pride and place now next to the firepit/barbie, we fix rather than replace and when kids are tired of toys they go to the op shop, there a lot of products out there that do only one thing and with a little effort you can find something that does them all, for example, a frying pan, we can poach,scramble, fry, and make an omelet, as well as cook many other meals, yet I know there are gadgets that supposably do these things individually, my tip is keep things simple and realistic, you will end up with a ton of space

We all should do from time to time. I had the pleasure of doing this recently, for my parents now passed on, and myself moving on. It can be daunting but I felt such a burden had been lifted. Sell if your able you may as well benefit from this, give to those whom may want, give to charity, recycle shops, recycle and give something a new lease on life, but only if you will use it, not sit and collect dust. Three piles keep, sell, maybe. Maybe keep if not used get rid off. This also works for our wardrobes of footwear and clothing, I wish you all the best on your new adventure to unburden your life and feel the difference.

I go through the cupboard and I remove all the things I haven't used for 12 months. Then I check if I really need them. Chuck anything that is extra.

Having cleaned out the home of a family member who died, we realised that we, like her, have/had a lot of stuff we no longer use nor need. We are in the process - about halfway through - of redding out and what fun it is - though initially hard work as there was so much and after just 22 years - my sister had been in hers for 40 years. It seemed like she never threw anything out! Don't forget this. You can't send Electrical goodies - old or recent - to the Op Shops, best thing is cut off the plug close to the gear and toss in the Recycling Bin. IT stuff you can drop off at your Local Council's Recycling Depot. Be Very Strict with yourself! Don't fall for that old "It might come in useful later on" argument we so often use. If you haven't used it for between 6 months and a year the probability is you won't ever use it again so get rid of it. We have found so much space as a result it is like a new home!

I would consider selling it and get some of the money back on it and then if any left give it to someone that might need it.

we don't save crap we never use, if we are not using it, we donate it,,

Yep its actually called hoarding, hoarding items that you know you will never use, and when you buy items and then hoard it away in a bedroom that it becomes a major problem, because then you start to fill up other rooms thinking that one day you will use that item but instead it sits and sits, so best to get rid of it, asap.

most of the stuff I have gets used, even tho there seems a lot of it. what hasn't been used in bout 12 months and/or I think will never get used again goes out to the grass verge for people to help themselves to or goes to op shop

I have donated a lot of stuff. Slowly I bag a few things and take it to the op shop or give it to my sister. As we get older it becomes too much and best to get rid of it now than when I get too old to sort through.

Get a bigger rubbish bin.

I think that it is a great idea to give what you aren't using to a charity shop. I have been blessed with so many great items I've discovered there over the years and when I no longer have need of it, for example if it was clothing for my children that they outgrew and still in good nick, then back it goes to the Op Shop or I just give it to someone I know who has young grandchildren etc. I have to admit to having a LOT of stuff and some people might call me a hoarder, but these crates and boxes are filled with food, clothing of different sizes to give away and good quality linen for people who might need this. It certainly isn't for me but it is a buffer against the very near future collapse of our current economy and the global famine that poorer countries are experiencing already. I always take the oldest products for myself but if I'm not here when these events take place then my children can use these products, including new heaters, fans etc, to barter with. I would love to live in a home without clutter but I just can't risk it yet. As industries around the globe shut down as they cannot afford to pay rising energy costs these items will increase in value and can be swapped for other essential items. But I agree that we in the West have too much of everything.

Too much effort. I am 89 & the kids are having nightmares about sorting through my collecting over the years

Haven't used or worn it for 5 years? Out it goes!

I donate to charity,and if something new comes in something has to go.

I love the comments here. I also try hard to donate or give away what I do not need I have friends that are needing things sometimes and I am always glad to help We also donate

For every new item I buy I give away something from my old stash

Sell your items online or do a yard sale. Reading a great book like MATRIARCH TO MADNESS > non fiction, is also a great idea. Trust me, God Bless. You can also donate what you no longer want.

As soon as I throw something out, I want to use it...so I keep everything LOL

Only keep things you love and use. Use bins to separate them.

carpet,cups,plates,soft toys,decorations, clothes and bikes?Basically, anything you haven't used for a year or two will not be used in the future.

We recently downsized - at first, I thought it was somewhat of a 'negative' thing, but after getting rid of so many things that I wasn't using, it was a very freeing experience - love being in control of my things now.

I clean out every nook and cranny of my home at least once a year. Clothes and such go to St Vinnies. Stuff goes in the bins if useless or not recylable. I am no a huge fan of having stuff for the sake of it. If I do not use it or it is not something I will use ever out it goes. Sometimes I do keep stuff for the what if times but usually by the following year it also goes. Edited 12-Oct-22 01:13am

Two years ago we moved after living in a home for forty-six years. Me darling wife is a hoarder, but not like the kind you see in television shows. Everything was in bins or boxes and and labeled. Some of them hadn't been opened for years. It was a nightmare!

I love to downsize!!

reside in an apartment - cannot waste space with stuff I am never going to use

Downsizing is a good thing to do especially when you place is getting cluttered!

Been doing a bit every day..

I feel this is one of the hardest things to do. I tend to keep it for a just one day. I may need it one day and it gets gathered up and to put in my spare bedroom.

Every spring and fall I go through stuff and donate. That way it never gets overwhelming.