Yes to this! I hold on to artwork for a while and keep the most precious and recycle the rest if I can. I’m struggling with the little things like party favors or swag. I keep them for a week but I also have a toddler that is at peak choking hazard age. I love my buy nothing group but people don’t want that kind of stuff either 😅
I know this isn't the point, but I hid the junk in purgatory for a little bit (small things on the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet and bigger things in the attic) and then one day when they are at school I just throw it all away! I hold onto for a bit in case they remember and ask and they almost never do.
That’s a really good idea. I also do that with some of my things like clothes and tell myself “ok, if I haven’t worn it in over a year I think it’s ok to go”
EXACTLY! I do it with my own clothes and junk too. The key with my own stuff is not to look back through the box because even if I haven’t worn/needed something I’ll still convince myself I can’t get rid of it.
If you're on Facebook, your neighborhood/town probably has a Buy Nothing group. They're great for clearing your house of all of that stuff. I've given away things from toddler clothes to a standing desk to four of those little paper cupcake toppers. All picked up from my porch after a simple post and selecting a recipient. (I've also used my local group to acquire the 100s of safety pins Girl Scouts has needed for projects over the years.)
This topic is something I have thought a lot about as my once fairly decluttered house has lost the battle to the endless amount of "things" my daughter brings home. I think writing about it brings awareness and forces people to stop feeling the need to "gift" things on top of the experience that is already being gifted.
I’ve been struggling with this for months, there’s just too much STUFF everywhere I look. I’m trying to keep the house clean but there’s just too much stuff 😩. I keep coming to the conclusion that I don’t need to work harder, we just need to get rid of about 80% of the stuff in this house. But then I keep doing nothing because the sheer amount of work it is to sort through things and figure out where to put them other than the trash is so overwhelming 😩
I get that!! Totally! I feel like focusing on one small area at a time really helps me. Like one drawer, one mail pile, etc. hang in there! You’re doing great!
Cancel Amazon prime! We did this and it reduces those impulse purchases and makes you think about what you really need. Shipping is still free with a $35 order so just takes some planning ahead to accumulate items.
Oh my god. YES to all of this. I now strictly do used books as goodie bags because I am so so so tired of the plastic crap! But it is an endless struggle against stuff as a parent and, to your point, I know it is terrible for the environment too.
Giving books as favors is a wonderful idea. Children really don't need a bag of meaningless stuff anyway, but one of those books making it into the hands of the right child could be more meaningful than we will ever know!
We love it. I usually do a theme - sometimes I’ll order a book bundle (like one year I got a bundle of Pete the cat books, one year I did Eric Carle). Sometimes I’ll just put a pile out on the table and let kids pick their own book and a snack!
Yes to this! I hold on to artwork for a while and keep the most precious and recycle the rest if I can. I’m struggling with the little things like party favors or swag. I keep them for a week but I also have a toddler that is at peak choking hazard age. I love my buy nothing group but people don’t want that kind of stuff either 😅
I know this isn't the point, but I hid the junk in purgatory for a little bit (small things on the top shelf of a kitchen cabinet and bigger things in the attic) and then one day when they are at school I just throw it all away! I hold onto for a bit in case they remember and ask and they almost never do.
That’s a really good idea. I also do that with some of my things like clothes and tell myself “ok, if I haven’t worn it in over a year I think it’s ok to go”
EXACTLY! I do it with my own clothes and junk too. The key with my own stuff is not to look back through the box because even if I haven’t worn/needed something I’ll still convince myself I can’t get rid of it.
If you're on Facebook, your neighborhood/town probably has a Buy Nothing group. They're great for clearing your house of all of that stuff. I've given away things from toddler clothes to a standing desk to four of those little paper cupcake toppers. All picked up from my porch after a simple post and selecting a recipient. (I've also used my local group to acquire the 100s of safety pins Girl Scouts has needed for projects over the years.)
Yes! I love our local buy nothing group. I’ve been able to give tons of things a second home that way.
You read my mind! We need to stop the trinket culture!!!!
So glad you can relate!
This topic is something I have thought a lot about as my once fairly decluttered house has lost the battle to the endless amount of "things" my daughter brings home. I think writing about it brings awareness and forces people to stop feeling the need to "gift" things on top of the experience that is already being gifted.
Thank you for your comment, I definitely agree. I think we’re all feeling some of this, but not totally sure what to do.
OMG this hit home 🎯
I’ve been struggling with this for months, there’s just too much STUFF everywhere I look. I’m trying to keep the house clean but there’s just too much stuff 😩. I keep coming to the conclusion that I don’t need to work harder, we just need to get rid of about 80% of the stuff in this house. But then I keep doing nothing because the sheer amount of work it is to sort through things and figure out where to put them other than the trash is so overwhelming 😩
I get that!! Totally! I feel like focusing on one small area at a time really helps me. Like one drawer, one mail pile, etc. hang in there! You’re doing great!
Cancel Amazon prime! We did this and it reduces those impulse purchases and makes you think about what you really need. Shipping is still free with a $35 order so just takes some planning ahead to accumulate items.
I cancelled Amazon Prime for multiple reasons earlier this year and it’s definitely decreased the amount of impulse purchases I make.
Oh my god. YES to all of this. I now strictly do used books as goodie bags because I am so so so tired of the plastic crap! But it is an endless struggle against stuff as a parent and, to your point, I know it is terrible for the environment too.
Giving books as favors is a wonderful idea. Children really don't need a bag of meaningless stuff anyway, but one of those books making it into the hands of the right child could be more meaningful than we will ever know!
Wow, I really like the idea of giving used books as goodie bags. I'm going to remember that for the next birthday party we host!
We love it. I usually do a theme - sometimes I’ll order a book bundle (like one year I got a bundle of Pete the cat books, one year I did Eric Carle). Sometimes I’ll just put a pile out on the table and let kids pick their own book and a snack!