My wife of 35 years clutters, I don't. The situation drags on me as I value a tidy home. She feels shame but is so far unable to improve. Is it even possible for me to help?

Please delete if this doesn’t fit here. I bought so much stuff over the Black Friday cyber Monday sales. The problem is we are already drowning in stuff. I don’t hoard necessarily, but I compulsively shop a lot when I’m depressed and I’ve been very depressed lately, and when that happens I go on these shopping binges and then since it’s all nice, wanted stuff, it just builds up. I have a thing with sets. Like I feel like I have to have the “perfect” set of summer shorts, so I’ll get some of every different category I could need and then end up with 10 pairs literally of just shorts. I don’t know how to declutter all this stuff when it’s all brand new and it’s all stuff I wanted (but don’t really need). I love the idea of minimalism and the simplicity of just having ONE of something, but I also (probably OCD talking here) have this fear of being caught unprepared for a certain situation or feeling out of control, so I make sure I buy things when they are on sale even if I don’t need them. I feel like this may come from trauma when I was a young child of losing our home in a fire.

I know I need to stop shopping and address the underlying mental issues, but how am I supposed to declutter brand new purchases? Usually I’ll buy new stuff and then donate some old stuff, but that just gets me in this endless cycle of buying new things and spending way too much money, and we still end up with piles and piles of stuff. Help, please. Has anyone else dealt with this?

I just emptied the dresser. I have been dreading it because mice get to things in the country. But I was also under the reality my clothes in there weren’t getting worn and I have a time limit. This is the last big bit of furniture I have to deal with in the room that used to be mine.

Did the mice get in? Yeah. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be to empty the dresser. It took me maybe 20 minutes. Now on to the closet. Hopefully by Friday morning I am just picking a few things up to finish the job and hauling trash to the dump.

Major success for me!!! And a breath of relief.

A Buy Nothing group would probably snatch them up in a heartbeat.

Thrift stores might not have enough time to sort and price them. I'd give them to somebody directly.

Hi all,

I’m fairly proud of what I have already accomplished in the past 7 years. I have been decluttering and feeling awesome about my progress. However, I feel stuck at decluttering my home office. I share the space with my partner and I feel like it’s a bit of a dumping ground for things we don’t want to deal with just yet. I don’t know if I’m just used to the space or if it is just too big of a job or what. I want to move to a different house in a couple of months and I just want to move what is useful. Help! I’m all out of fresh approaches and insights.

Tia

My Aunt is ready to start her decluttering journey and I think she would really benefit from Dana K White’s method. My problem is that I’ve watched so many episodes that I don’t know which one is the best to introduce her to. Any suggestions?

My parents have hoarding tendencies. As they got older the basement had turned into a semi organized dumping ground. Chairs they bought in the early 90’s and planned to restore one day. Old files from a business that ended in 1998. Magazines. Empty boxes for appliances they don’t even have anymore. An ancient microwave. So. Much. Stuff.

But my absolute favorite was a garbage bag full of boot liners for the boots they wore when they used to take motorcycle trips. It was labeled with a post it note that read “boots we don’t use”. So even when they still rode the motorcycle, over a decade ago, they didn’t use those particular boots. But instead of getting rid of them they bagged them up, wrote a note acknowledging that they don’t use them, and then stuck them in the basement for 2 decades.

I had to help them clear all of it out. 90% of it went into a dumpster. It was a huge job. They had basically filled an entire basement and a crawl space with “shit we don’t use”. But they thought it was okay because things were bagged and boxed and stacked by category. It was not okay. Boxed and organized clutter is clutter.

So now when I’m tempted to organize and keep clutter I ask myself, “Are these just ‘boots we don’t use’?” and then I donate or trash it instead.

I've started volounteering in a local charity shop. Over the weekend, I sorted 5 more bags to donate (including 12 pairs of new boots that I forgot I had and decided would now probably break an ankle if I wore them now!)

I tend to drop them off on the days I don't work as I think it would be awkward to watch someone sorting my stuff and I've seen how it works now.

I worked yesterday and as I looked around, I noticed that one whole shelf was filled with my boots (not even all of them.) My other half has always joked that I could open a shop with all my stuff but actually seeing it like that was shocking to me! No more binge shopping for me anymore.

When I told my niece that it had been a bit weird to see my things displayed like that, she told me to make sure I didn't repurchase them by mistake - good point, well presented 😂

Hi everyone. For some time now I am trying to organize and declutter my clothes. I still have some stuff that I should give away but I can't separate from it ... will come there one day hahah .. but I was thinking how many outfits for a week or a month do we really need? I would gladly make a plan to have like 10-15 outfits so I would be able to use one shirt in a few outfits (or any other piece)... So I woulnd't need 10 pants, 20 sweaters etc ... I tried to figure out by myself but it+s hard because I don't know which colors I want to keep, what to throw out and how to donate something I like but it really messes up my wardrobe 🙈

I have been working on decluttering and donating things recently, but have felt stumped on a mug and blanket my ex gave to me with photos of us printed on them. We broke up almost 2 years ago and I found both of these things hidden away in the back of a closet 😅 It’s not that I have any attachment to them, in fact I would love for them to be gone. It’s just that they’re in perfect condition and throwing them out feels unnecessarily wasteful? Yet donating things with my face on them feels weird and makes me uncomfortable. Sustainability is an important core value to me and I harbour a lot of guilt when things are not repurposed or recycled but I can’t see a way around this one. Open to ideas 😭

I wanted to get rid of this Santa stuffy. A couple days ago, a mouse likely ran up on top of it to get into the closet and it makes me want to get rid of it even more! I have no desire to disinfect it.

And just having unnecessary clutter in your house while dealing with cleaning mice droppings is an even more reason to get rid of stuff!

Especially now, I really prefer to keep things off the ground. They really like hiding and pooping in closets, so disgusting! Having a clear ground would have really helped.

I feel paralyzed, disgusted, violated that mice got in here. Share your sympathies haha

I had a huge declutter prior to the baby arriving and as he was preemy it was a god send having done it early.

However, I have a ton of stuff listed on Vinted that is neatly sorted into containers but also have at least 3 huge sacks of clothes & shoes that still need to be listed. I am caught in the sink cost bubble in that a lot of it was expensive and I can’t bear the idea of just giving it away. I’m also desperate to get my space bac and get it out my house. Help!!!

My husbands career has caused us to move a lot. The last move (2021) I thought was pretty permanent and we bought (what we thought was) our "forever" home- 4000sqf in NW Indiana. Then in March of this year we moved again- this time to NJ where the cost of living is substantially higher and our budget only got us 1700 sqf.

As I'm sure you can imagine, downsizing that much means we have a VERY cluttered house and I'm DESPERATE to do something about it.

The problem I seem to constantly run into, is what to do with things I have that I can't use currently- but would absolute use in a future home.

For example- this house doesn't have a fireplace. I just got out Christmas stuff down from the attic which includes my gorgeous stocking holders and stockings that I've used every Christmas of my adult life. Obviously they won't be going up while we're in this - but should I hold onto them?

For context, we absolutely cannot afford a storage unit, nor can we really afford to buy new things every time we move, but the clutter is driving me BONKERS.

Hello everyone. So basically I am a knowledge hoarder. I like to learn about so many subjects, but especially psychology which is my field. And I just found myself over the years saving many screenshots and posts. And it has become overwhelming because they are unorganized and I cannot reach what I need. I do not have an organized external brain per se. This does not apply to information only but to contacts, accounts, photos, notes, apps, subscriptions, emails, passwords, files, pdfs, etc… I find it so hard to declutter because it just feels so daunting like it is going to take a million years. However, it is impeding my productivity. What would you recommend? It is taking so much mental space and it is weighing me down.

Thanks.

I was decluttering the then other day and organizing and it was like a tornado came through my apartment. When I stopped to take a breath I looked around at the mess that I left. Has this ever happened anyone decluttering

I started decluttering a couple of years ago, slowly at first, but occasionally I get these "declutter attacks" where I get rid of a bunch of stuff. The problem is, I always end up filling the space again. My first real progress was this summer when I started removing extra furniture (closets and drawers) from my room. Getting rid of storage helped me stop accumulating some clutter, but I still have a big issue with hobby-related stuff.

The problem is I don’t have a regular or casual hobby. I’m a web designer, and all I really need is my PC. My entertainment is gaming, which is also on my computer. But I keep jumping into new hobbies, buying tons of supplies, and barely using them before moving on to the next thing.

For example:

• Sewing: Bought a machine and lots of fabric, made one dress and one jacket for my cat, then quit. (Finally sold the machine and gave away the fabric this summer.)
• Painting: Bought a full oil painting setup, did 3-4 pieces, and now it just sits there.
• Knitting & Crochet: Bought 20 premium yarns, made one tiny frog, never touched it again.
• Jewelry Making: Bought two sets, made three necklaces, then stopped. One set is still unopened after months.
• Fitness: Got a whole Pilates set and a treadmill. Used them for about a month and haven’t touched them in ages.
• 3D Printing: Bought a printer to make dioramas, printed one Skyrim statue, and sold it all after 1.5 years.

I’m stuck in a cycle: I keep these things because they’re expensive, and if I give them away, I worry I’ll just buy them again later for some fleeting inspiration. Sometimes I feel ready to let go, but then I’ll look at Pinterest, get excited about creating something, and the supplies sit unused again.

Right now, I have about 5 boxes of art supplies I haven’t touched in over a year. I don’t want to keep them, but I also don’t want to regret letting them go. Getting rid of furniture helped force me to confront clutter, but I still struggle with these "what if" feelings about hobbies.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you break the cycle of buying and hoarding hobby supplies? I’d love to hear your experiences or tips for managing this.

Note : I’ve also started decluttering my shopping habits. Now, I add things to my wishlist and wait 2-3 weeks before deciding if I still want them. If I don’t, it means it was just a passing feeling, and I skip the purchase. This has helped a lot, but it’s not a perfect solution for hobby-related items. With those, I feel completely powerless—passing on clothes or other non-essentials is fine, but when it comes to hobbies, I struggle to resist.

Edit : thank you so much for your replies and ideas.. I realized i didn't even mention many stuff.. like me buying cricut just to do 1 sticker sheet, buying a electric guitar just to play for 1 week... Some people mentioned adhd but i have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, twice in different timelines.. they didn't mention and adhd. To be fair i never mentioned about this hobby problem of mine, it was much deeper darker topics.. but I'll look into that as well to see if there is anything that can help me. Thank you again <3

Thanks for everyones comments in advance

Hey I just joined the subreddit and curious if anyone has had to get rid of gift items from family members and how had yall been able to emotionally get it over with? I have a few close family members of mine who have continuously impulse buy low quality clothing, blankets and misilanious household items for me and my siblings who have also been several generationally handed down similar items to what is being newly bought. These purchases have been occurring over several years and take up my own and their own houses. I'm not sure this is the subreddit to post this sort of hoarding situation but I just want to give things away but there's a slight guilt in wanting to give away gifts from loved ones

Hello all--

The answer might seem clear, but these emails are almost like a diary from 10+ years of my life and, for example, the first date I went on with my now-husband is described in one of these. I have 100s of threads of me describing everyday life and the ups and downs and key moments of my life. We're not friends anymore, and I recently got a notice I'm nearing the limit of my free email storage, so I'm clearing things out big time.

But these emails (which there are 100s if not 1000s) are a bit of a stumbling block. I don't want to read or even skim through them to see which ones are important, but I also don't want them hanging around being digital clutter for decades.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Moving abroad with my wife in a few weeks and we've been preparing for a year or so.

I have sold and thrown away so much stuff.

My wife has found getting rid of anything very hard work and everyday I need to tell her in X days we are moving with 4 bags and what are your intentions for this item. But as we reach the move date more and more stuff keeps appearing.

She has hundreds of things, packets, paper bags, mementos, just endless drawers and closets full of things.

As we are moving abroad we are only taking a four big bags with us. It has been really hard work getting rid of everything. So much useless stuff keeps being found. I don't know how or why it ever got in the house. Endless amounts of paper shopping bags, candles, paper clips, folders full of papers and formal letters, batteries, sun-glasses - it has gone on forever. So many never worn slippers, shoes and socks... never opened boxes of soap. It just is incredible. So many ornaments.

We are close to the finish line and we've had so many mini fights reminding we are taking 4 bags and we cannot retain these table clothes my grandma gave us ten years ago, for example. Every item is a battle getting rid of it. But we are nearly there.

What a year!

Gained some weight and some of the clothes that I have don’t fit me. Instead of it being a signal about how I should revise some daily habits, I bought new clothes. What is the best course of action? Keep the clothes and wear them another day or get rid of them and get new clothes when my waistline decreases?

I have a room in my house that is used for creating art, I love creating art, but I have way too many art supplies for my own good. I have two big boxes already full - I work at a non-profit animal shelter and I take things there and give it all away for free. Problem is I know I’m not using half the stuff I am keeping but I can’t get rid of some of it knowing I may want it for a project someday. (I have a pack of gauche from college… it’s now 20 years old and probably gone to shit)

I want this space, which is probably about 12 x 8, to function as half art studio, half mediation/spa space so I can decompress. I really just don’t know how to do this easily. I have reference books, regular books, artwork, some plushies, three desks (a glass one for wood burning, a drawing desk, and a desk for my computer) and I’m at a loss for how to make more of this stuff go away. I even sell some things on Mercari for a couple extra bucks.

Has anyone done a full transform on an art studio? If so, can you show me some photos? 😁

I’m helping clear out an estate and am looking for organizations or online resources that accept donations of military medals, pins, and patches. It’s a collection with over 60 years worth of material.

In your eyes, where do you draw the line when it comes to decluttering too much? What do you define as that healthy "goldilocks" zone of decluttering just enough.

Very interested in optimizing my space (even more than I already have been trying here and there). Curious what everyone thinks!

When I got my own place a few years ago, I started accumulating stuff. Bought new furniture and dishes and clothes and what not.

Now, since January, I’ve been sorting and getting rid of some of the big items in my house. I gave my big leather couch set to my brother. A few boxes of clothes to the veterans affair. Electronics to my nephew.

I still have a few items which I will try to sell on eBay or any marketplace in my area or donate them if they don’t sell. I don’t care about the money I get from it.

I’d like to live with as little material things as possible. Just like when I was in college living in a dorm. I’ve started digitizing my receipts, pictures, and other documents.

I don’t host parties at my house and rarely have visitors. It’s a 3 bedroom house. I also plan to rent out one of the rooms.

Any tricks or tips on how to accomplish my goal?

So, that’s it. I hope to reduce everything by 50% before 2025. I’ve got 28 days.

I made the dog mad, but she got over it once the furniture re-arranging was done.

I took two plants to the office that make a mess here, but are easy to have at work outside and keep clean with the leaf blower. I vacuumed in all the corners. I got a bunch of work items (one box) out of here. We took a couple bulky items to the salvage place we frequent (we rarely buy, we often donate). Best of all the two spaces are more appropriate (recumbent bike now in office, loveseat/bed can be used to put shoes on in the front).

Before tariffs go up I wanted to purchase things like blackout blinds to keep the heat in. We did all the work over the holiday vacation, nothing sat around more than 24 hours. Anything I replaced I donated. I never did that before, like all at once. None of it was big ticket items just "what would I do to achieve a well oiled machine?"

I also purged at the office:

I wanted less visual clutter. I got rid three rugs, a broken Christmas tree, a pallet, a mop bucket, I hauled away a big desk, and didn't fill that space. I organized all the cables at work (again - my husband and I work together, it gets crazy quick). I cleared a huge cabinet and organized a couple hundred laptops (3-4 models). I mopped the huge space (there was a flu outbreak so I locked myself in at the office when all others were sent home).

Organizing is upkeep for sure. I definitely need everyone to LEAVE in order to destroy it all, and put it all back together.....even if the dog got mad.

And maintenance? Maintaining in between is pulling a Bill Murray at the office with a leaf blower. 😉

The house is warmer now, and I did haul off a bunch of stuff.

I have a slight hoarding issue and cannot bring myself to discard items around the house I no longer need.

I need the mental peace that comes with a decluttered space... I've lived like this for 10+ years, and have decided that I need to do something about it. If I am realistic, I am not going to get rid of this stuff. However, I can easily afford to buy some boxes for the excess stuff and rent a small storage facility to keep them there. I recognize that there are deep, emotional reasons for me to keep unnecessary stuff (that's for another post).

Is the storage facility a good route to go? Welcome any reactions.

Successful, accomplished professional otherwise.

Now is a great time to slim down your Christmas decor! If it doesn't spark joy, it's not being used or displayed this year why are you putting it back in a bin in the basement? Start a donate box while you decorate.

I have a tree skirt, tablecloth, 2 stockings and some miscellaneous ornaments ready to go. I'm going to list it as a bundle on a local free page.

what is a normal amount of tshirts to own?? i’ve been trying to be more mindful about how much stuff i own - starting with my closet as it causes me the most consistent stress! the thing is - i have like five shirts i tend to reach for. i’m neurodivergent and wear the same outfit all the time - and i will straight up forget clothes i own if i don’t constantly wear them - but i also love fashion! i wanna wear more things that i like and not be tied into the same stuff all the time! but also what is a normal amount of tshirts (or equivalent) to have?? i’m sick of repeating outfits all the time but also don’t wanna go too crazy with owning clothes i never wear. i’m just looking for a sort of range to aim for - how many shirts do you own? do you struggle with similar issues and have any tips for breaking out of only wearing one thing?

sorry if this is a little all over the place - i’m a little scattered!!

The holiday season can be busy and emotional, so instead of challenging you to clean out one more thing, we're challenging you to sit down with a beverage of your choice and think. What are your decluttering goals for 2025? A closet? A room? Building habits? Maintenance mode? There are no wrong answers!

Share your 2025 decluttering goals in the comments!