Oh for a simple life..

[cherriepie]

You need a woman who will sort through your stuff. I go by a saying my Mother taught me....if you haven't used/worn it in a year then you don't need it. My home is very clutter free and very few ornaments (dust holders). Men tend to hoard alot of stuff. I've taught my husband my way of thinking too! A clear house is a clear mind!

[mrcharlie]

You need a woman who will sort through your stuff. I go by a saying my Mother taught me....if you haven't used/worn it in a year then you don't need it. My home is very clutter free and very few ornaments (dust holders). Men tend to hoard alot of stuff. I've taught my husband my way of thinking too! A clear house is a clear mind!

 

LOL - Don't fear, my partner would put the lot in the skip if I let her!! EEK!!

Yes, I agree men seem to have "fads" just an excuse to buy more stuff

 

And I quite agree a "a clear house is a clear mind"

 

I'm gonna be really busy with my boundary wall project, but once complete I fully intend to be utterly ruthless with my clutter. It will all go on eBay/gumtree maybe even here on the forum. I'm actually sick of the sight of it all.....what was I thinking back then??

 

Your 1yr bin policy is a hard one to stick to though. I doubt I could follow that mantra - but I know of some who do, they then call round asking if they can borrow ours!!

It's the duplicates that builds up clutter in our house, if I see a better one I'll buy with the intention of selling the current one, that gets forgotten until I buy an even better version, then a better one still. Suddenly we have 4,5,6 variations of the same bloody thing and the original version always seems to still do exactly what was needed.

Edited August 3, 2017 by mrcharlie

[alchresearch]

I'm currently trying to build a wall around my house (50m) stupid builders quotes

 

I'm not surprised. A 50m wall is pretty tall.

 

Are you Donald Trump?

[Cyclone]

You need a woman who will sort through your stuff. I go by a saying my Mother taught me....if you haven't used/worn it in a year then you don't need it. My home is very clutter free and very few ornaments (dust holders). Men tend to hoard alot of stuff. I've taught my husband my way of thinking too! A clear house is a clear mind!

 

A huge stereotype that isn't remotely true.

 

---------- Post added 04-08-2017 at 07:21 ----------

 

It's the duplicates that builds up clutter in our house, if I see a better one I'll buy with the intention of selling the current one, that gets forgotten until I buy an even better version, then a better one still. Suddenly we have 4,5,6 variations of the same bloody thing and the original version always seems to still do exactly what was needed.

 

I'm intrigued, do you have some examples of things that you own multiples of but rarely use?

[mrcharlie]

"I'm intrigued, do you have some examples of things that you own multiples of but rarely use?"

 

Mostly passing fads.

Cameras, optics ( Binoculars, Monoculars, spotting scopes - sold around 50 last autumn) , power tools, hand tools, Multitools (Gerber, SOG, leatherman, Victorinox etc etc) Gadgets like tablets, phone gadgets....oh' and books!!!

I seem to have triplicated everything and in some case even more so. Just expensive clutter superseded by newer versions. It's all good stuff and too good and expensive to give away. So everything is shoved out of sight until I get round to listing on eBay/gumtree.

 

Have to say I don't like gumtree, it amazes me the people it attracts. I normally list stuff at a fraction of their used worth and still get people offering less...it happens every single time!

Example last year I listed big Astro binoculars on gumtree for £25...instantly got bombarded with offers of £10,£12 or insisting I include free delivery!! So removed all my gumtree listings on put them on eBay, the difference was astounding. The Astro Bins went for £97! In total the whole listings fetched £2.5k as opposed to the sub £1k I had originally combined listed on gumtree!

 

So now stay clear of selling on there, great for buying, but not for selling.

[Jomie]

You are not alone - many people have an acquisitive nature and it is the desire for things that leads to the clutter. Maybe you should examine your motivation for buying things in the first place. Often, when we think about it we do not need the things we see on the advertisements and consequently desire. If you don't do this, once you have got rid of the clutter you will probably replace it with more.

[mrcharlie]

You are not alone - many people have an acquisitive nature and it is the desire for things that leads to the clutter. Maybe you should examine your motivation for buying things in the first place. Often, when we think about it we do not need the things we see on the advertisements and consequently desire. If you don't do this, once you have got rid of the clutter you will probably replace it with more.

 

You are quite correct.

I think I'm over it. I haven't "treated" myself since Xmas and I seem to have lost the urge these days to spend money. I've gone from being somewhat frivolous to being careful, partly due to family commitments and a realisation that all these items never seem to bring what they promised.

I'm now yearning for a simple life, less clutter, more space and most importantly more free time with family and friends and doing things I enjoy like gardening and diy. I'm so sick of the constant consumerism that bombards each and every day, whether it's pizza flyers, TV ads, Internet ads they all seem to have one thing in common, they all want my money and I've now decided, quite stubbornly they're not getting a penny unless I need to replace something because it wore out or broke down.

 

Each to their own, but I feel liberated these days and now wish to move on and put the past behind and shift all the clutter.

[Cyclone]

"I'm intrigued, do you have some examples of things that you own multiples of but rarely use?"

 

Mostly passing fads.

Cameras, optics ( Binoculars, Monoculars, spotting scopes - sold around 50 last autumn) , power tools, hand tools, Multitools (Gerber, SOG, leatherman, Victorinox etc etc) Gadgets like tablets, phone gadgets....oh' and books!!!

I seem to have triplicated everything and in some case even more so. Just expensive clutter superseded by newer versions. It's all good stuff and too good and expensive to give away. So everything is shoved out of sight until I get round to listing on eBay/gumtree.

 

Have to say I don't like gumtree, it amazes me the people it attracts. I normally list stuff at a fraction of their used worth and still get people offering less...it happens every single time!

Example last year I listed big Astro binoculars on gumtree for £25...instantly got bombarded with offers of £10,£12 or insisting I include free delivery!! So removed all my gumtree listings on put them on eBay, the difference was astounding. The Astro Bins went for £97! In total the whole listings fetched £2.5k as opposed to the sub £1k I had originally combined listed on gumtree!

 

So now stay clear of selling on there, great for buying, but not for selling.

 

Well I can happily confirm that this is not some kind of general male trait.

I own single examples of power tools, a single pair of binoculars (from when I was about 10). A single point and shoot camera, I might have a few multitools, but they're for different things. I own 2 tablets, 1 phone, and no duplicate books (I buy most books on kindle these days), I gave away a lot of books to charity, only keeping the ones that are particularly good and that I will probably reread.

[pattricia]

A clear house is a clear mind. What a wonderful saying ! I love clearing out stuff I don't use and seeing the sacks being carried into a van by The British Heart Foundation. :thumbsup: