What do you class as clutter?

[gardening_gal]

Hello. I'm gardening_gal and I am a hoarder.

I'm not the kind of extreme hoarder you see on tv ( I don't want to leave you with the impression you can't see my carpets lol) but I do hoard nonetheless. It's usually 'useful bits', or memento stuff, that kind of thing.

I've decided that clutter is adding to making me feel a bit 'meh' sometimes so I'm in the (slow) process of clearing and gutting. I would like to have cupboards that are not bursting at the seams. I have to say I do feel a bit emotionally lighter for getting rid of things. My eldest is 35 now and I still have his Primary 1 report card. Actually, all the kids report cards for every year and probably every drawing they ever did. You get the idea. So now, I have taken pictures of everything and stored the memories digitally and I've thrown the actual items out. I'm quite pleased just how ruthless I've been able to be. I've also chucked out various household bits and bobs that weren't worth selling or passing on but nor would I ever use them again.

My issue now is that anything gardening related is not clutter, at least not to me. I can always find a use for things. I don't really have the space to store umpteen freebie plastic flower pot trays from the garden centre though, despite how useful they may be at some time or other. I have many many such items. I'm sure one day I will need 'whatever' to use in the garden so I hate to part with anything but I do have rather a lot of 'bits'.

Oh and the Poundland Charlie Dimmock gardening range that BM told us about ages ago didn't really help the cause.

So, what do you class as clutter? Is garden stuff included in that category for you or not? Where do you draw the line about what to keep and what to get rid off?

All posts welcome, especially from those who keep bits of string, or are overrun by empty egg boxes, old pots or anything else that would make me feel better.

[veggiechicken]

Sorry but I can't make you feel better - I'm a hoarder of clutter and proud of it. Not many Grapes can say they have every edition of GYO magazine since the first! One day I'll find someone who wants them.............

[Guest]

I suffer from stuffication. Quite often I will look around and it will get me down as there is just so much stuff. Over time it creeps into more space until I have a blitz, but as soon as I blitz one area another area becomes worse. I do feel bad because I do have bouts of ruthlessness - the girls toys for example if they are broken they tend to get slung rather than repaired (my oldest is 3.5yrs but there are toys in 4 bedrooms, 2 downstairs rooms and the garden I am sure people think we have a tardis for a house ) I am envious of people with minimal looking homes, spotlessly clean with perfectly preened hedges and lawns but I haven't a hope of a smidge of that as it is just not my nature

And what is it about clean areas that attract stuff...seriously, clean spaces in my house just attract 'stuff'.

[Scarlet]

Hmm, i hate clutter. I throw everything out that isn't mine I'm not very sentimental, I loved both my Nans to bits and have just the one photo as a reminder of the one, the other I have her Welsh "stone" for making Welsh cakes, a photo of her dancing and a her recipe of bara brith. My wedding dress went to a scond hand shop straight after my honeymoon. The kids reports? I would bin after a week. I haven't kept any school books or drawings. If the boys want to keep something it gets hidden stuff makes me feel suffocated. I love to cook but I hate a full kitchen so I don't have many pots and pans etc. I don't do many ornaments either...but I love photos, digital is fine.
I do have lots of pots and trays for the garden but I have a clear out at the end of Autumn...you can always get more.

[noviceveggrower]

]I have to hold my hand up I am a bit of a hoarder. I can't put both up as I am busy trying to hide my clutter up even now. I know I complain about having to tidy the kids bedroom up but I have tidy clutter.
I found some pots that someone had left out at the allotment for other people to take. So I had dibs on them. In fact I had dibs several days. Must have about 100 pots. Will sorted them out for me

[ATTACH=CONFIG]66776[/ATTACH

Kids stuff well where do I start. I keep everything. Frist pictures, shoes, reports and don't gip their first hair cutting and first milk teeth.
I blame my parents Their parents were not emotional people and were quite cold. It passed on to them, believe me it really has, so I think I keep the kids stuff because my parents never did. Them being in the army means that I am always on time, at least 20 mins early, I can pack anything away quickly and easily. Have packed up and moved house in 24 hours.
The other things I hoard are books and little nick nacks and of course seeds

[Miss Mousetrousers]

To me, clutter is the sort of stuff you put somewhere else when you're de-cluttering another area, or stuff you need but have nowhere to put it, or stuff you keep in case you need it later which you continually have to step over, or stuff you don't need but have nowhere to wang it, or stuff you know needs to be wanged but - not just now, or stuff you haven't used in yonks that finally gets wanged but - oh the joy of keeping the odd memento of past years!

[Jay22]

I don't have clutter...I have stuff!

[Mrs Bee]

Does Mr Bee count as clutter!

I am ruthless about clutter and have regular declutterings and tidyings. Things start to build up until I can't stand it anymore and then it goes.

I have recently cleared out my cook book cupboard. That is the most difficult to do. But I managed to sling out about 15 which has given me wriggle room on the shelves to buy a few more and have room for them.

The garage is next on my list!!! As soon as OH has finished on the allotment and painted the front that is the next to be done along with the loft. Lots of the stuff up there are not mine.

I think clutter is anything you have not used for a year. If you haven't used it in that length of time chances are you never will.

Gardening stuff, well I find that you change how you garden over time and there are things that you thought were a good idea but are no longer, and as it happens I have started having a clear out of those too. I have lots of seed trays but I don't use them, I find smaller trays and pots more useful.

And as for magazines and books, well there is so much information on the net, I find them no longer necessary either. the only books I have are the RHS and a couple of allotment books.

[Nannysally99]

Working in the charity shop 3 days a week has made me very aware of clutter. What fun it is to sell clutter to someone else lol
I digress, try to sort out a room out at a time (this could take a couple of weeks) and You may find it less pressuring.
I have 'stuff' as well

[vixylix]

I'm a bit of a hoarder... I'm quite sentimental and do like to keep some things, but I tend to keep them for a while and then bin them when I come across them again. Half the time I know I will bin them eventually but I can't bring myself to do it immediately.

As I get older I have definitely moved more from sentimentality to usefulness - 'I'll keep this, I'll use it for something' - and I know I would, eventually, but OH gets fed up way before then and gets rid of loads of things.

Once I start having a clear out though I really enjoy it - and feel so much better for it afterwards!

I have decided the healthiest thing is to keep what you want to keep, but clear it out fairly regularly! They say summer is the best time to sort out ch****mas decorations, because you're not sentimental about the holiday!

[ESBkevin]

I store useful things and items that might come in handy one day. The thing is I can recall what I have and where I put it so when a need arises I go to the item(s) and repair or use as applicable. It's a habbit bourn out of necessity from my younger days, the fact that I can buy new is neither here nor there. My oldest son now has a small cottage and a baby on the way so I've no doubt plenty of 'bits' will be needed. Indeed I've already provided a screw on blank end to stop an old hot feed washing machine tap from dripping, from my carrier bag of plumbing fittings! (in fact one of three carrier bags but you get the point).
My day job involves driving a desk so much paper is involved. As a consequenec I can't be botherred to attend to paper when I get home and it piles up for weeks or even longer before needing to be sorted.
Luckily I'm not a horder though or it cound get out of hand....

[Verinda]

I am a hoarder, I don't like clutter but then again I hate parting with it, books photos memories bits and pieces. My parents were hoarders and kept everything. I only really discovered this after my dad died three years ago and I ended up with the sad task of emptying their large four bed room house.

Everything from the 1940's onwards was saved, you name it, it was there heaped away in cupboards and drawers, the double garage, the attic and the attic in the double garage! Their lives, my life and the lives of my three siblings all there in folders and boxes. It was a horrible awful task and reminded me you can't take it with you, someone else eventually has to deal with it.

But here I am with loads of stuff and I still don't want to part with it!

[gardening_gal]

Everything from the 1940's onwards was saved, you name it, it was there heaped away in cupboards and drawers, the double garage, the attic and the attic in the double garage! Their lives, my life and the lives of my three siblings all there in folders and boxes.
But here I am with loads of stuff and I still don't want to part with it!

My Dad was a terrible hoarder also. Again, it wasn't a case of 'tv' hoarding but it was still quite extreme the kinds of junk he used to hang onto just in case. I don't have to look too far to see where I get it from.

He was born in 1917, he died years ago. I still have (had!) his Sunday School bible, the books he was presented with when he achieved something or other at school and various other 'bits'. I think I kept them simply because they were so old, they seemed to be a nice visual descriptor of days gone by.

Best of it is, none of them were even in good condition, they were all battered and torn, missing pages etc.

They all got chucked a few days ago.

I asked my kids if there was anything they wanted to keep once I pop my clogs. Needless to say my daughter was a touch more sentimental than her brothers but even she tried to tactfully suggest it might be better to just get rid of most things now. I don't think they realise just how long I've been carefully collecting ( ) things. It'll take months to declutter everything.

We are supposed to be having sun here tomorrow. If so, I'm going to start on the garage. I have rugs in there than I know I will never use again, they might even be full of beasties by now, the garage isn't exactly a nice clean beastie free place to be. I just hope I don't stop to look at things or try to re-purpose them instead of chucking them. The dog really does not need a rug for the garden!

[Alison]

Obviously you can go too far but I could never live in a minimal house however nice they look on the surface they never seem homely. A friend of mine has quite a small house and pretty much no stuff what so ever but then again she doesn't really have any hobbies or interests. In her front room there are no books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, craft things at all - just 3 chairs and a TV. It's tidy but soulless, you walk in and learn nothing about the owner. She doesn't cook either so the kitchen, although always spotless has nothing there either, even the fridge is pretty empty. She's a lovely woman but also quite wasteful to me, buys everything disposable and new every year - even her very simple Christmas decorations are bought new every year. One of my favourite things each year is to unwrap the ones that my mum had as a girl and remember doing the same activity with my family when I was young. They many now be rather tatty but they're full of love which something straight off the shelf could never have.

I'm also the holder of the family history stuff so have books of old photos which I love looking through on a rainy afternoon and have drawn up family trees to suit. I have old certificates and memorabilia on the wall up the stairs, paying it the respect it deserves and it makes me smile as I pass. You need to be a bit selective but I'd never throw away the postcard my granddad's step-dad sent him from the front for his birthday or my great aunt's long jump medal. They are the people that made me who I am today. Obviously if something has no sentiment or use then get rid though. Also if you're living in a disorganised mess then you need to do something too as it will depress.

I do however like things fairly tidy so have lots of built in storage and don't buy things I don't need or won't use. Also much prefer to buy quality where possible so that it will last rather than replace every few years and I'm also very aware that this could mean I'm turning into my mother!

[Lumpy]

I have a double cupboard in the hall that really does need stickers on the front of the doors warning any unsuspecting opener that an avalanche is possible. It takes me ages to find kitchen things like the grater that was last time found under the sink.

I'm not a hoarder, collector etc I am a complete and utter nester.......................I really hope the charity finds us another old dog soon so I can relieve my need to 'acquire'