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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,162
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

Decluttering is an individual decision. If it isn't for you - then no guilt. 

 

IMO - Is it a fad or an awareness? You decide. Conspicuous consumption (the situation in which people spend a lot of money intentionally so that other people notice and admire them for their wealth) is not unusual in America. Ask other countries what their perceptions are. Affluenza (overconsumption) has become more common in our society post WW2 era. It's an awareness and a choice.          

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Henry David Thoreau
Super Contributor
Posts: 451
Registered: ‎11-30-2014

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

I come down squarely in the camp that says people should do what they want with respect to acquiring of possessions.  If you want to buy a lot, whatever the reason and within one's financial limitations, go for it.  If you choose to go minimal, that's cool too.

 

I have always tended to accumulate.  Not hoarding territory.  I just like decorating as well as clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc.  I enjoy putting things together in a way that I find visually appealing, whether it's an outfit, a room, etc.  Having said that, several years ago while installing a closet system in my walk-in bedroom closet, I obviously had to remove all of my belongings.  It should not have surprised how much I had accumulated given that the closet was filled with only my belongings.  My husband uses the closet in a spare bedroom.  What I wasn't prepared for was the deep sense of shame I felt when I saw just how much I had.  Needless to say, I had forgotten about a lot of what I had, and many items never saw the light of day.  I honestly felt shame.  My reaction surprised me. It wasn't really a reaction based on finances, as I could afford what I bought, though I have sometimes thought about the waste of money. Although I can't say I totally changed my ways from that day forward, I definitely became more aware of what I buy.  I now purchase items that I absolutely love, in the case of fashion, or items that mean something to my husband and me in the case of our home.  I will never be a minimalist, although I can understand the appeal of that lifestyle.  I love to look around my home and see an item I bought while traveling.  It immediately brings me back to that place, and I feel a renewed sense of gratitude for the fact that we are lucky enough to have seen different parts of the world.

 

To each his or her own!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,979
Registered: ‎07-28-2012

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

@ZoetheCat, you said it perfectly. I will never be a minimalist either, nor a hoarder. To each their own.
"To each their own, in all things".
Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?


@ZoetheCat wrote:

I come down squarely in the camp that says people should do what they want with respect to acquiring of possessions.  If you want to buy a lot, whatever the reason and within one's financial limitations, go for it.  If you choose to go minimal, that's cool too.

 

I have always tended to accumulate.  Not hoarding territory.  I just like decorating as well as clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc.  I enjoy putting things together in a way that I find visually appealing, whether it's an outfit, a room, etc.  Having said that, several years ago while installing a closet system in my walk-in bedroom closet, I obviously had to remove all of my belongings.  It should not have surprised how much I had accumulated given that the closet was filled with only my belongings.  My husband uses the closet in a spare bedroom.  What I wasn't prepared for was the deep sense of shame I felt when I saw just how much I had.  Needless to say, I had forgotten about a lot of what I had, and many items never saw the light of day.  I honestly felt shame.  My reaction surprised me. It wasn't really a reaction based on finances, as I could afford what I bought, though I have sometimes thought about the waste of money. Although I can't say I totally changed my ways from that day forward, I definitely became more aware of what I buy.  I now purchase items that I absolutely love, in the case of fashion, or items that mean something to my husband and me in the case of our home.  I will never be a minimalist, although I can understand the appeal of that lifestyle.  I love to look around my home and see an item I bought while traveling.  It immediately brings me back to that place, and I feel a renewed sense of gratitude for the fact that we are lucky enough to have seen different parts of the world.

 

To each his or her own!


 

@ZoetheCat

 

This is so well expressed and I think says what many of us feel. 

 

The problem becomes in defining. Defining what is clutter, quantifying how much of something or some things is required to be labeled clutter. And everyone's definitions are going to be a little different, and based on their level of comfort with things.

 

In addition to shame, I'd offer up the emotion of regret.

 

Sometimes when I clean out things to get rid of, I look at what is before me in the box, and know I spent wisely, used for a very long time, and have no regrets about the purchase, the use, and now the disposal of said things.

 

Other times, I look at how much I spent, what little use and joy I received from them, how much better use that money should have and could have been put to in my financial life, and I regret the money spent, the time wasted storing and now purging said things.

 

I'm really trying to bring the 'regret' factor to the forefront when making any purchases now. I am trying to stop and think about how I will view the item(s) in a year, or five or ten. It has stopped a lot of needless purchases in the last four months. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,894
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

[ Edited ]

I like things. I like variety. I enjoy an attractive table with beautiful china which I change every few months. My bathrooms are neutral so that I can change the towels and accessories seasonally, the same for my bedrooms. I like the warmth of art, both paintings and objects. To me, stripped down to the minimum is cold and impersonal like a waiting room.

The only purging I'm doing is paperwork or books. 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,415
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

It seems to me that so many of the posters on this thread ought to get together to write an article about this subject.  

It would be immediately relevant to any magazine publisher.

 

I was particularly struck by @ZoetheCat's and @Mominohio's posts that built upon one another.

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,415
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?


@dex wrote:

@J Town Girl I am from the stock up generation and I think it is dissapointing.I have plenty of everything but it isn’t current.I want newer styles,colors or fabrics.I wouldn’t  advise stocking up on much more than toilet paper.


Somehow I find this post incredibly adorable, @dex

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,421
Registered: ‎03-19-2014

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

It's not a fad for me but a lifestyle that I've always embraced.  I can't stand clutter and "stuff".

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
- Author Unknown
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

When I think back to how few possessions we had when my first hubby and I started out - and yet how happy we were.We, literally, lived out of suitcases, traveling around the world for his job. We lived in everything from mansions in France to a sailboat in St Thomas. His children went to schools in all these different countries.When they asked him to go anywhere our only question was - do they have an English speaking school?Instead of toys the kids had new worlds to explore, new friends to make.I watch Househunters international and I have twinges of jealousy when a family relocates to a new , exciting city. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,144
Registered: ‎09-14-2010

Re: Has the decluttering phenomenon become a fad?

I do not think decluttering or having clutter is a fad.

It is personal taste. Some people will never give up clutter. Just as some detest clutter,

 

Do what you like and what makes you happy. That is what counts anyhow.

-Texas Hill Country-