Not decluttering any of my 10 blushes keeps me from even considering any new makeup. It takes so long to use. I think if I decluttered, I would be tempted by some newer items. When I want a blush, I automatically ask “why don’t you use 1 of the 10 that you already have?” and the desire fades fast.
This is so true! If I buy something I already have more than enough of I feel a strong diminishing return on my investment in that item. That goes away when you get rid of what you have, which only encourages us to acquire more.
Also, do you actually never use them or do you just use them during certain time. Declutter during winter and you get rid of summer stuff, and you end up rebuying something similar when season chances.
I keep a really shit tshirt feom aliexpress to remind me that it doesn't matter if I got one really cute shirt once, most of what I'll get will be disappointingly shit
Thank GOD someone is adressing this issue. Its a kind of behavior that bothers me greatly. Not the declutter, but the mentality of throwing away just to buy more and the planet is the the one paying the bill
I totally agree, especially when they talk about like 5 new orders that are on the way while they film the videos and have 0 stuff that looks actually used. And then they also get PR.... like why declutter if they end up with the same amount after their orders arrived anyway?
I fell for the “aggressively get rid of stuff you’re not using” trap and decluttered a really sentimental item a few years back. I’ve regretted it ever since and still think about it to this day. Even if in the moment you feel like it’s not useful, you could be holding onto it for other reasons that should be valued.
Never declutter your sentimental items! I’ve seen how this minimalist say: it’s just material stuff the memories are in your heart etc and blah blah blah. If I had room for all the stuff I’m decluttering, then I have room for my sentimental items.
See this makes me scared to declutter anymore😢 I’m so sorry that happened. What was the item, if you don’t mind talking about it? Do you still declutter gently in your life?
@@pasitheathanatosasmr488 it was a small camera that was a graduation present 😭 looking back, I think my reasoning was that I don’t need a camera now that phones take such good pictures *facepalm* I certainly try to be a lot more careful now. If I feel like I’m holding onto something because it’s sentimental I will tend to err on the side of not decluttering.
I immediately stop declutter videos when the 20 dollar rule comes up. Just getting rid of things just because it does not cost much to rebuy them if you need them is just ridiculous!
Right, and there is nuance to the rule. Could I buy a pair of pants for 20 dollars? Yes. Would it likely be ill-fitting fast fashion? Also yes. So it's better to keep the long-enough pants that I've found over the years.
Then you don’t understand the 20/20 rule. One of the main points of the rule is that it’s dealing with items that you are 99% not going to repurchase. So you wouldn’t even use this rule on a good pair of pants that’ll last you years and years and years lol
The "why are we trying to get rid of everything when we aren't going to change how we shop" is sooo true!!! Like that's great you got rid of 20 eyeshadow palettes because you don't use them... but you are buying 30 more so you'll just get rid of those other ones you kept next time? Like I don't get it. I buy stuff with the intent of using it.. I really don't understand why people even keep getting stuff then. And the "well this is my job to buy this stuff" narrative bullshit is so old. Like nah you just like to waste money and show everyone you have more disposable incone.
I haven’t finished the video yet, but let’s not forget how much influencers get to write off as “business expenses,” so they feel the sting of the money spent even less; if they just make more money off their influencing than they spent on the item, then it’s like they never even bought the item - they just housed it for a moment while they tested it.
@21cormorants I'm a tax accountant and I always think of this stuff. Like even when they say wow this was expensive.. okay you spent $60 on that and get to use it to offset some. I know they all get 1099 from these deals so they have to make estimated payments but still. Like I spend $60 on that and all I get is the product that I spent $60 on. Thats it. When I see them travel and vlog and then they complain about "not being in the moment because they are working while vlogging" they might pop out a 10 or 15 minute video on a whole week's trip.. which they write off the entire thing as a business expense because they used the trip as part of their work to make a video for it.. also makes me mad. Like nope if I go to the beach I'm just paying 3000 to go to the beach. I get nothing else. You get it basically for free and make money off going because you threw together a video for it.
@morggylynn YES!! THISSSS!!! People do not understand how much creators can write off. Hair, nails, trips, transportation, food. There's a lot of ways this can be manipulated and a Lil suss but still!
some people get those palettes because the items are sent for free. They get rid of 20 eyeshadows after a few videos because they got their money. They give it away for free to friends/family & charity. More boxes of make up to test arrive. rinse & repeat. Opting out of free stuff is possible. Most realistic people own less make up or buy it all while in debt.
My reason for decluttering my "luxury" bag collection is shame. I didn't use them. I spent too much money. I learned that im too easily influenced. I'm so glad I was able to sell them at a decent price. Another great video🎉
I resonate with this too; some items I hung onto thinking “I haven’t gotten enough use out of this to let it go yet!” But whoever I’d see said item, it would just trigger shame - shame that it wasn’t put to good use, shame for the money wasted, shame that I don’t have the energy to sell it, shame that in donating it, it might end up damaged before it even finds a new home, further devaluing it. Keeping these things just added stress and sadness to my life, from objects that were meant to spark joy and freedom! Sometimes letting go seems like the kindest thing you can do for yourself, but learning from it all is truly where healing happens. ♥️
The biggest scam is describing decluttering as keeping only "objects that bring you joy", therefore equalling material possessions with joy. You should rather focus on decluttering your life from people who don't bring you joy. But Marie Kondo won't tell you that because she can't cash in on it.
I have bags I decluttered that I regret. A black givency black speedy style bag with silver hardware. I LOVED that bag but I switched to gold hardware and thought it no longer serves me but now I like silver again. I sold it for a few hundred less than I bought it for so I'm glad I didn't lose too much money but I wish I never sold it at all. I'm not getting rid of any of my bags ever again because I know my tastes will cycle back to them eventually and I don't want to buy more.
I get what you mean! I've held onto stuff for years and not used it bc it was too nice, not used enough, too expensive, etc. It was so freeing to finally let that stuff go.
I call it being bulimic with stuff; binge and purge, binge and purge. I am working on less binge, and trying to actually use up the stuff I have. The biggest issue I have with getting rid of stuff is that I want it to go to good homes, and I end up holding onto things trying to find that new home, and putting way too much thought into this item. I had to set a rule for myself that it could go to a close friend/family member within a few days, it has to go to the thrift shop (small, local church run shops). I have seen RUclipsrs who review an item they were sent, then say they don't need it and run a giveaway in the comments, "Comment ME!! and I'll send it to you" type things.
That's always my problem as well. I always try to find new owners for things people could reasonable want for example if they are not broken, still usable, generally in style, not dirty. But some stuff just doesn't find an owner and then I have problems throwing it away.
I stopped taking my stuff to thrift stores because I wanted my neighbors to have first chance at things I don't need. Now I put out a box at the community mail box and 99% of the time someone has snagged it withing an hour. If it's still there after a day then I'll consider taking it to a random donation spot.
I’m guilty of decluttering things just to buy them again. Sometimes I learn from mistakes and force myself to buy better quality and fewer items. But sometimes I trick myself into thinking I’ve learned a lesson when in reality I’m just lost. Lost regarding what my style is, what my values are etc
Same here. I constantly do this. I’m a bin border just because I like how it looks and don’t even use them so I get rid of them just to buy a similar thing.
I've been there too thinking I've learned the lesson and I'll do better next time when it's really just a case of I wanted to buy new things so it wasn't an individual item being a problem
I'm also guilty of this, but because i get rid of items i haven't used in years and then i suddenly need it (or rather it could be more useful) for a couple of uses a few months later. For example i didn't have a tumbler so i threw away the uv purifier (?) for tumblers i got for free and then i got a tumbler and regretter throwing it out when i saw that it's sold for 30+ bucks 😭😭😭
That might have been just getting a couple cute clothing items but don’t feel safe about your ways as if you do that once a month for a year your going to need to declutter again. Small price of advice don’t buy something unless you have a plan for the who what where when why and how on owning the item in a useful way. Make sure not to get rid of anything sentimental unless your sure as that can’t be replaced.
I've unfollowed a couple 'minimalists' as soon as I realized they were just in a consuming cycle. Usually for the new! and shiny! They're not trying to be consumerist, they often talk about not supporting consumerism, but they are just a bad influence on me.
@@Desiree_Rose so true! They are always decluttering the kitchen 😅 ….really? They are either extreme consumerists or are playing games with their followers. I too have unsubscribed.
Same. Though I never followed in the first place but I did go back on some of the declutter videos once I noticed a pattern of consume-declutter-repeat to "Dislike". One creator in one of her many declutter/simplify your life videos she said that she now has room for all the clothes she bought on her last trip. These were very similar to the clothes that she had decluttered 🤦♀. Then she told us to get rid of certain items because "face it, you'll never use them", and they were items that I actually do use so BIG FAIL for the creator.
I feel the same way as creators who are always thrifting. It feels like a more ethical way to shop constantly, or rather, a way to avoid criticism for overconsumption.
@@Ryanneey yeah like, one person i watch thrifts a LOT just for fashion (they don't actually need new clothes, but they just like to experiment w their fashion) which i don't necessarily have an issue with, and it's great to give pieces a new home to somebody who will actually wear them, it's just that they buy a whole new closet just for one season. sometimes it j feels like theyre buying a lot and it's like 🤔
i had a shopping addiction and decluttering helped me actually be more aware of what i owned and i feel so much more aware of my clothing, i also now fit and love all of my clothing as well, i definetly buy less now... it helped a lot !!
I consume a lot of knitting content, and i’ve noticed this with a lot of the destashing videos some people put up. I really enjoy the ones where they use the yarn in their stash to destash it, and use it as gifts, though!
Minimal Mom is the absolute worst about decluttering, imo. She's so popular and literally tells people to throw their perfectly good items away and not to feel bad about it. Her reasoning is to make it easy on you and thrift stores will likely just throw your stuff away anyway! That upsets me so much, because it's 100% lazy, and as someone who lives in a tiny town where people donate items they SHOULD actually toss (stained, dirty, holey, etc), I'd love to see good items at my thrift store! I also have seen items I've donated in the past. There's no excuse for throwing away perfectly good items. There are always people in need.
Yeah but people can’t just dump all their crap at thrift stores and think they’re doing something good for the world. People use thrift stores as an excuse to continue consuming because they can just thrift it. I did a big declutter and lots of good stuff just went into the bin. It felt so icky and the guilt absolutely motivates me years later not to bring unnecessary stuff into my home. American return culture and thrifting culture is a problem in itself.
I think you're absolutely right someone can do a big declutter and have that be such a powerful experience it changes how you shop permanently. It does happen probably more than we realize or more than I gave credit for in this video
@wellyano6964 so well said. This is also exactly my experience. After a big declutter 2 years ago, my spending habits completely changed. I just never want to get to that point again where perfectly good items that were never used or needed cluttered up our space. Thrift stores are overwhelmed with crap, many don't even accept a variety of donations anymore in our area and most have the dumpster right next to the donation drop off. I read that 50% of clothes donations end up in the trash right away and 85% end up in the landfill without finding a new home. Would be really curious what the numbers are for other types of donations, especially toys - so much crap being donated. Plus, thrift stores in our area are really NOT for people in need. They sell the stuff for nearly the same prices here that it would cost new in the store. It's seriously insane and definitely only an issue that started in the last couple years. In the end everything will end up in the landfill, the solution is not to rehome stuff by donating but to actually only buy what you need and use. It's a good sign IMO if someone declutters occasionally and mostly has stuff to throw away/recycle because everything is just so used since they did only get what they actually needed. So I have a much bigger problem with content creators who keep the cycle of haul/purge/donate up because it gives people that excuse of "but I donated" than those who actually provide tips for lasting change in buying habits. And yes, there are not a lot of them and often it's only their older videos that I find helpful and not encouraging a buying/decluttering cycle.
I love Minimal Mom. Her “just throw it away” advice is usually addressing people with serious hoarding habits who cannot easily and quickly make decisions; for people in that situation, putting something in a donate bag/pile usually just keeps it in the house longer (if not forever), waiting to be donated. In many circumstances, the person just needs to take drastic measures to get things OUT so they can actually make a dent in their clutter, and then move forward with a clean slate and better decisions.
You've really hit on something here!! The declutter is just one phase of the whole cycle, while masquerading as the natural endpoint of the cycle. I suspect that people truly believe it's the endpoint, but it needs more introspection than that... I know this is something I am still learning...
If you're out of practice I can understand that it can take some time and, well, practice to get better at reflecting on your purchases. It's doable and I hope you give yourself credit for wanting to learn 💜 masquerading as the natural end point is so well said too
So glad someone is finally talking about it! A haul used to be maybe 5 makeup items or say 2 planners, a journal and a pack of pens and highlighters. Now it’s huge boxes of PR which skews what you’ll consider a normal amount to add to cart…. I started decluttering back when Marie Kondo got popular and I loved her book. It really helped me see how much excess shopping I did and doing a few big Marie kondo rounds truly changed my buying habits. Now my home is cluttered with old clothes and toys as my baby grows out of stuff, but there’s local mom groups to locally give that away. But now as everything seems to be getting so expensive, I predict we will start holding onto stuff like the boomer generation felt the need to. Who know!
I went through a major declutter about five years ago. I was a mid-20's adult moving into a smaller space and still had a lot of stuff from childhood. It was mind-boggling how much stuff I had that I didn't even see. Since then I've been doing better with buying, and I've learned the lesson of 1 item you genuinely like trumps 5 that are just okay. And now I'm having to help my parents do the same thing.
This is so true. I have noticed people go back to shopping home decor etc.. I've been paranoid about it and have been on a low and no-buy since 2018. Firstly, because it takes me long to declutter specifically because I do not want to re-purchase things. I've fluctuated 40lbs and been grateful I had dozen things that fit me in storage. I would rather revisit a "maybe bin" than risk unnecessary purchases.
That's a good point. I'm working on having a 'maybe' area in my closet for items that I still see value in but just aren't my style TODAY or fit perfectly TODAY. I got tired of decluttering and selling and donating only to go back and purchase something similiar. I had gotten into a vicious cycle.
It’s even more disheartening to see very small channels that follow the same patterns as large channels. Not to say that either is acceptable, but it definitely does feel like simply having a RUclips channel is being used as a justification to buy copious amounts of makeup.
I don't think it's a copout as long as you keep that energy going -- I've seen a few RUclipsrs who do makeup declutters but keep certain colours to reference even if they don't actively use them, and flag what they got in PR throughout and how that affects their decision to declutter/keep. Of course people who have review channels will buy and be sent a lot of popular makeup, but that's gonna change your mindset in deeper ways than just "having a bigger collection" and as a regular consumer it's helpful for me to see that
Wow! This is spectacular! I “rationalize” my declutters as “Oh, I’ll sell stuff on Mercari or Poshmark to recoup my money”, which I do, but then I turn around and use that money to buy more stuff I do not require. So I’m in this cycle of buy, declutter, sell, repeat. This is a fascinating video. Being autistic and a scientist, I pride myself on being logical. I concede my logic concerning declutters has not been as logical as I would prefer. I am going to go download that article. This video is a legit game changer! I much to noodle on…..
@@shawnaripari I would just like to say that I don’t receive any PR, before humans come for me in the comments. I know creators who do sell PR online, which is another topic entirely. I don’t do that.
Kondo's book helped me do the big declutter (my space is still a mess because of bad habits) and have more willpower to resist things when I'm shopping lol. One problem I have is: "oh, I shouldn't throw that out, i can repurpose it" (e.g. t shirt into a tank top or bag or pillow cover; remelting candles) And then i dont And then it sits there forever Because i forget or procrastinate or dont want to
We had a huge yard sale two years ago with everything I’d saved since getting married 15 years ago. Now whenever we think of buying something (new or used) I ask myself, is this something that will end up at our next yard sale? Usually it is, so I won’t buy it. Now I try to buy long-lasting items or items that can be used for multiple things. We have wood crates and a board used as a desk, that can be rearranged into a table, bedside table, bookshelf etc. If we no longer want it, it can be used as firewood. As long as you’re using decluttering skills when buying AND tossing, it’s a radical change.
Decluttering my space has been amazing for me. It was eye opening just how much excess I really had. No wonder it was always overflowing. I also realized how many items that I was holding onto because they might be useful one day that I had forgotten I even owned, or were no longer usable. The guilt I felt over buying so many things that I didn't really use made me do a serious reevaluation of future shopping behaviors. My impulse purchases went way down. My house is cleaner, and I feel less anxious in my home. Growing up with a mother who held onto everything, I just thought holding onto everything was normal. 20 years ago I read my first anticlutter book, but I struggled with having more than I really needed, or could ever realistically use. I love online decluttering content. Thanks to watching decluttering influencers I finally have the tools to stay on top of things, before they get out of control. Personal story time. I have a family member who is very environmentally conscious. She will buy second hand, fix and reuse as much as possible. I find that very admirable. She also doesn't want to contribute to the landfill and so she holds onto things that really should be thrown away. Last time I visited her it seemed that in a way her home had become another landfill, because she was just holding onto all of this stuff that was basically trash. When she passes away, hopefully not for a very long time, all of that stuff will just end up in a landfill anyway.
I recently found your channel, and I might be overconsuming your videos. 😊 One thing that has stuck with me was someone saying, "If you need to pay to store or organize something, the cost of owning it exceeds the cost of the item." In other words, if I have to pay for a storage unit to house extra clothes I don't wear, it's a net-zero purchase.
I like watching decluttering videos when I need motivation to clean or declutter my own space. On the other side it also reminds me I don’t need to add more stuff. Before I buy something I look to make sure I’m not buying duplicates. Understanding what I love is key to not buying impulsively but of course everything is a learning process.
So recently I have done some small declutters of specific item categories that just no longer felt like they were serving me BUT the way that I go about that is I wait until there is an item specific donation. For example, I recently decluttered my plushies, I just turned 30 and they really just didnt feel like they were for me anymore, additionally they were in really great condition because even in my 20s they were pretty much just for looking at. I gave them to toys for tots this past Christmas, so I know those went to good homes of kids who are going to actually really love them. Or else, I sell the item. I find that making myself be responsible for the items entire life cycle vs. just dropping them off at goodwill makes me really consider new items. Also, because items hang around for longer I have found other uses. For example, I learned about tshirt yarn and now I make my own out of worn out clothes and then reuse that to make new things. I think that really sitting with your stuff for a little longer than you’re comfy with has some really interesting outcomes and we should consider doing this if we have the space to keep a couple extra things around.
this reminds me also of project pan videos. I like the creators who do project pan with the intent of being mindful of their makeup volume and buying less going forward. But then there are other people who do the challenge just to buy more and more and will be wasteful in order to “use up” the products faster.
So true, the declutters are mostly just an excuse to buy more and consume more, waste more. Often posing falsely like "minimalism". When I first discovered decluttering videos I was shocked - these people themselves saw this as a normal thing that perfectly usable stuff is thrown out. If we buy something new, then responsibility comes with it - it has been produced for us, and the resources have been spent for us. A very good reason is needed for discarding IMO. "Donating" is just feel-good throwing away, as most of this stuff ends on a landfill. Thanks for taking this topic up!
Was really hoping you'd do a video on this 😊most declutters I see give me a headache because they seem to be a band aid for another problem. They actually stress me & make me feel bad even thinking to declutter. I needed to get that out of my head. As you say there's reasons/ occasions declutters make sense. I do have a space issue I needed to address. And I simply bought more than I can use /enjoy in many areas. I stopped buying in multiple areas like jewellery, candles, parfum, bags, nail polish over a year ago or really cut down being much more thoughtful. I did an inventory of my things and I still do own more things than I can give attention too. I want to further cut back but it feels more doable now. I set the task to aim to declutter 20 more items across the board over the next few days. I have items passing through my mind but I just need to sit down and collect them together. The end number doesn't really matter but I need something to give me a goal of sorts
Loooove this. I've stopped watching almost all declutters because they honestly make me feel a little queasy at this point. There are some beauty creators who did massive declutters a few years ago, with a sort of "I never want my collection to get this big ever again!" attitude...and then kept regularly receiving and reviewing PR from brands like ColourPop, which obviously meant that their collections ballooned again. Make it make sense. And it's not like those reviews they were doing of excessive PR were even necessarily doing big numbers on their channels! Some people are just stuck in cycles of conflicting habits and desires, they're used to working a certain way, and they think they've changed as people/consumers long before they actually have. Here's hoping that more and more people who say they want smaller collections actually take the steps necessary to have smaller collections WITHOUT massive declutters 😑
This is SO important! This is a conversation that needs to be had. I decluttered for years and my home is still a mess. Doing a no buy year this year is helping me actually change my habits.
spend the last week watching this kind of content nearly non-stop. a youtuber going into someone's home to help declutter and organize. It has motivated me to get rid of quite a bit of things I've been putting off going though.
This is the exact topic I'd been hoping you'd make a video on! The entire theme of de-cluttering has gotten out of control. Nearly every influencer in the world of consumable products seems to make these videos with no comment at all on the underlying issue. I'd say I'm even more annoyed by the minimalist influencers who advocate radical, "ruthless" decluttering with little to no mention of overconsumption and excessive shopping habits. I feel they intentionally want to keep people in the buy and de-clutter cycle to keep their own content relevant indefinitely. Even the word "de-clutter" gives me a bad feeling these days. I think people see it as a positive or healthy word that makes them feel better about being wasteful. Much of what's decluttered ends up in the trash, whether it be immediately or after given away or donated. Thrift stores are overwhelmed these days by donations due to the "buy and declutter" culture and end up discarding some donations.
Yes to all of this! You're right about the minimalist aspect of things too. They focus so much on decluttering and not enough on consuming and the problems that led people to purchasing how they are
I like watching hoarders buried alive to motivate myself to clean my place and makeup and perfume declutter videos to motivate myself to buy less and use up what I have kind of works for me but yeah we are brainwashed into over consumption as a normal. It’s hard to get out of that mindset agreed 💯
I am currently on a huge declutter mission: it's the first sine i moved into the apartment 5 years ago and it feels therapeutic! It started with the closet since i gained weight, but i also analysed why i hate half of my clothes and what i actually like to wear. This declutter process is very intentional, it takes a long time, but it feels so good!
You are so right, decluttering without Intention behind it, doesnt work. I am finally at the point where i am not constantly finding New things to bye. I do not need anything and i now hardly want New things. Decluttering just to bye something New does not bring anything in the long term. I love your content and i really enjoy that you are so young and so much more intentional than i was at your age. I have learned so much from you and other channels. Love it❤
Omg I literally journaled some thoughts on this days ago because I also wanna talk about this idea! You are 100% right, I think we need to stop taking the idea of "decluttering" as a normal part of the cycle of consumerism. It kind of provides an "acceptable" solution to the unhealthy buying habits that are so rampant in today's society
@shawnaripari thanks for the encouragement, and for your consistently inspiring videos 🙏 I figure the more people who start talking about it, the better we can tackle the overconsumerism on social media and beyond!
Hope this conversation becomes more popular. One of my biggest pet peeves about these videos is how people “donate” their stuff to goodwill or somewhere like that when actually just listing it on Facebook marketplace for free would be far better because it would guarantee a real individual person will take responsibility for the item(s). Whereas donation places most of it ends up in the landfill and other problematic places. That and my second most common pet peeve is people buying an entire wardrobe full of brand new hangers. It’s crazy to me because literally you could still get yourself a full matching set of whatever nice hangers you want if you just bought them on Facebook marketplace- I see so many listings for huge boxes of every hanger you can imagine. It bugs me so much that they could totally have the same result and loose nothing by simply getting them secondhand. I’m not huge on blaming individuals for these problems but those two things are the main gripes I can’t help but get irked by whenever I see it, which is a lot.
one of the things that bothers me about declutters is "I am declutting this matte red lipstick because I have too many of the same/I dont like reds or matte/I already have too many lipsticks" then a second later "I will keep this red matte lipstick because I like it" I am like, gurlllll, you just said u dont like this color/matte/has too many..." is very funny to watch the excuse to declutter one thing and keep another (same/similar) thing a sec later 😂 😂
I go through these declutter problems so often, working on slowing this down. I realized that I would buy and give away things because they wouldn't match what was already owned (not having enough solid colored tops vs. colorful pants). I recently bought black and white shirts that are mostly made of cotton and I am very pleased that these will go with EVRYTHING in my wardrobe! I prefer the feeling of not thinking too hard when pairing outfits together
I did a big declutter and I continue to declutter, mostly because I have kids who grow out of clothes and accumulate toys and items. I pat myself on the back for not filling up my house again……however…..I seem to have a little problem with books. I love to thrift them, and then I will go and declutter after a while. I think it’s an issue, but also I just love books. I’m aware that it’s like a shopping problem….so I think it’s important to be aware but also to challenge myself to read these books I’ve acquired. And look at why I’m doing this. What is missing in my life or what need isn’t being met?
Not me, watching this while decluttering my nail polish collection 😅 (I’ve worn the same 3 colors for 10 years so almost everything else is super old and needs to go!)
I get what you're saying. This TYPE of decluttering is only available to people with money though, who can buy replacements. I think people who don't have lots of money to burn (many non-influencers lol) do keep things and make them last longer. For people who can't bring in new things, decluttering has a very different vibe.
You raise an excellent point and wealth is something I wish I talked about more. These creators, in part, don't even have to think about money when PR is at play as well.
I find that poverty makes people hold on to things, sometimes well past the time we should. My great grandmother was greatly impacted by the Great Depression, and she hoarded blankets and food. My sister-in-law has two toddlers on food stamps, and she has a really hard time getting rid of their old toys because she saved so long and worked so hard to get them in the first place. For myself, I find that my stuff breaks, wears out, or doesn’t work as well because it’s cheap, but then I don’t want to get rid of it because it cost money.
The most decluttering I've ever had to do actually wasn't because of my own habits - when my nan moved in with my parents so they could take care of her, I ended up storing a bunch of stuff for her. When she passed away, I had to deal with everything she left. She was an ardent catalogue shopper back in the day, and never threw anything out. It was a lot, and there was also an extra level of grief because I felt guilty for getting rid of her things. I donated anything useful, but there was so much plastic crap that no-one would ever want.
Every time my elderly mother, grandmother, or aunt goes into the hospital, I throw away items that are trash!!! I put all of their important documents in brightly colored and organized folders!!
Yeah this is true! I can only relate to the video so much because I’m a hoarder, so the reason I have clutter in the first place is because I keep things that are 2-7 years old because I feel like they can still be used, even though I am NOT wearing a graphic tee from high school to work/my night out or playing with that board game I got for my birthday anymore. But what really resonated with me was the part you said of “learning your lesson”. When grabbing stuff to give away I saw lots of clothes that I thought was nice and would still like to wear, but the reality is I spend most of the week at work, so when I go out I tend to wear the preferred “cute” clothes I have instead of the nice clothes that I haven’t used in 2 years. So for me my lesson was that even though I want to use something, I need to be realistic on how much I can use a certain item in my life, especially when there’s other items that compete for that use. I feel like this relates to the issue you mentioned about makeup. Even if someone STILL loves cream blushes and wants to use them, some blushes will be chosen over the others and ultimately the others can go unused until 1. They expire or 2. You already gained a preference for a specific blush that you don’t want to use the others anymore.
Here was the wild rationalization I did recently. I wanted to try some new cream lip and cheek products but had not used up the old ones. Now I have about 50 makeup items in total, so it's not totally unmanageable, but still. So what did I do? I bought an empty makeup palette so that I could depot my lip and cheek products into "one" palette to count that as one makeup item and then get rid of the individual containers. So I bought new stuff but I had not actually used up the products! Needless to say I loved this rationale and needed to hear it today.
I also will say, if you find yourself decluttering a lot because you keep going through phases look at your life around you. I was in a covert narcissistic abusive relationship from ages 16-23 and I went through several different major phases that I ended up completely decluttering when I started therapy and figuring out who I really was. I had a makeup phase, a super pink girly phase, a very goth phase and it was all because I was trying to grasp on to some sense of self and ignore signs of my abuse. It’s important to learn from those things not just why you’re moving on in the consumerist sense but also evaluating your mental health and sense of identity. Sometimes things like that can make you aware of your lack of control in your every day.
This is without doubt the best video I have ever seen regarding decluttering. As someone who, dare I say, is pretty much addiicted to decluttering videos and has spent years constantly decluttering my home! This digs deep and finally touches on why we are constantly decluttering but it never seems to come to an end! Your video is absolutely brilliant, thank you!!! You have really made me think differently and the reasons behind it all, such as boredom of items, constantly thinking there is something better, never really knowing your style or what you like, plus constantly being bombarded with adverts and influencers telling us about the latest must haves, even though we may already own something similar that meets our needs, those soon get tossed aside as the lastest and greatest trend or thing that promises to change our life for the better enters our home. It's just a vicious cycle!! Everything you mentioned is so so true! The key is stopping it at at sorce and using and appreciating what you have, giving yourself time to think about what you need, rather than an impulsive want! Thank you for opening my eyes! Xx
I find doing an extended no buy in most areas, low buy in other or necessary areas (ie., if I run out of soap or have literally no hair ties at all or not a single pair of functioning sandals), forces me to get creative. I found multiple uses for some of my clothing and makeup items I was struggling to find a use for, and was able to make couch cushion covers, toy kitchen food, my daughter some dresses and her baby dolls matching ones, cloth wipes since we cloth diaper, and even with my makeup, since I’m stringent with ingredients, my kids like drawing on themselves sometimes, or I’ve learned some of my items are safe for the eye area or vice versa. Then once my no buy is over, I’m able to see what I was able to use, what is left over that I couldn’t or just didn’t have a use for, and what actually needs replacing or just plain removing. Having 3 kids means I feel like I’m constantly declutterring, but it’s become much more manageable and it’s even up to my kids 90% of the time to put what clothes or toys they don’t want anymore in a “go away” bin.
I did a huge “successful” declutter in 2015 before I moved across country. By 2018, I was swimming in clutter once again. I have since realized that decluttering without addressing the root issue (overconsumption and consumerism) won’t bring results that last. I’m still working through it.
I follow a lovely lady from Wales who does a project pan for her costmetics. Shes admitted back in the day she had spent too much money on makeup, skincare and clothes and now shes absolutely over it and is using her stuff and only having a select few of things. Only then she will buy a replacement. She inspired me to use up what I've got (I don't buy too much BUT I haven't used a lot of skincare/bath products that I have been gifted at Christmas/birthdays) Its helped create routines that were definitely needed and so satisfying seeing my empties knowing that my empty space is growing. And luckily that emoty space it staying empty 🎉
Honest thought - how many people have had a baby or added another baby to their family because it allows them to then shop for all that stuff after they’ve decluttered and realized that they were past all that stuff that goes with babies and little ones. I’ve definitely seen people who can’t seem to bring themselves to get rid of toys or stuffed animals that their children haven’t played with in years because it represents closing that chapter of life.
I've been on a "decluttering journey" for the past 6 months or so (triggered by never knowing when I might have to suddenly move). I've decluttered 30 years worth of "stuff". Now the challenge is trying to balance upgrading my former "bad buys" into things I actually like and use versus just acquiring more "stuff" I don't need. It's definitely easier said than done.
14:44 I totally agree. You can't know beforehand if it is good quality or what you expect from the product. I decluttered recently 2 palettes bc the colorstory does not work for me and one as it didn't have what I expect when it comes to formula. So I also can with that already observe colors that don't work for me and I shouldn't buy. Wish also beauty influencers did that and also wish they wouldn't buy everything "bc it is their job" and then declutter it often.
This is so true! I was inspired to declutter one time and ever since I’ve been very cautious with my purchases. I’m not perfect but I’m def changing my ways. I have seen so many influencers “declutter” and end up buying more useless things. They inspire me not to be like them.
I’ve been watching a lot of declutter videos lately, and I noticed that I immediately lose interest in it when I see that the creator is not committed to changing their shopping habits. You can tell whether they really want to make a change in their lives or if they just need more space. There is absolutely no point in getting rid of things if you are not gonna slow down the shopping, and I am glad to see you talk about it. Great video!
Ive noticed that too. The fragrance influencers do that a lot. Get rid of 40 perfumes. And the next video is of buying almost 15 more. ! Does not make sence.
I declutter my closet every year. I don't do a major one but rather anytime I'm dressing and see something I haven't worn in months, I just put it in a bag I put aside until the bag is full. I give the clothes (some I've never worn) to my cousin and others in my hometown. They use them and I always feel happy to see the clothes get new life instead of remaining unused for months and years in my closet. I have most of my clothes handmade for me as well so hardly online shopping etc. I'm happy I never fell in the SHEIN trap because I know I wouldn't have worn all that polyester.
I love mending my clothes, its fun and relaxing:D the Konmari method and visible mending really saved me from becoming a hoarder, now i only bring something into my house if its something that im missing. I keep things until they are absolutely unusable most of the time, although I did recently donate some of my last few pieces of polyester and acrylic clothes because i couldn't stand the textures
I have a lot of stuff. Stuff I’ve accumulated over 25 years. I don’t throw stuff out… like ever. But I also don’t buy things if there’s no room for them. I tend to use stuff up. I like having all of my stuff because I don’t need to buy things… I love what I have and I use what I have. I’ve sold clothes that no longer fit and I turn worn out fabric items into rags. It’s empowering to take your items through their entire lifecycle and use them until they are literally unusable.
The minimal mom does this and I used to love her but then I realized…she prides herself in shopping at dollar tree,,, and she’s has enough stuff to declutter to make 7+years of content with piles and piles in each video…yeah
I’ve always wondered why the declutter videos seem to be the same people constantly decluttering bags of stuff every month from their house. I even questioned one of the women because everything she was decluttering still had the tag and I asked “did you just buy this to put in this video and are actually just going to return it to the home goods you got it from?” And the woman got so pissed saying I didn’t understand what went into a RUclips video and her response really made me think SHE ABSOLUTELY DID JUST BUY THIS SHIT TO PRETEND SHE WAS DECLUTTERING. When I do declutters I maybe can get rid of one bag a year. I don’t understand how they get rid of 10 bags a month. When I declutter there is usually a point and often it’s when I am making big changes like moving or rearranging furniture. For instance, I recently moved my bedroom from the upstairs room to the bonus room and during this transition I also remodeled the room. One of the big changes I was making to the space was putting in a full wall of wardrobes so while I am in the process of filling this I am relooking at my clothes. Well it turns out my feet have grown (used to be size 7-7.5 and now I’m anywhere from an 8-9) and now I can no longer fit into 50% of the shoes I own (shoes I’ve held onto since high school) so I didn’t have a choice but to declutter them. And while I was doing my research about decluttering I learned donating is a last resort so I’m uploading them to some resale sites so someone else can enjoy them.
Thank you, I really found this interesting. I enjoy watching declutters because I remember how freeing it felt when I first overhauled my house, so watching them I found relaxing. Until, as you mentioned, I realised I was watching the same creators decluttering regularly, and then it just annoyed me instead. So now I'm more choosey about what I watch. My biggest bugbear is the consumerism I see in booktube. I love reading and watch it a lot to get book recommendations of books I may enjoy, ones that I likely would never have known about otherwise. However, to watch some of them buy 20 odd books in one go, when they've mentioned they have hundreds of books on their shelves, they haven't gotten around to reading yet, pi$$e$ me off. In fact, so much so that this year, I decided that I'm only reading library books now, and if I find any that I enjoy so much I'd like my own copy, I can only get second hand ones 😅 Not that I bought lots of new books any way, but it just makes me feel a bit better to use pre-loved books that have been discarded. It's also interesting what you said about people not knowing/ understanding themselves. I got drawn in by beauty youtube and would buy some of the things I'd see advertised and then barely use any of it because the truth is wearing make-up makes me feel very anxious, so I don't enjoy it but I WANTED to BE that person who wore make-up and was put together but I'm not, nor will I probably ever be and that's okay, so I gave it to a friend who does enjoy it, but didn't really have the money to buy stuff and being able to help my bestie out and not having it there to make me feel guilty that I had wasted that money and that I wasn't THAT person, made me feel good. Sorry for the essay. You just got my brain buzzing 😂
Thank you for sharing! I find the book unhauls particularly triggering too so I just don't watch them. Other unhauls or decluttering don't bother me in quite the same way which is a bit interesting to consider
Seriously! I don’t know why people buy books (especially brand new) that they’ve never read before…? I haven’t come across a book I wasn’t able to find secondhand, and my practice is to only buy books that I’ve read and know I’d re-read.
Loved this, so true!! I only have a few home decor / ornaments and I switch them around different rooms every so often instead of buying more🥰 Just subscribed ✨
After my dad died it’s taken me five years to properly go through and declutter all his stuff. Partially because decisions are hard, partially because there was a lot of sentimental stuff, partially because I’m not always in the same country as the stuff but mostly because I wanted to take the time to consciously go through everything and consider whether I still have a use for it and if not where a good place for it to go would be. Sometimes that meant throwing things away but I tried to recycle as much as possible and if something was thrown away it was because it was the best option. I cannot count the amount of comments and the overwhelming disbelief I've gotten over the years (and it got worse the longer this process went on) because people just didn’t understand why I chose to be so considerate of the stuff. Why I wouldn’t pick maybe a handful sentimental things out and throw everything else away because I can just buy it new. Why is so many people’s first instinct to throw away and buy new? Also replacing all the stuff costs so much money! I still have a hard time understanding these reactions when I get them
Your video was in my recommended and I have NEVER thought about decluttering in this way. This is so so interesting to me & I am happy I found your video! I must say I find watching these declutter videos so satisfying even though I never declutter this way myself. Your video has given me so much food for thought :)
Yes! I recently realized just how much makeup I have and started project panning in November. I know that usually when someone is new to project panning is normal to start by doing a declutter but it just felt wrong for me. Since I started project panning I realized that I don't like to do decluttering sessions. Instead, I prefer to use a product and evaluate whether it works or not for me, if it doesn't, is there a way that I can make it work? If not, then I'll rehome or declutter it. So far I have only decluttered a blush (balm blush, horrible, could not make it work for the life of me, not even as a lip balm), a supershock shadow that had completely dried up (I tried reviving it but failed), an undereye brightener (it was expired and caused my face to swell up and get incredibly dry and irritated. It took weeks for my skin to fully heal), and two golden highlighters that were too dark for me (I gave them to my best friend, they look beautiful on her). This method works best for me because if I want to have a smaller, better curated collection, then I have to finish up stuff and stop buying makeup (currently on a no-buy) and not just declutter my way towards my makeup collection goal.
@@shawnaripari Definitely! I've noticed that project panners can also fall into the trap of decluttering for the sake of decluttering or using too much product just for the sake of finishing products, and personally I think that defeats the purpose of project panning a little bit (??)
I've been on a roll, watching declutter videos because I genuinely need to do that in my home, but I do wish more of those bloggers mentioned changing your shopping and consumption habits, because those are the root of the problem. And I wish more stopped advising throwing out perfectly good working items. Thanks for bringing it up, a lot of good points! These days the consumption loop just feeds itself because marketing marketing buy buy buy.
12:40 As a fine arts grad student, it's totally normal to have a "gouache phase" and then get bored and try a different medium. But -- why get rid of the paint??? It's not going to go bad. Keep it around for the time in a few years when you'll want to revisit gouache. I still have some worn-down chalk pastels from when I was 15, and I used them for a class this last year. I've been using a bottle of India ink I got when I was 16. I know that I am going to use all of my art supplies eventually, and it's those unexpected moments when you remember that you still have some gouache in the closet that bring a lot of joy and spontaneity to a mixed media project. If you really don't think you'll use a specific art supply again, you can share it with some of your artist friends. Maybe seeing what they do with it will inspire you to pick it up again, or if you really think they'd make better use of it, you can give it to them. If you remain open to the possibility that you might want to use those pastels again at some point in your life, getting rid of them just seems like throwing away money to me.
Am working on recovery from a full blown shopping addiction, and going through all the things I had accumulated over the past 12 years was so shocking! I did a big declutter and it made me nauseous to see how much it was :( I only kept what I use and need and won’t buy/shop unless it’s necessary or I ran out, because I feel awful and want to be sustainable ❤❤ Nobody asked for my life story lol, thank you for this video
I do believe that some brands are like this but I have a hard time believing it's the majority! I saw Sarah Rose mention recently brands are still sending PR packages to an old address despite changing it and/or opting out.
I love this video. Some of my favorite content creators really drive me nuts with this. It seems so toxic to waste all that time and effort to viciously declutter, and then they do it multiple times because of overconsumption. Its like they have a 15 in, one out rule. crazy.
Great topic! I think about this all the time and see almost no content addressing the consumerism and decluttering cycle, only shallow deinfluencing videos that don't touch on much of anything so thank you
In our home I consider myself a minimalish parent to 3 children. I don’t buy things just to buy, I intentionally purchase. However… with 3 small children it can still be challenging to not let things creep in. We have family who love to spoil and gift my children items, but it does get overwhelming sometimes 😅
I used to love watching Jessica Braun. I liked how she took herself off the PR lists. Lately, I've grown irritated with her constant affiliate links, Amazon must have videos, Trying new makeup videos. Obviously, she has the right and freedom to buy what she wants, create and post whatever videos she wants. She isn't the only youtuber that I've slowly stopped watching because of the shopping/ buying content.
This is a big problem I've seen in ADHD / neurodivergent places. It sucks because you'll see people be frame the buying of stuff they aren't going to use as sertion hunting. And equally in those spaces I see a lot of swapping between haul culture ("sertion hunting") and then decluttering and the cycle repeats. I've also seen people justify it with them saying there basically restocking thrift shops. @_@; It's hard too in those groups cause people do associate that behavior with ADHD and if you mention you don't do it, they'll get on you going "I don't wanna be rude or invalidating but how do you have ADHD if you don't sertion hunt??? This is our culture." *Sigh* Anyways what you said hits the nail on the head, I think it's why I see it in communities I'm in a lot. When stuff becomes normalized like that, people repeat.
There's a huge gender element to this for me. When I was a teenager, i was a girl who only wore boys clothes but because I wasnt allowed to cross dress, aquiring clothing was hard. I had to be so intentional on what I could beg my mom to buy. When I started wearing girls clothes again, the full accessibility led to overconsuming, but since it was something I felt obligated to buy to be loved, I was never happy so I kept at it. I'm happy and back to my men's clothes, and my old instincts are there: mens clothing that looks good on me and makes me feel attractive is hard to come by, so what I have I'll hold onto forever so i can actually have clothes to wear. What you said about having to never give up clothing, what would you wear is critical I think to curb overconsumption and also remind us to not take accessibility for granted.
I follow a lot of accounts that do project pan for crafting and it's so much more satisfying to see something used up to create, rather than just unpacking various stickers from shein, temu etc
I am only working on Panning Projects now and using what I have - and very very low amounts of haul videos of any kind. I am happy with my 950 subscribers and grateful to simply have what I have. ❤
Super happy to FINALLY find someone on RUclips talking about this topic who has a pleasant voice, attitude, demeanor... lovely. I just can't listen to the "screechers and ranters" on this topic. I'm trying tonhe chill.and wfh over here, dang! Anyway, love it, subscribed. Thank you ❤
Wow I came across this at just the right time. I’m currently in the middle of decluttering and I just pulled out an eyeshadow pallet from the trash, trying to appreciate what I currently have
I've learned to declutter and only purchase things when it's done or really need it, i think the one that helped me the most is honestly questioning why do i need the thing that's being advertised to me and going through the breakdown in my head, figuring out that trends come and go and finding my style, recycling and repurposing the things tha ti already have, and sticking to my budget because god knows we can't afford anything nowadays
This is so true. By decluttering we legitimize overconsumption. It’s like you don’t have to think way too much about what and why you’re buying, because in case you don’t like it, you can always get rid of things and purchase 10 more. I also used to be like that, I was so driven by the whole makeup industry to try new releases and find the best products for myself and later on I just passed it on to my mom. But after couple years of that strategy she asked me to help her declutter makeup drawer and I found out that at least 30% of everything I gave her she barely touched. So instead of finding things a new loving home I was just cluttering someone else’s space and shifted responsibility for the things to another person. So now I decided that I have to thoroughly explore the reviews of the product I want to buy and at least see if that suits my skin type, the color is approachable and so on. Also be more conscious about where I could pass it on if I end up not liking. I found out that the best option is to sell it, even for a very low price. Because if you give it away for free, people don’t appreciate it and might just take for the collection, even if they know they’re never gonna use it. And I am trying to stop purchasing things just to try, not attempting to use up. In case you’re interested in textures, colors and so on, you can go to makeup store and test it out. Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to do so, because I live in a small city meanwhile having only one tiny makeup store so 90% I order online. But still there’s a tip for that: I discovered which textures I like and try to identify that in pictures, reviews and videos. One more tip, if you see some cool item in a video, check out comment section, cause usually there’re people sharing honest reviews, while most of the bloggers just have a commission on your purchase.
I really love declutter video and used to love thrifting video. But then the thrifting one became like ridicilous cause they keep buying and selling like nonsense. With the decluttering i used to feel bad that i couldnt get rid of so many thing, but now i just being mindful and try to use all the product i have, emptying them so i can declutter them
Great video as always! I have a few not necessarily coherent thoughts on the matter lol a) I totally agree about the frustrating rationalizations some beauty youtubers give with respect to owning a lot of makeup. "I buy it so you don't have to!," "I have this much makeup to do comparisons so you know the best product for you," (spoiler: they rarely, if ever, actually do comparisons) "I wouldn't have this much makeup if my job wasn't to review makeup." Like, this is a choice you're making. You are choosing to purchase this amount of makeup and you're branding it with this feel-good I-do-it-for-my-viewers mentality. I didn't ask for this lol. b) I live in a ~400 sqft apartment and I recently went through and touched every single thing in my apartment. Papers that were stored away, clothes, etc and got rid of 4.5 trash bags of stuff. I barely had that much stuff to begin with (I don't like clutter, I tend to make intentional purposes, and I'm not much of a keep it just in case sort of person). I can't imagine how much crap other people have around lol c) I wish antihauls were more popular. I like new makeup releases videos because I enjoy knowing what's going on and looking at pretty things, but I rarely feel the need to purchase anything. I want more critical thoughts about makeup instead of hearing people say things like, "Well, I buy everything X releases, so I guess I'll buy this." Like, what? d) tied to the point above, I have gone back from time to time to watch oooold makeup releases videos because it's just kind of fun to see what was new and exciting circa August 2018 or something and it's wild how much mindsets have shifted. Natasha Denona was routinely slammed for being waaaay too expensive (with people calling the brand "Natasha Denono" and saying things like, "For that amount of money, is it going to apply my eyeshadow too?"), but now ND is very mainstream and her price point has been normalized. More to say, but I'll stop rambling!
You have so many interesting observations here. I also wish antihauls were more popular because I love watching them. I like them more than the will I buy it videos, which have become more common. Just speaking for my channel, anything labeled anti-haul doesn't do well. Perhaps this is a factor? I also think it's super interesting how quickly the tides turn in makeup. You're so right ND was too expensive for many and now it's worth the money. I loved reading so thank you for sharing!
Not decluttering any of my 10 blushes keeps me from even considering any new makeup. It takes so long to use. I think if I decluttered, I would be tempted by some newer items. When I want a blush, I automatically ask “why don’t you use 1 of the 10 that you already have?” and the desire fades fast.
This is so true! If I buy something I already have more than enough of I feel a strong diminishing return on my investment in that item. That goes away when you get rid of what you have, which only encourages us to acquire more.
I've kept stuff for this reason too
Also, do you actually never use them or do you just use them during certain time. Declutter during winter and you get rid of summer stuff, and you end up rebuying something similar when season chances.
I keep a really shit tshirt feom aliexpress to remind me that it doesn't matter if I got one really cute shirt once, most of what I'll get will be disappointingly shit
@@eliagamiz1320 Man that’s a new one- but pretty good.
Thank GOD someone is adressing this issue. Its a kind of behavior that bothers me greatly. Not the declutter, but the mentality of throwing away just to buy more and the planet is the the one paying the bill
I strongly agree, and call it "the churn."
We are concentrating to declutter instead of stopping buying.
I totally agree, especially when they talk about like 5 new orders that are on the way while they film the videos and have 0 stuff that looks actually used. And then they also get PR.... like why declutter if they end up with the same amount after their orders arrived anyway?
actually the planet is not paying the bill, we are. Earth will survive everything we throw at her, not us
@@GaelleZelink I agree. Eventho the message stays the same, just a different loser at the end
The way my jaw dropped when you talked about “imagine if you had to keep every item you’ve ever owned”. Such an important perspective.
I fell for the “aggressively get rid of stuff you’re not using” trap and decluttered a really sentimental item a few years back. I’ve regretted it ever since and still think about it to this day. Even if in the moment you feel like it’s not useful, you could be holding onto it for other reasons that should be valued.
Never declutter your sentimental items! I’ve seen how this minimalist say: it’s just material stuff the memories are in your heart etc and blah blah blah. If I had room for all the stuff I’m decluttering, then I have room for my sentimental items.
@@katgallardo2797agreed!
Ohh ugh so sad, Im so sorry
See this makes me scared to declutter anymore😢 I’m so sorry that happened. What was the item, if you don’t mind talking about it? Do you still declutter gently in your life?
@@pasitheathanatosasmr488 it was a small camera that was a graduation present 😭 looking back, I think my reasoning was that I don’t need a camera now that phones take such good pictures *facepalm* I certainly try to be a lot more careful now. If I feel like I’m holding onto something because it’s sentimental I will tend to err on the side of not decluttering.
I immediately stop declutter videos when the 20 dollar rule comes up. Just getting rid of things just because it does not cost much to rebuy them if you need them is just ridiculous!
Completely agree! Especially with inflation and sometimes things get discontinued. If a useful item can be stored well for years, better to keep it.
Right, and there is nuance to the rule. Could I buy a pair of pants for 20 dollars? Yes. Would it likely be ill-fitting fast fashion? Also yes. So it's better to keep the long-enough pants that I've found over the years.
I find this one alienating as well. It’s incredibly classist. For some people 20$ is a lo to spend casually on replacing something
@@SchneewittchencheNespecially as often as people do. Goodwill is making a killing off of our bad habits and there’s a Plato’s closet in every city.
Then you don’t understand the 20/20 rule. One of the main points of the rule is that it’s dealing with items that you are 99% not going to repurchase. So you wouldn’t even use this rule on a good pair of pants that’ll last you years and years and years lol
The "why are we trying to get rid of everything when we aren't going to change how we shop" is sooo true!!! Like that's great you got rid of 20 eyeshadow palettes because you don't use them... but you are buying 30 more so you'll just get rid of those other ones you kept next time? Like I don't get it. I buy stuff with the intent of using it.. I really don't understand why people even keep getting stuff then. And the "well this is my job to buy this stuff" narrative bullshit is so old. Like nah you just like to waste money and show everyone you have more disposable incone.
👀👀👀 you said it
I haven’t finished the video yet, but let’s not forget how much influencers get to write off as “business expenses,” so they feel the sting of the money spent even less; if they just make more money off their influencing than they spent on the item, then it’s like they never even bought the item - they just housed it for a moment while they tested it.
@21cormorants I'm a tax accountant and I always think of this stuff. Like even when they say wow this was expensive.. okay you spent $60 on that and get to use it to offset some. I know they all get 1099 from these deals so they have to make estimated payments but still. Like I spend $60 on that and all I get is the product that I spent $60 on. Thats it. When I see them travel and vlog and then they complain about "not being in the moment because they are working while vlogging" they might pop out a 10 or 15 minute video on a whole week's trip.. which they write off the entire thing as a business expense because they used the trip as part of their work to make a video for it.. also makes me mad. Like nope if I go to the beach I'm just paying 3000 to go to the beach. I get nothing else. You get it basically for free and make money off going because you threw together a video for it.
@morggylynn YES!! THISSSS!!! People do not understand how much creators can write off. Hair, nails, trips, transportation, food. There's a lot of ways this can be manipulated and a Lil suss but still!
some people get those palettes because the items are sent for free. They get rid of 20 eyeshadows after a few videos because they got their money. They give it away for free to friends/family & charity. More boxes of make up to test arrive. rinse & repeat. Opting out of free stuff is possible. Most realistic people own less make up or buy it all while in debt.
My reason for decluttering my "luxury" bag collection is shame. I didn't use them. I spent too much money. I learned that im too easily influenced. I'm so glad I was able to sell them at a decent price. Another great video🎉
I'm happy to hear you feel good about the choice to see them!
I resonate with this too; some items I hung onto thinking “I haven’t gotten enough use out of this to let it go yet!” But whoever I’d see said item, it would just trigger shame - shame that it wasn’t put to good use, shame for the money wasted, shame that I don’t have the energy to sell it, shame that in donating it, it might end up damaged before it even finds a new home, further devaluing it. Keeping these things just added stress and sadness to my life, from objects that were meant to spark joy and freedom! Sometimes letting go seems like the kindest thing you can do for yourself, but learning from it all is truly where healing happens. ♥️
The biggest scam is describing decluttering as keeping only "objects that bring you joy", therefore equalling material possessions with joy. You should rather focus on decluttering your life from people who don't bring you joy. But Marie Kondo won't tell you that because she can't cash in on it.
I have bags I decluttered that I regret. A black givency black speedy style bag with silver hardware. I LOVED that bag but I switched to gold hardware and thought it no longer serves me but now I like silver again. I sold it for a few hundred less than I bought it for so I'm glad I didn't lose too much money but I wish I never sold it at all. I'm not getting rid of any of my bags ever again because I know my tastes will cycle back to them eventually and I don't want to buy more.
I get what you mean! I've held onto stuff for years and not used it bc it was too nice, not used enough, too expensive, etc. It was so freeing to finally let that stuff go.
I call it being bulimic with stuff; binge and purge, binge and purge. I am working on less binge, and trying to actually use up the stuff I have. The biggest issue I have with getting rid of stuff is that I want it to go to good homes, and I end up holding onto things trying to find that new home, and putting way too much thought into this item. I had to set a rule for myself that it could go to a close friend/family member within a few days, it has to go to the thrift shop (small, local church run shops). I have seen RUclipsrs who review an item they were sent, then say they don't need it and run a giveaway in the comments, "Comment ME!! and I'll send it to you" type things.
That's always my problem as well. I always try to find new owners for things people could reasonable want for example if they are not broken, still usable, generally in style, not dirty. But some stuff just doesn't find an owner and then I have problems throwing it away.
I stopped taking my stuff to thrift stores because I wanted my neighbors to have first chance at things I don't need. Now I put out a box at the community mail box and 99% of the time someone has snagged it withing an hour. If it's still there after a day then I'll consider taking it to a random donation spot.
I’m guilty of decluttering things just to buy them again. Sometimes I learn from mistakes and force myself to buy better quality and fewer items. But sometimes I trick myself into thinking I’ve learned a lesson when in reality I’m just lost. Lost regarding what my style is, what my values are etc
Same here. I constantly do this. I’m a bin border just because I like how it looks and don’t even use them so I get rid of them just to buy a similar thing.
I've been there too thinking I've learned the lesson and I'll do better next time when it's really just a case of I wanted to buy new things so it wasn't an individual item being a problem
I'm also guilty of this, but because i get rid of items i haven't used in years and then i suddenly need it (or rather it could be more useful) for a couple of uses a few months later. For example i didn't have a tumbler so i threw away the uv purifier (?) for tumblers i got for free and then i got a tumbler and regretter throwing it out when i saw that it's sold for 30+ bucks 😭😭😭
i just did a huge closet clean and omg the way i went straight to online shop…. luckily only got 2 things but you’re making me rethink so much
That might have been just getting a couple cute clothing items but don’t feel safe about your ways as if you do that once a month for a year your going to need to declutter again.
Small price of advice don’t buy something unless you have a plan for the who what where when why and how on owning the item in a useful way. Make sure not to get rid of anything sentimental unless your sure as that can’t be replaced.
I've unfollowed a couple 'minimalists' as soon as I realized they were just in a consuming cycle. Usually for the new! and shiny! They're not trying to be consumerist, they often talk about not supporting consumerism, but they are just a bad influence on me.
Same! I was like...why do these minimalist always have huge declutters? Hm...
@@Desiree_Rose so true! They are always decluttering the kitchen 😅 ….really? They are either extreme consumerists or are playing games with their followers. I too have unsubscribed.
Same. Though I never followed in the first place but I did go back on some of the declutter videos once I noticed a pattern of consume-declutter-repeat to "Dislike". One creator in one of her many declutter/simplify your life videos she said that she now has room for all the clothes she bought on her last trip. These were very similar to the clothes that she had decluttered 🤦♀.
Then she told us to get rid of certain items because "face it, you'll never use them", and they were items that I actually do use so BIG FAIL for the creator.
I feel the same way as creators who are always thrifting. It feels like a more ethical way to shop constantly, or rather, a way to avoid criticism for overconsumption.
@@Ryanneey yeah like, one person i watch thrifts a LOT just for fashion (they don't actually need new clothes, but they just like to experiment w their fashion) which i don't necessarily have an issue with, and it's great to give pieces a new home to somebody who will actually wear them, it's just that they buy a whole new closet just for one season. sometimes it j feels like theyre buying a lot and it's like 🤔
i had a shopping addiction and decluttering helped me actually be more aware of what i owned and i feel so much more aware of my clothing, i also now fit and love all of my clothing as well, i definetly buy less now... it helped a lot !!
so glad to hear this 💗
My Mercari sales and purchase history feels like a textbook illustration of this cycle
It's amazing that you've noticed this 💜
OMG my Depop too 😔
I consume a lot of knitting content, and i’ve noticed this with a lot of the destashing videos some people put up. I really enjoy the ones where they use the yarn in their stash to destash it, and use it as gifts, though!
Minimal Mom is the absolute worst about decluttering, imo. She's so popular and literally tells people to throw their perfectly good items away and not to feel bad about it. Her reasoning is to make it easy on you and thrift stores will likely just throw your stuff away anyway! That upsets me so much, because it's 100% lazy, and as someone who lives in a tiny town where people donate items they SHOULD actually toss (stained, dirty, holey, etc), I'd love to see good items at my thrift store! I also have seen items I've donated in the past. There's no excuse for throwing away perfectly good items. There are always people in need.
Yeah but people can’t just dump all their crap at thrift stores and think they’re doing something good for the world. People use thrift stores as an excuse to continue consuming because they can just thrift it. I did a big declutter and lots of good stuff just went into the bin. It felt so icky and the guilt absolutely motivates me years later not to bring unnecessary stuff into my home. American return culture and thrifting culture is a problem in itself.
I think you're absolutely right someone can do a big declutter and have that be such a powerful experience it changes how you shop permanently. It does happen probably more than we realize or more than I gave credit for in this video
@wellyano6964 so well said. This is also exactly my experience. After a big declutter 2 years ago, my spending habits completely changed. I just never want to get to that point again where perfectly good items that were never used or needed cluttered up our space.
Thrift stores are overwhelmed with crap, many don't even accept a variety of donations anymore in our area and most have the dumpster right next to the donation drop off. I read that 50% of clothes donations end up in the trash right away and 85% end up in the landfill without finding a new home. Would be really curious what the numbers are for other types of donations, especially toys - so much crap being donated. Plus, thrift stores in our area are really NOT for people in need. They sell the stuff for nearly the same prices here that it would cost new in the store. It's seriously insane and definitely only an issue that started in the last couple years.
In the end everything will end up in the landfill, the solution is not to rehome stuff by donating but to actually only buy what you need and use. It's a good sign IMO if someone declutters occasionally and mostly has stuff to throw away/recycle because everything is just so used since they did only get what they actually needed. So I have a much bigger problem with content creators who keep the cycle of haul/purge/donate up because it gives people that excuse of "but I donated" than those who actually provide tips for lasting change in buying habits. And yes, there are not a lot of them and often it's only their older videos that I find helpful and not encouraging a buying/decluttering cycle.
She's a total fake!
I love Minimal Mom. Her “just throw it away” advice is usually addressing people with serious hoarding habits who cannot easily and quickly make decisions; for people in that situation, putting something in a donate bag/pile usually just keeps it in the house longer (if not forever), waiting to be donated. In many circumstances, the person just needs to take drastic measures to get things OUT so they can actually make a dent in their clutter, and then move forward with a clean slate and better decisions.
You've really hit on something here!! The declutter is just one phase of the whole cycle, while masquerading as the natural endpoint of the cycle. I suspect that people truly believe it's the endpoint, but it needs more introspection than that... I know this is something I am still learning...
If you're out of practice I can understand that it can take some time and, well, practice to get better at reflecting on your purchases. It's doable and I hope you give yourself credit for wanting to learn 💜 masquerading as the natural end point is so well said too
So glad someone is finally talking about it! A haul used to be maybe 5 makeup items or say 2 planners, a journal and a pack of pens and highlighters. Now it’s huge boxes of PR which skews what you’ll consider a normal amount to add to cart…. I started decluttering back when Marie Kondo got popular and I loved her book. It really helped me see how much excess shopping I did and doing a few big Marie kondo rounds truly changed my buying habits. Now my home is cluttered with old clothes and toys as my baby grows out of stuff, but there’s local mom groups to locally give that away. But now as everything seems to be getting so expensive, I predict we will start holding onto stuff like the boomer generation felt the need to. Who know!
I went through a major declutter about five years ago. I was a mid-20's adult moving into a smaller space and still had a lot of stuff from childhood. It was mind-boggling how much stuff I had that I didn't even see.
Since then I've been doing better with buying, and I've learned the lesson of 1 item you genuinely like trumps 5 that are just okay.
And now I'm having to help my parents do the same thing.
This is so true. I have noticed people go back to shopping home decor etc.. I've been paranoid about it and have been on a low and no-buy since 2018. Firstly, because it takes me long to declutter specifically because I do not want to re-purchase things. I've fluctuated 40lbs and been grateful I had dozen things that fit me in storage. I would rather revisit a "maybe bin" than risk unnecessary purchases.
That's a good point. I'm working on having a 'maybe' area in my closet for items that I still see value in but just aren't my style TODAY or fit perfectly TODAY. I got tired of decluttering and selling and donating only to go back and purchase something similiar. I had gotten into a vicious cycle.
I recently posted on r/makeuprehab about the whole "makeup is my job" thing. You're right-it DOES feel like a cop-out
It’s even more disheartening to see very small channels that follow the same patterns as large channels. Not to say that either is acceptable, but it definitely does feel like simply having a RUclips channel is being used as a justification to buy copious amounts of makeup.
I don't think it's a copout as long as you keep that energy going -- I've seen a few RUclipsrs who do makeup declutters but keep certain colours to reference even if they don't actively use them, and flag what they got in PR throughout and how that affects their decision to declutter/keep. Of course people who have review channels will buy and be sent a lot of popular makeup, but that's gonna change your mindset in deeper ways than just "having a bigger collection" and as a regular consumer it's helpful for me to see that
Wow! This is spectacular! I “rationalize” my declutters as “Oh, I’ll sell stuff on Mercari or Poshmark to recoup my money”, which I do, but then I turn around and use that money to buy more stuff I do not require. So I’m in this cycle of buy, declutter, sell, repeat. This is a fascinating video. Being autistic and a scientist, I pride myself on being logical. I concede my logic concerning declutters has not been as logical as I would prefer. I am going to go download that article. This video is a legit game changer! I much to noodle on…..
I'm so glad to hear you found this video helpful!
@@shawnaripari I've shared the link with my other friends in the micro beauty sphere! I want them all to watch this!
This is genuinely so kind 💓 thank you
@@shawnaripari I would just like to say that I don’t receive any PR, before humans come for me in the comments. I know creators who do sell PR online, which is another topic entirely. I don’t do that.
Kondo's book helped me do the big declutter (my space is still a mess because of bad habits) and have more willpower to resist things when I'm shopping lol.
One problem I have is: "oh, I shouldn't throw that out, i can repurpose it" (e.g. t shirt into a tank top or bag or pillow cover; remelting candles)
And then i dont
And then it sits there forever
Because i forget or procrastinate or dont want to
me
same
We had a huge yard sale two years ago with everything I’d saved since getting married 15 years ago. Now whenever we think of buying something (new or used) I ask myself, is this something that will end up at our next yard sale? Usually it is, so I won’t buy it. Now I try to buy long-lasting items or items that can be used for multiple things. We have wood crates and a board used as a desk, that can be rearranged into a table, bedside table, bookshelf etc. If we no longer want it, it can be used as firewood. As long as you’re using decluttering skills when buying AND tossing, it’s a radical change.
Decluttering my space has been amazing for me. It was eye opening just how much excess I really had. No wonder it was always overflowing. I also realized how many items that I was holding onto because they might be useful one day that I had forgotten I even owned, or were no longer usable. The guilt I felt over buying so many things that I didn't really use made me do a serious reevaluation of future shopping behaviors. My impulse purchases went way down. My house is cleaner, and I feel less anxious in my home.
Growing up with a mother who held onto everything, I just thought holding onto everything was normal. 20 years ago I read my first anticlutter book, but I struggled with having more than I really needed, or could ever realistically use. I love online decluttering content. Thanks to watching decluttering influencers I finally have the tools to stay on top of things, before they get out of control.
Personal story time. I have a family member who is very environmentally conscious. She will buy second hand, fix and reuse as much as possible. I find that very admirable. She also doesn't want to contribute to the landfill and so she holds onto things that really should be thrown away. Last time I visited her it seemed that in a way her home had become another landfill, because she was just holding onto all of this stuff that was basically trash. When she passes away, hopefully not for a very long time, all of that stuff will just end up in a landfill anyway.
I recently found your channel, and I might be overconsuming your videos. 😊 One thing that has stuck with me was someone saying, "If you need to pay to store or organize something, the cost of owning it exceeds the cost of the item." In other words, if I have to pay for a storage unit to house extra clothes I don't wear, it's a net-zero purchase.
I like watching decluttering videos when I need motivation to clean or declutter my own space. On the other side it also reminds me I don’t need to add more stuff. Before I buy something I look to make sure I’m not buying duplicates. Understanding what I love is key to not buying impulsively but of course everything is a learning process.
So recently I have done some small declutters of specific item categories that just no longer felt like they were serving me BUT the way that I go about that is I wait until there is an item specific donation. For example, I recently decluttered my plushies, I just turned 30 and they really just didnt feel like they were for me anymore, additionally they were in really great condition because even in my 20s they were pretty much just for looking at. I gave them to toys for tots this past Christmas, so I know those went to good homes of kids who are going to actually really love them. Or else, I sell the item. I find that making myself be responsible for the items entire life cycle vs. just dropping them off at goodwill makes me really consider new items. Also, because items hang around for longer I have found other uses. For example, I learned about tshirt yarn and now I make my own out of worn out clothes and then reuse that to make new things. I think that really sitting with your stuff for a little longer than you’re comfy with has some really interesting outcomes and we should consider doing this if we have the space to keep a couple extra things around.
this reminds me also of project pan videos. I like the creators who do project pan with the intent of being mindful of their makeup volume and buying less going forward. But then there are other people who do the challenge just to buy more and more and will be wasteful in order to “use up” the products faster.
Exactly
They will have even more than what they used after the Sephora sale 😂😭
This is a good connection!
So true, the declutters are mostly just an excuse to buy more and consume more, waste more. Often posing falsely like "minimalism". When I first discovered decluttering videos I was shocked - these people themselves saw this as a normal thing that perfectly usable stuff is thrown out. If we buy something new, then responsibility comes with it - it has been produced for us, and the resources have been spent for us. A very good reason is needed for discarding IMO. "Donating" is just feel-good throwing away, as most of this stuff ends on a landfill. Thanks for taking this topic up!
9:45 it sounds like describing a “bingeing and purging” cycle of consumption
Was really hoping you'd do a video on this 😊most declutters I see give me a headache because they seem to be a band aid for another problem. They actually stress me & make me feel bad even thinking to declutter. I needed to get that out of my head. As you say there's reasons/ occasions declutters make sense. I do have a space issue I needed to address. And I simply bought more than I can use /enjoy in many areas. I stopped buying in multiple areas like jewellery, candles, parfum, bags, nail polish over a year ago or really cut down being much more thoughtful. I did an inventory of my things and I still do own more things than I can give attention too. I want to further cut back but it feels more doable now. I set the task to aim to declutter 20 more items across the board over the next few days. I have items passing through my mind but I just need to sit down and collect them together. The end number doesn't really matter but I need something to give me a goal of sorts
Loooove this. I've stopped watching almost all declutters because they honestly make me feel a little queasy at this point. There are some beauty creators who did massive declutters a few years ago, with a sort of "I never want my collection to get this big ever again!" attitude...and then kept regularly receiving and reviewing PR from brands like ColourPop, which obviously meant that their collections ballooned again. Make it make sense. And it's not like those reviews they were doing of excessive PR were even necessarily doing big numbers on their channels! Some people are just stuck in cycles of conflicting habits and desires, they're used to working a certain way, and they think they've changed as people/consumers long before they actually have. Here's hoping that more and more people who say they want smaller collections actually take the steps necessary to have smaller collections WITHOUT massive declutters 😑
I totally hear you on this! I've found it harder and harder to watch declutters. I used to think they were fun but not so much anymore
This is SO important! This is a conversation that needs to be had. I decluttered for years and my home is still a mess. Doing a no buy year this year is helping me actually change my habits.
Good job. Extend it a few more years. 💕
spend the last week watching this kind of content nearly non-stop. a youtuber going into someone's home to help declutter and organize. It has motivated me to get rid of quite a bit of things I've been putting off going though.
This is the exact topic I'd been hoping you'd make a video on! The entire theme of de-cluttering has gotten out of control. Nearly every influencer in the world of consumable products seems to make these videos with no comment at all on the underlying issue. I'd say I'm even more annoyed by the minimalist influencers who advocate radical, "ruthless" decluttering with little to no mention of overconsumption and excessive shopping habits. I feel they intentionally want to keep people in the buy and de-clutter cycle to keep their own content relevant indefinitely.
Even the word "de-clutter" gives me a bad feeling these days. I think people see it as a positive or healthy word that makes them feel better about being wasteful. Much of what's decluttered ends up in the trash, whether it be immediately or after given away or donated. Thrift stores are overwhelmed these days by donations due to the "buy and declutter" culture and end up discarding some donations.
Yes to all of this! You're right about the minimalist aspect of things too. They focus so much on decluttering and not enough on consuming and the problems that led people to purchasing how they are
I like watching hoarders buried alive to motivate myself to clean my place and makeup and perfume declutter videos to motivate myself to buy less and use up what I have kind of works for me but yeah we are brainwashed into over consumption as a normal. It’s hard to get out of that mindset agreed 💯
I am currently on a huge declutter mission: it's the first sine i moved into the apartment 5 years ago and it feels therapeutic!
It started with the closet since i gained weight, but i also analysed why i hate half of my clothes and what i actually like to wear. This declutter process is very intentional, it takes a long time, but it feels so good!
You are so right, decluttering without Intention behind it, doesnt work. I am finally at the point where i am not constantly finding New things to bye. I do not need anything and i now hardly want New things. Decluttering just to bye something New does not bring anything in the long term. I love your content and i really enjoy that you are so young and so much more intentional than i was at your age. I have learned so much from you and other channels. Love it❤
Thank you so much for this wonderful comment ❤️ it's never too late to change or learn
Buy.
I feel the same way. I avoid the mall and shops until I actually have a need to purchase.
Omg I literally journaled some thoughts on this days ago because I also wanna talk about this idea!
You are 100% right, I think we need to stop taking the idea of "decluttering" as a normal part of the cycle of consumerism. It kind of provides an "acceptable" solution to the unhealthy buying habits that are so rampant in today's society
I hope you do make your own video on this topic. The more the merrier!
@shawnaripari thanks for the encouragement, and for your consistently inspiring videos 🙏
I figure the more people who start talking about it, the better we can tackle the overconsumerism on social media and beyond!
Hope this conversation becomes more popular. One of my biggest pet peeves about these videos is how people “donate” their stuff to goodwill or somewhere like that when actually just listing it on Facebook marketplace for free would be far better because it would guarantee a real individual person will take responsibility for the item(s). Whereas donation places most of it ends up in the landfill and other problematic places. That and my second most common pet peeve is people buying an entire wardrobe full of brand new hangers. It’s crazy to me because literally you could still get yourself a full matching set of whatever nice hangers you want if you just bought them on Facebook marketplace- I see so many listings for huge boxes of every hanger you can imagine. It bugs me so much that they could totally have the same result and loose nothing by simply getting them secondhand. I’m not huge on blaming individuals for these problems but those two things are the main gripes I can’t help but get irked by whenever I see it, which is a lot.
one of the things that bothers me about declutters is "I am declutting this matte red lipstick because I have too many of the same/I dont like reds or matte/I already have too many lipsticks" then a second later "I will keep this red matte lipstick because I like it" I am like, gurlllll, you just said u dont like this color/matte/has too many..." is very funny to watch the excuse to declutter one thing and keep another (same/similar) thing a sec later 😂 😂
Girl 😂😂😂
I go through these declutter problems so often, working on slowing this down. I realized that I would buy and give away things because they wouldn't match what was already owned (not having enough solid colored tops vs. colorful pants). I recently bought black and white shirts that are mostly made of cotton and I am very pleased that these will go with EVRYTHING in my wardrobe! I prefer the feeling of not thinking too hard when pairing outfits together
I did a big declutter and I continue to declutter, mostly because I have kids who grow out of clothes and accumulate toys and items. I pat myself on the back for not filling up my house again……however…..I seem to have a little problem with books. I love to thrift them, and then I will go and declutter after a while. I think it’s an issue, but also I just love books. I’m aware that it’s like a shopping problem….so I think it’s important to be aware but also to challenge myself to read these books I’ve acquired. And look at why I’m doing this. What is missing in my life or what need isn’t being met?
Not me, watching this while decluttering my nail polish collection 😅 (I’ve worn the same 3 colors for 10 years so almost everything else is super old and needs to go!)
I get what you're saying. This TYPE of decluttering is only available to people with money though, who can buy replacements. I think people who don't have lots of money to burn (many non-influencers lol) do keep things and make them last longer. For people who can't bring in new things, decluttering has a very different vibe.
You raise an excellent point and wealth is something I wish I talked about more. These creators, in part, don't even have to think about money when PR is at play as well.
I find that poverty makes people hold on to things, sometimes well past the time we should. My great grandmother was greatly impacted by the Great Depression, and she hoarded blankets and food. My sister-in-law has two toddlers on food stamps, and she has a really hard time getting rid of their old toys because she saved so long and worked so hard to get them in the first place. For myself, I find that my stuff breaks, wears out, or doesn’t work as well because it’s cheap, but then I don’t want to get rid of it because it cost money.
The most decluttering I've ever had to do actually wasn't because of my own habits - when my nan moved in with my parents so they could take care of her, I ended up storing a bunch of stuff for her. When she passed away, I had to deal with everything she left. She was an ardent catalogue shopper back in the day, and never threw anything out. It was a lot, and there was also an extra level of grief because I felt guilty for getting rid of her things. I donated anything useful, but there was so much plastic crap that no-one would ever want.
Don't FEEL GUILTY. 💕💕
Every time my elderly mother, grandmother, or aunt goes into the hospital, I throw away items that are trash!!! I put all of their important documents in brightly colored and organized folders!!
Yeah this is true!
I can only relate to the video so much because I’m a hoarder, so the reason I have clutter in the first place is because I keep things that are 2-7 years old because I feel like they can still be used, even though I am NOT wearing a graphic tee from high school to work/my night out or playing with that board game I got for my birthday anymore. But what really resonated with me was the part you said of “learning your lesson”.
When grabbing stuff to give away I saw lots of clothes that I thought was nice and would still like to wear, but the reality is I spend most of the week at work, so when I go out I tend to wear the preferred “cute” clothes I have instead of the nice clothes that I haven’t used in 2 years. So for me my lesson was that even though I want to use something, I need to be realistic on how much I can use a certain item in my life, especially when there’s other items that compete for that use. I feel like this relates to the issue you mentioned about makeup. Even if someone STILL loves cream blushes and wants to use them, some blushes will be chosen over the others and ultimately the others can go unused until 1. They expire or 2. You already gained a preference for a specific blush that you don’t want to use the others anymore.
Here was the wild rationalization I did recently. I wanted to try some new cream lip and cheek products but had not used up the old ones. Now I have about 50 makeup items in total, so it's not totally unmanageable, but still. So what did I do? I bought an empty makeup palette so that I could depot my lip and cheek products into "one" palette to count that as one makeup item and then get rid of the individual containers. So I bought new stuff but I had not actually used up the products! Needless to say I loved this rationale and needed to hear it today.
Thank you for sharing your experience and also amazing you recognized this ❤️
Loving all the content you're dropping on us lately!
Thank you so much 💓
I also will say, if you find yourself decluttering a lot because you keep going through phases look at your life around you. I was in a covert narcissistic abusive relationship from ages 16-23 and I went through several different major phases that I ended up completely decluttering when I started therapy and figuring out who I really was. I had a makeup phase, a super pink girly phase, a very goth phase and it was all because I was trying to grasp on to some sense of self and ignore signs of my abuse. It’s important to learn from those things not just why you’re moving on in the consumerist sense but also evaluating your mental health and sense of identity. Sometimes things like that can make you aware of your lack of control in your every day.
This is without doubt the best video I have ever seen regarding decluttering. As someone who, dare I say, is pretty much addiicted to decluttering videos and has spent years constantly decluttering my home! This digs deep and finally touches on why we are constantly decluttering but it never seems to come to an end! Your video is absolutely brilliant, thank you!!! You have really made me think differently and the reasons behind it all, such as boredom of items, constantly thinking there is something better, never really knowing your style or what you like, plus constantly being bombarded with adverts and influencers telling us about the latest must haves, even though we may already own something similar that meets our needs, those soon get tossed aside as the lastest and greatest trend or thing that promises to change our life for the better enters our home. It's just a vicious cycle!! Everything you mentioned is so so true! The key is stopping it at at sorce and using and appreciating what you have, giving yourself time to think about what you need, rather than an impulsive want! Thank you for opening my eyes! Xx
thank you so much for this very sweet comment!!
I find doing an extended no buy in most areas, low buy in other or necessary areas (ie., if I run out of soap or have literally no hair ties at all or not a single pair of functioning sandals), forces me to get creative. I found multiple uses for some of my clothing and makeup items I was struggling to find a use for, and was able to make couch cushion covers, toy kitchen food, my daughter some dresses and her baby dolls matching ones, cloth wipes since we cloth diaper, and even with my makeup, since I’m stringent with ingredients, my kids like drawing on themselves sometimes, or I’ve learned some of my items are safe for the eye area or vice versa. Then once my no buy is over, I’m able to see what I was able to use, what is left over that I couldn’t or just didn’t have a use for, and what actually needs replacing or just plain removing. Having 3 kids means I feel like I’m constantly declutterring, but it’s become much more manageable and it’s even up to my kids 90% of the time to put what clothes or toys they don’t want anymore in a “go away” bin.
I did a huge “successful” declutter in 2015 before I moved across country. By 2018, I was swimming in clutter once again.
I have since realized that decluttering without addressing the root issue (overconsumption and consumerism) won’t bring results that last. I’m still working through it.
I follow a lovely lady from Wales who does a project pan for her costmetics. Shes admitted back in the day she had spent too much money on makeup, skincare and clothes and now shes absolutely over it and is using her stuff and only having a select few of things. Only then she will buy a replacement.
She inspired me to use up what I've got (I don't buy too much BUT I haven't used a lot of skincare/bath products that I have been gifted at Christmas/birthdays)
Its helped create routines that were definitely needed and so satisfying seeing my empties knowing that my empty space is growing. And luckily that emoty space it staying empty 🎉
Honest thought - how many people have had a baby or added another baby to their family because it allows them to then shop for all that stuff after they’ve decluttered and realized that they were past all that stuff that goes with babies and little ones. I’ve definitely seen people who can’t seem to bring themselves to get rid of toys or stuffed animals that their children haven’t played with in years because it represents closing that chapter of life.
I've been on a "decluttering journey" for the past 6 months or so (triggered by never knowing when I might have to suddenly move). I've decluttered 30 years worth of "stuff". Now the challenge is trying to balance upgrading my former "bad buys" into things I actually like and use versus just acquiring more "stuff" I don't need. It's definitely easier said than done.
14:44 I totally agree. You can't know beforehand if it is good quality or what you expect from the product. I decluttered recently 2 palettes bc the colorstory does not work for me and one as it didn't have what I expect when it comes to formula. So I also can with that already observe colors that don't work for me and I shouldn't buy. Wish also beauty influencers did that and also wish they wouldn't buy everything "bc it is their job" and then declutter it often.
This is so true! I was inspired to declutter one time and ever since I’ve been very cautious with my purchases. I’m not perfect but I’m def changing my ways. I have seen so many influencers “declutter” and end up buying more useless things. They inspire me not to be like them.
Thank you for this!!! Someone needed to address this and I’m so glad you did. You’ve been killing it with the videos lately, Shawna!
Thank you so much Sarah!! ☺
i’m trying to “shop my closet” these days instead of buying new clothes. at some point consumerism becomes an addiction that’s so hard to curb.
I’ve been watching a lot of declutter videos lately, and I noticed that I immediately lose interest in it when I see that the creator is not committed to changing their shopping habits. You can tell whether they really want to make a change in their lives or if they just need more space. There is absolutely no point in getting rid of things if you are not gonna slow down the shopping, and I am glad to see you talk about it. Great video!
Ive noticed that too. The fragrance influencers do that a lot. Get rid of 40 perfumes. And the next video is of buying almost 15 more. ! Does not make sence.
@@SuperFilicia I see that a lot! It feels so disingenuous
I declutter my closet every year. I don't do a major one but rather anytime I'm dressing and see something I haven't worn in months, I just put it in a bag I put aside until the bag is full. I give the clothes (some I've never worn) to my cousin and others in my hometown. They use them and I always feel happy to see the clothes get new life instead of remaining unused for months and years in my closet. I have most of my clothes handmade for me as well so hardly online shopping etc. I'm happy I never fell in the SHEIN trap because I know I wouldn't have worn all that polyester.
I love mending my clothes, its fun and relaxing:D the Konmari method and visible mending really saved me from becoming a hoarder, now i only bring something into my house if its something that im missing. I keep things until they are absolutely unusable most of the time, although I did recently donate some of my last few pieces of polyester and acrylic clothes because i couldn't stand the textures
I have a lot of stuff. Stuff I’ve accumulated over 25 years. I don’t throw stuff out… like ever. But I also don’t buy things if there’s no room for them. I tend to use stuff up. I like having all of my stuff because I don’t need to buy things… I love what I have and I use what I have.
I’ve sold clothes that no longer fit and I turn worn out fabric items into rags. It’s empowering to take your items through their entire lifecycle and use them until they are literally unusable.
The minimal mom does this and I used to love her but then I realized…she prides herself in shopping at dollar tree,,, and she’s has enough stuff to declutter to make 7+years of content with piles and piles in each video…yeah
I’ve always wondered why the declutter videos seem to be the same people constantly decluttering bags of stuff every month from their house. I even questioned one of the women because everything she was decluttering still had the tag and I asked “did you just buy this to put in this video and are actually just going to return it to the home goods you got it from?” And the woman got so pissed saying I didn’t understand what went into a RUclips video and her response really made me think SHE ABSOLUTELY DID JUST BUY THIS SHIT TO PRETEND SHE WAS DECLUTTERING. When I do declutters I maybe can get rid of one bag a year. I don’t understand how they get rid of 10 bags a month.
When I declutter there is usually a point and often it’s when I am making big changes like moving or rearranging furniture. For instance, I recently moved my bedroom from the upstairs room to the bonus room and during this transition I also remodeled the room. One of the big changes I was making to the space was putting in a full wall of wardrobes so while I am in the process of filling this I am relooking at my clothes. Well it turns out my feet have grown (used to be size 7-7.5 and now I’m anywhere from an 8-9) and now I can no longer fit into 50% of the shoes I own (shoes I’ve held onto since high school) so I didn’t have a choice but to declutter them. And while I was doing my research about decluttering I learned donating is a last resort so I’m uploading them to some resale sites so someone else can enjoy them.
Thank you, I really found this interesting. I enjoy watching declutters because I remember how freeing it felt when I first overhauled my house, so watching them I found relaxing. Until, as you mentioned, I realised I was watching the same creators decluttering regularly, and then it just annoyed me instead. So now I'm more choosey about what I watch.
My biggest bugbear is the consumerism I see in booktube. I love reading and watch it a lot to get book recommendations of books I may enjoy, ones that I likely would never have known about otherwise. However, to watch some of them buy 20 odd books in one go, when they've mentioned they have hundreds of books on their shelves, they haven't gotten around to reading yet, pi$$e$ me off. In fact, so much so that this year, I decided that I'm only reading library books now, and if I find any that I enjoy so much I'd like my own copy, I can only get second hand ones 😅 Not that I bought lots of new books any way, but it just makes me feel a bit better to use pre-loved books that have been discarded.
It's also interesting what you said about people not knowing/ understanding themselves. I got drawn in by beauty youtube and would buy some of the things I'd see advertised and then barely use any of it because the truth is wearing make-up makes me feel very anxious, so I don't enjoy it but I WANTED to BE that person who wore make-up and was put together but I'm not, nor will I probably ever be and that's okay, so I gave it to a friend who does enjoy it, but didn't really have the money to buy stuff and being able to help my bestie out and not having it there to make me feel guilty that I had wasted that money and that I wasn't THAT person, made me feel good.
Sorry for the essay. You just got my brain buzzing 😂
Thank you for sharing! I find the book unhauls particularly triggering too so I just don't watch them. Other unhauls or decluttering don't bother me in quite the same way which is a bit interesting to consider
Seriously! I don’t know why people buy books (especially brand new) that they’ve never read before…? I haven’t come across a book I wasn’t able to find secondhand, and my practice is to only buy books that I’ve read and know I’d re-read.
Loved this, so true!! I only have a few home decor / ornaments and I switch them around different rooms every so often instead of buying more🥰
Just subscribed ✨
After my dad died it’s taken me five years to properly go through and declutter all his stuff. Partially because decisions are hard, partially because there was a lot of sentimental stuff, partially because I’m not always in the same country as the stuff but mostly because I wanted to take the time to consciously go through everything and consider whether I still have a use for it and if not where a good place for it to go would be. Sometimes that meant throwing things away but I tried to recycle as much as possible and if something was thrown away it was because it was the best option. I cannot count the amount of comments and the overwhelming disbelief I've gotten over the years (and it got worse the longer this process went on) because people just didn’t understand why I chose to be so considerate of the stuff. Why I wouldn’t pick maybe a handful sentimental things out and throw everything else away because I can just buy it new. Why is so many people’s first instinct to throw away and buy new? Also replacing all the stuff costs so much money! I still have a hard time understanding these reactions when I get them
A slow, thoughtful post-death declutter seems to be working for you. Give yourself credit for doing the work!
Your video was in my recommended and I have NEVER thought about decluttering in this way. This is so so interesting to me & I am happy I found your video! I must say I find watching these declutter videos so satisfying even though I never declutter this way myself. Your video has given me so much food for thought :)
Ive been thinking about this recently, reflecting on my own habits, and was looking to listen to something about it yesterday. Thanks for providing!
Glad I could provide ❤️
Yes! I recently realized just how much makeup I have and started project panning in November. I know that usually when someone is new to project panning is normal to start by doing a declutter but it just felt wrong for me. Since I started project panning I realized that I don't like to do decluttering sessions. Instead, I prefer to use a product and evaluate whether it works or not for me, if it doesn't, is there a way that I can make it work? If not, then I'll rehome or declutter it. So far I have only decluttered a blush (balm blush, horrible, could not make it work for the life of me, not even as a lip balm), a supershock shadow that had completely dried up (I tried reviving it but failed), an undereye brightener (it was expired and caused my face to swell up and get incredibly dry and irritated. It took weeks for my skin to fully heal), and two golden highlighters that were too dark for me (I gave them to my best friend, they look beautiful on her). This method works best for me because if I want to have a smaller, better curated collection, then I have to finish up stuff and stop buying makeup (currently on a no-buy) and not just declutter my way towards my makeup collection goal.
This sounds super intentional and like you've figured out a system that works well for you
@@shawnaripari Definitely! I've noticed that project panners can also fall into the trap of decluttering for the sake of decluttering or using too much product just for the sake of finishing products, and personally I think that defeats the purpose of project panning a little bit (??)
Love your deep dives. So thoughtful and illuminating. Thanks Shawna
Glad to hear it Amanda!
The worst is tik tok restock creators. They change their fridge and pantry with new items and bins every week. Yet I watch them 🙈
I think you should do a more polished-up presentation of this topic - it needs to go viral. This is a REALLY important point about RUclips genres
This is so kind, thank you!! I may do just that in a fee weeks/months
I've been on a roll, watching declutter videos because I genuinely need to do that in my home, but I do wish more of those bloggers mentioned changing your shopping and consumption habits, because those are the root of the problem. And I wish more stopped advising throwing out perfectly good working items. Thanks for bringing it up, a lot of good points!
These days the consumption loop just feeds itself because marketing marketing buy buy buy.
you bring up a good point that decluttering videos can help motivate folks who want/need to declutter or tidy.
12:40 As a fine arts grad student, it's totally normal to have a "gouache phase" and then get bored and try a different medium. But -- why get rid of the paint??? It's not going to go bad. Keep it around for the time in a few years when you'll want to revisit gouache. I still have some worn-down chalk pastels from when I was 15, and I used them for a class this last year. I've been using a bottle of India ink I got when I was 16.
I know that I am going to use all of my art supplies eventually, and it's those unexpected moments when you remember that you still have some gouache in the closet that bring a lot of joy and spontaneity to a mixed media project.
If you really don't think you'll use a specific art supply again, you can share it with some of your artist friends. Maybe seeing what they do with it will inspire you to pick it up again, or if you really think they'd make better use of it, you can give it to them. If you remain open to the possibility that you might want to use those pastels again at some point in your life, getting rid of them just seems like throwing away money to me.
Am working on recovery from a full blown shopping addiction, and going through all the things I had accumulated over the past 12 years was so shocking! I did a big declutter and it made me nauseous to see how much it was :( I only kept what I use and need and won’t buy/shop unless it’s necessary or I ran out, because I feel awful and want to be sustainable ❤❤
Nobody asked for my life story lol, thank you for this video
thank you so much for sharing your experience and perspective!
😅Maybe brands are kicking the doors down and force people to take the PR under threat 😂that's how some people make it sound
I do believe that some brands are like this but I have a hard time believing it's the majority! I saw Sarah Rose mention recently brands are still sending PR packages to an old address despite changing it and/or opting out.
I love this video. Some of my favorite content creators really drive me nuts with this. It seems so toxic to waste all that time and effort to viciously declutter, and then they do it multiple times because of overconsumption. Its like they have a 15 in, one out rule. crazy.
Great topic! I think about this all the time and see almost no content addressing the consumerism and decluttering cycle, only shallow deinfluencing videos that don't touch on much of anything so thank you
In our home I consider myself a minimalish parent to 3 children. I don’t buy things just to buy, I intentionally purchase. However… with 3 small children it can still be challenging to not let things creep in. We have family who love to spoil and gift my children items, but it does get overwhelming sometimes 😅
Decluttering will be done for the smallest of reasons 😂anything to get stuff out to get new stuff in 😂
I used to love watching Jessica Braun. I liked how she took herself off the PR lists. Lately, I've grown irritated with her constant affiliate links, Amazon must have videos, Trying new makeup videos. Obviously, she has the right and freedom to buy what she wants, create and post whatever videos she wants.
She isn't the only youtuber that I've slowly stopped watching because of the shopping/ buying content.
This is a big problem I've seen in ADHD / neurodivergent places. It sucks because you'll see people be frame the buying of stuff they aren't going to use as sertion hunting. And equally in those spaces I see a lot of swapping between haul culture ("sertion hunting") and then decluttering and the cycle repeats. I've also seen people justify it with them saying there basically restocking thrift shops. @_@;
It's hard too in those groups cause people do associate that behavior with ADHD and if you mention you don't do it, they'll get on you going "I don't wanna be rude or invalidating but how do you have ADHD if you don't sertion hunt??? This is our culture." *Sigh*
Anyways what you said hits the nail on the head, I think it's why I see it in communities I'm in a lot. When stuff becomes normalized like that, people repeat.
There's a huge gender element to this for me. When I was a teenager, i was a girl who only wore boys clothes but because I wasnt allowed to cross dress, aquiring clothing was hard. I had to be so intentional on what I could beg my mom to buy. When I started wearing girls clothes again, the full accessibility led to overconsuming, but since it was something I felt obligated to buy to be loved, I was never happy so I kept at it. I'm happy and back to my men's clothes, and my old instincts are there: mens clothing that looks good on me and makes me feel attractive is hard to come by, so what I have I'll hold onto forever so i can actually have clothes to wear. What you said about having to never give up clothing, what would you wear is critical I think to curb overconsumption and also remind us to not take accessibility for granted.
I follow a lot of accounts that do project pan for crafting and it's so much more satisfying to see something used up to create, rather than just unpacking various stickers from shein, temu etc
I am only working on Panning Projects now and using what I have - and very very low amounts of haul videos of any kind. I am happy with my 950 subscribers and grateful to simply have what I have. ❤
I declutter at least once every 6 months and it’s scary seeing these content creators do it like every other week.
Super happy to FINALLY find someone on RUclips talking about this topic who has a pleasant voice, attitude, demeanor... lovely. I just can't listen to the "screechers and ranters" on this topic. I'm trying tonhe chill.and wfh over here, dang!
Anyway, love it, subscribed. Thank you ❤
Wow I came across this at just the right time. I’m currently in the middle of decluttering and I just pulled out an eyeshadow pallet from the trash, trying to appreciate what I currently have
So true. So many hypocrites on RUclips posting “ declutter” videos alongside dollar store/ Amazon hauls for organizing bins and other junk.
I have been binging your content because it is so refreshing and has great inspiration to stop consuming so much. Thank you, Shawna! Keep it up!
I've learned to declutter and only purchase things when it's done or really need it, i think the one that helped me the most is honestly questioning why do i need the thing that's being advertised to me and going through the breakdown in my head, figuring out that trends come and go and finding my style, recycling and repurposing the things tha ti already have, and sticking to my budget because god knows we can't afford anything nowadays
This is so true. By decluttering we legitimize overconsumption. It’s like you don’t have to think way too much about what and why you’re buying, because in case you don’t like it, you can always get rid of things and purchase 10 more. I also used to be like that, I was so driven by the whole makeup industry to try new releases and find the best products for myself and later on I just passed it on to my mom. But after couple years of that strategy she asked me to help her declutter makeup drawer and I found out that at least 30% of everything I gave her she barely touched. So instead of finding things a new loving home I was just cluttering someone else’s space and shifted responsibility for the things to another person.
So now I decided that I have to thoroughly explore the reviews of the product I want to buy and at least see if that suits my skin type, the color is approachable and so on. Also be more conscious about where I could pass it on if I end up not liking. I found out that the best option is to sell it, even for a very low price. Because if you give it away for free, people don’t appreciate it and might just take for the collection, even if they know they’re never gonna use it. And I am trying to stop purchasing things just to try, not attempting to use up.
In case you’re interested in textures, colors and so on, you can go to makeup store and test it out. Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to do so, because I live in a small city meanwhile having only one tiny makeup store so 90% I order online. But still there’s a tip for that: I discovered which textures I like and try to identify that in pictures, reviews and videos.
One more tip, if you see some cool item in a video, check out comment section, cause usually there’re people sharing honest reviews, while most of the bloggers just have a commission on your purchase.
I’m glad I found your channel. You are very insightful. 🌀
the almighty algorithm brought me here! Yay! new subscriber in the house
I really love declutter video and used to love thrifting video. But then the thrifting one became like ridicilous cause they keep buying and selling like nonsense. With the decluttering i used to feel bad that i couldnt get rid of so many thing, but now i just being mindful and try to use all the product i have, emptying them so i can declutter them
What a lovely voice you have. This was a really calming video to watch, thank you!
Great video as always! I have a few not necessarily coherent thoughts on the matter lol
a) I totally agree about the frustrating rationalizations some beauty youtubers give with respect to owning a lot of makeup. "I buy it so you don't have to!," "I have this much makeup to do comparisons so you know the best product for you," (spoiler: they rarely, if ever, actually do comparisons) "I wouldn't have this much makeup if my job wasn't to review makeup." Like, this is a choice you're making. You are choosing to purchase this amount of makeup and you're branding it with this feel-good I-do-it-for-my-viewers mentality. I didn't ask for this lol.
b) I live in a ~400 sqft apartment and I recently went through and touched every single thing in my apartment. Papers that were stored away, clothes, etc and got rid of 4.5 trash bags of stuff. I barely had that much stuff to begin with (I don't like clutter, I tend to make intentional purposes, and I'm not much of a keep it just in case sort of person). I can't imagine how much crap other people have around lol
c) I wish antihauls were more popular. I like new makeup releases videos because I enjoy knowing what's going on and looking at pretty things, but I rarely feel the need to purchase anything. I want more critical thoughts about makeup instead of hearing people say things like, "Well, I buy everything X releases, so I guess I'll buy this." Like, what?
d) tied to the point above, I have gone back from time to time to watch oooold makeup releases videos because it's just kind of fun to see what was new and exciting circa August 2018 or something and it's wild how much mindsets have shifted. Natasha Denona was routinely slammed for being waaaay too expensive (with people calling the brand "Natasha Denono" and saying things like, "For that amount of money, is it going to apply my eyeshadow too?"), but now ND is very mainstream and her price point has been normalized.
More to say, but I'll stop rambling!
You have so many interesting observations here. I also wish antihauls were more popular because I love watching them. I like them more than the will I buy it videos, which have become more common. Just speaking for my channel, anything labeled anti-haul doesn't do well. Perhaps this is a factor? I also think it's super interesting how quickly the tides turn in makeup. You're so right ND was too expensive for many and now it's worth the money. I loved reading so thank you for sharing!