Any impression this incredibly wise list of advice could be based on personal experience (and on multiple failures at following them) would be correct. My life changed and the clutter vanished the day I stopped wanting to buy always more stuff and decided to only keep what was… worth keeping aka actually of any use/importance.
What do I do if most of my clutter is previously purchased crap that I don’t know how to responsibly dispose of? The recycling facilities in my area are awful. I literally have bags/boxes of shit that I feel too bad to throw in the waste.
You look for alternative. I’m not what you mean by awful but I would go to another one. So, I would start by searching where they are located and when they’re open. Here where I live I can call a number in tow town and get someone to come pick a few cubic meters of trash, for free. That’s limited (in volume and type of stuff they will collect) but it works well and it should be easy for you to check with your own city if they offer such a service.
Also: you can try to donate stuff, thrift stores, yard sales,…
If that does not cut it, you need to focus. I mean, don’t try to get rid of everything at once. It won’t end well. And be fine with trashing stuff. Work one box/bag/closet/drawer/room at a time. Make sure to put aside the things you really need to keep and then put the rest in trash bags. Since you made sure there was no alternatives to trashing them, you should not feel bad… use that as a reminder to not buy crap anymore after that.
If it’s too much work for you it should be easy to hire some youngster/teen you may know or from the neighborhood willing to help you and earn some cash while doing so.
I sometimes order stuff off of temu or wish. You know, those situations where “crap quality product” is what you’re actually after.
But I have a rule of never ordering before a week has passed. If I still need or want the item after a week, the purchase can be justified, but I have to pick an item I already have to get rid of first.
One piece of crap in means one piece of crap out.
Things I’ve bought like this:
Phone holder for my night stand (a simple one that allowed me to keep my phone in portrait mode. I WFH with my bed as my “office”).
Maunesium (the kids were curious once I mentioned that metal can burn).
Moisture detection stickers (they turned out pretty good, actually. I use them at work all the time).
But I have a rule of never ordering before a week has passed
This a great way, I used to do that at the beginning but I don’t need to anymore… I simply don’t want to buy anything anymore unless I really need it.
Regarding phone holders: I made mine out of… cardboard, recycled from the phone packaging. Contrary to what many people think cardboard can be real sturdy (and is very easy to work with) ;)
Any impression this incredibly wise list of advice could be based on personal experience (and on multiple failures at following them) would be correct. My life changed and the clutter vanished the day I stopped wanting to buy always more stuff and decided to only keep what was… worth keeping aka actually of any use/importance.
What do I do if most of my clutter is previously purchased crap that I don’t know how to responsibly dispose of? The recycling facilities in my area are awful. I literally have bags/boxes of shit that I feel too bad to throw in the waste.
I sometimes order stuff off of temu or wish. You know, those situations where “crap quality product” is what you’re actually after.
But I have a rule of never ordering before a week has passed. If I still need or want the item after a week, the purchase can be justified, but I have to pick an item I already have to get rid of first.
One piece of crap in means one piece of crap out.
Things I’ve bought like this: Phone holder for my night stand (a simple one that allowed me to keep my phone in portrait mode. I WFH with my bed as my “office”).
Maunesium (the kids were curious once I mentioned that metal can burn). Moisture detection stickers (they turned out pretty good, actually. I use them at work all the time).
This a great way, I used to do that at the beginning but I don’t need to anymore… I simply don’t want to buy anything anymore unless I really need it.
Regarding phone holders: I made mine out of… cardboard, recycled from the phone packaging. Contrary to what many people think cardboard can be real sturdy (and is very easy to work with) ;)