20 Signs You May Have Too Much Stuff

Do you secretly suspect that you have too much stuff? Sure, there are lots of people who have way more stuff than you do. After all, even though the volume of stuff you own may have started to have a negative impact on your life, at least you’re not a hoarder. Right? Deep down, though, you know you could stand to declutter some stuff. Okay, maybe a lot of stuff. How do you know when your clutter has become an obstacle in your life? Is there a checklist you can refer to or a quiz you can take in order to find out if you have (way) too much stuff?

I promise I won’t make you take a quiz! Instead, keep reading for a list of 20 ways to tell if you have too much stuff. {And if you do, what you can do about it.}

20 Ways to Tell When You Have Too Much Stuff

Has the stuff you own started to own you instead? Perhaps, (like I once did), you need a little help convincing yourself that you may have a real predicament on your hands. It’s time to stop sweeping your “stuff” under the rug (figuratively and literally) and admit the fact that you may have a problem with clutter. After all, the first step in any respectable 12-step recovery program is to admit you have a problem.

Not sure if your clutter has truly become a problem? Here are 20 ways to tell when you have way too much stuff for your own good.

1. Instead of decluttering, you buy more stuff to “organize” your existing stuff

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Unless you declutter before you organize, you are putting the cart before the horse. When your solution to clutter is to buy more clutter in order to store your clutter, the end result is well-hidden clutter.

Reduce what you own. Next, shop around your own home before adding anything to your cart. You may discover you already own all of the storage solutions you need. Once you’ve shopped your home for organizational items, then, and only then, should you go shopping for additional storage.

Bonus: if you declutter before you organize, you may discover that you can declutter some of your storage items too.

2. You are constantly misplacing stuff

Maybe you are just an absent-minded person. Or maybe, just maybe, you have so much stuff, that you are unable to keep track of it all.

3. You buy stuff to replace the stuff you have lost

Have you ever lost something you needed, gone out and purchased a replacement, only to find the original item the next day? Uh huh…too much stuff.

4. Rather than enhancing your life, your stuff has started to overwhelm you

We all tend to buy things that promise to make our lives easier, then we discover that the product we bought doesn’t live up to its promises. Instead of immediately disposing of the item (either by throwing it away, donating it, or selling it), we feel foolish for purchasing it in the first place and in the drawer, cabinet, or closet it goes.

Related Posts:

• Shock Treatment Declutter Method: A Crash Course
• How to Declutter and Organize Your Entire Home
• The Slow and Steady Declutter Method
• You Might Be a Hoarder If…

5. You have a difficult time moving around your home

Okay, so this one borders on hoarding. If you have so much stuff that you find it hard to comfortably get around in your own home, you have too much stuff. Period.

6. You worry that if you get rid of something you may end up needing it one day

No one likes to be caught unprepared. However, it’s inevitable that we will all run out of something at some point in time regardless of how much of that item we have stashed away.

Why not free up some space in your home and let the store do what it’s there to do? Store stuff.

7. You have trouble closing drawers, cabinets, or closets

The space in our closets, drawers, and cabinets is finite. Even if we purchased a larger home with more storage, eventually, all of that (once ample) storage will be filled.

Unless that is, we stop the madness and choose to declutter our stuff. Eliminate the mindset that all drawers, cabinets, and closets need to be filled and you will notice your home instantly feels more spacious.

8. Your allergy/asthma symptoms have recently worsened

Have you noticed lately that your allergies and or asthma symptoms have started flaring up more than usual? Take a look around your home. Excess stuff often attracts dust, and with dust comes dust mites. Also, piles of stuff in damp areas of your home could be hiding an even more sinister allergy/asthma trigger…mold. Time to create an allergy-friendly home!

9. You have a difficult time making decisions about where to start when it comes to decluttering

When chaos and clutter have taken over your home, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, you may truly want to declutter your home, but you have so much stuff, you are unsure where you should begin.

I’m here to tell you, don’t give up. There is always hope. Yes, it will take time and lots of hard work. But it can be done. If decluttering an entire room all at once overwhelms you, start with a single drawer or countertop instead.

The absolute worst thing you can do when it comes to decluttering is to never even begin.

10. You have been late on a bill because you misplaced it

Ever received a late notice on a bill you swore you paid? Only to discover you only thought you paid it because it’s nowhere to be found? Then, you end up having to swallow the bitter pill of a late charge. Ouch!

11. You have items in your drawers and closets that no longer fit or that you haven’t worn in a year or more

Take a good, hard look at the insides of your closets and drawers. If you have clothing that hasn’t seen the light of day since the 80’s (AND it’s not a Halloween costume), you most likely have too much stuff.

12. You spend an inordinate amount of time reading books and blogs dedicated to decluttering, yet you never actually get around to implementing the advice

I love you, and I am glad you are here. Please don’t stop reading my blog.

That being said, I mention this point because I have been guilty of it myself. I am great at planning. And not-so-great at following through. Meaning that I can read other people’s expert advice all day long. But when it comes to putting that advice into practice, I often fall short.

So please, read all my articles on decluttering. Envision a clutter-free life of your own. Then, take the necessary steps to turn your dreams into reality.

13. You have at least one space in your home that is unusable due to the clutter

Not too long ago, I was reading a book written by a (grown) child of hoarders whose parents were also raised by hoarders. This person said that a lifestyle of clutter was all she’d ever known. She explained that there was always at least one room in her parent’s and grandparent’s homes that were inaccessible due to clutter.

While your home may not be quite this bad, is your kitchen table too cluttered to eat at? Or your desk so full of paperwork that you are unable to work at it?

14. You’ve seriously considered moving out with only a suitcase and starting over

Or, better yet, lighting a match to it all…

Which, by the way, no matter how bad your clutter is, you should never EVER do!

15. You are unable to park your car in your garage

If you wanted to right now, could you actually park your vehicle in your garage AND successfully get out of it without running over piles of clutter?

Here are 10 benefits of parking your car in your garage that may just motivate you to clear the clutter.

16. You frequently use shopping as a form of therapy

After a particularly bad day at work do you often find yourself heading to the mall for some “retail therapy”?

Anytime we use shopping as a “pick-me-up” we not only avoid dealing with our true feelings but we also needlessly add to our clutter.

17. You keep unwanted gifts because you don’t want to hurt the gift giver’s feelings

Instead of returning unwanted gifts to the store, and risk possibly hurting the gift giver’s feelings when they find out, do you just add them to an ever-growing pile of unwanted gifts? It’s perfectly okay to exchange or return an unwanted gift if it is not your style, taste, or simply if owning it would add unwanted clutter to your home.

18. You rent one or more storage units

Did you know that there is currently 2,300,000,000 sq ft of storage space available in the US alone? What’s more alarming, 90% of it is already full! Self-storage facilities have quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry.

The average cost of a storage unit is almost $90 per month. Do you really want to continue feeding a corporate monster in order to store useless stuff {which you have already proven to yourself that you can live without}?

Or, would you rather have $1,200 extra per year available to you to save, invest, or spend as you see fit? The choice is yours.

19. Your kids have so many toys that they never have anything to do

You know you have too much stuff when your kids frequently complain that they are bored.

Oftentimes, our kids are so overwhelmed with toys that they simply cannot decide what to play with. As a result, they end up not playing with any of them.

By decluttering our kid’s toys we actually do them a favor by limiting their choices (whether they realize it or not).

20. You frequently discover expired food in your refrigerator, pantry, and deep freezer

I’m sure at one time or another, we have all peered into the abyss that is the back of our refrigerator and discovered an unwanted science project in the form of rotten food. EWWW! If this is a common occurrence in your kitchen, you may want to consider the fact that you have too much stuff.

Even food can count as clutter.

Do you have too much stuff? Don’t despair! 

If you are being suffocated by too much stuff in your home, it’s never too late to do something about it. Take the steps necessary today to begin the decluttering process! With each bag or box that leaves your home, a weight will be lifted off your shoulders. It’s perfectly natural to feel embarrassed by and even anger towards your clutter. Don’t wallow in those feelings. Decide today to create a relaxing, clutter-free home

READ MORE: 

• You Might Be A Hoarder If…20 Symptoms Of Compulsive Hoarding
• How To Help A Hoarder: 5 Things You Should NEVER Say
• 3 Things That Will Sabotage Your Decluttering Efforts

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