I was going to mention that not infrequently I have to buy a new ‘something’ as I can’t find the old one which inevitably turns up within days, usually in the first place you looked for it!
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Varies by area. We’ve not had to book a slot for around 8 months now.
Personally I have always found that the very worst time to have a clear out is when you’re moving. The latter is stressful enough and you’re inviting yourself to make poor decisions in an already stressful situation.
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The only bad thing about moving some items get lost. I had the great sax Player Sonny Rollins
Autograph. Which was lost. Before covid 19 we used to do a sale in the school and the money
Went for the school gym . Like that it clears the house. The problem is i keep buying books and
Cds this is an addiction.
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We’re clearing out the shed right now in prep for a new shiny barn that my wife feels we need to fill up half the garden.
She asks me, “Are you keeping that? It’s always in the way and smells of petrol”
I reply, “Well, you could move it on I suppose. It’s over twenty years old and getting a bit tatty, not sure how you’d mow the lawn without it though, unless you’re planning on some grazing…”
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When we got our current house, I gave my wife the option to choose between a lawnmower or a pony. The lawnmower was cheaper …
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Yes, still a booking system in operation here, at least we are now allowed more visits per annum, it was only 4 last year and you have to be in and out very quickly.
I assume she picked the lawnmower.
Interesting. Having grown up in an environment where things were kept just in case and having watched a few too many of those hoarder programmes that initially evoked a point & laugh mentality but now gender a lot of sympathy, I’m firmly in the clear-out camp. Not every n months, not on any schedule at all, but just as & when.
Books are the easiest - buy a book, read it then give it away either to family, charity shops or occasionally wife takes it to work and moves it on if it’s been mentioned and someone has expressed an interest. A few years ago I lined up all the DVDs in the living room and each of us went through them to sort them into those that could go, and those to keep. Of the ones they definitely wanted to keep only a handful have been watched since and now they’re in their late teens & early 20s the kids’ films they said they’d watch are now off the radar anyway so are ‘surplus.’ You can’t give DVDs away now - did it over Easter, a table outside the house with loads of DVDs and the message Help Yourself. All but 4 came back in after a few days of it, so they’re for the tip.
My view is if something’s been in a cupboard, a wardrobe, the shed or the garage for more than a couple of years and hasn’t been used and has no emotional value and is in all reality not going to be used, it can go either to eBay, recycling or the tip. I’d rather get rid of stuff and buy it again when I need it than have piles of stuff 95% of which is glorified junk never to be of any use at all but kept just in case.
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My wife’s sister says she has a rule tgat anything not used in 2 years clearly isn’t needed and is thrown out. Even if the rule was 5 years or more it would cost us £1000s in replacing stuff, from tools only needed at times of particular work, to assorted plumbing or electrical parts etc, to paint used to touch up/refresh, to hobby things awaiting time to indulge, prevented by the time pressures of working life.
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I employ a similar rule, or two rules actually…
My main rule is: “1 in 1 out”, so if i buy something new something old has to go.
Second rule is if there is unused stuff that does end up in a closet or cupboard; electronics, computer or audio gear, clothing etc, i give it away after 2-3 years. Either to a friend or family, or if none are interested to our local distribution center for the poor (i don’t know the proper English word for that…).
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We never have had to book a slot, the only limitation was odd/even car reg numbers and that didn’t last long.
It’s a benefit of living in rural Somerset.
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I think there’s been a lot more fly tipping in regions where booking slots have been employed.
If that were applied throughout life you’d only have the clothes you stand in and about 3 changes, a bed and a cup!
I mainly apply it to electronic equipment and appliances, but yes also in case of winter jackets, boots and that kind of stuff!
With electronics that is a good argument for downsizing: a single box instead of 2 means you can buy some other gizmo you fancy. No wonder so many people are talking about downsizing, something I’ve never understood: they must have that as a house rule!
I had to get rid of my records we now live in a small bungalow. I part exchanged them for cds.
The valuable records sold at auction. With the Naim cd player the cds sound great.
Especially the elvis issues on the Sun label the sound is so clear.
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The space required to store physical media is a potential problem - I still have a lot of LPs in storage. Gone are the days of being able to get all my vinyl in the boot of a small car as a student many years ago.
If I had stayed with vinyl I simply could not have purchased/stored the 1,900 I eventually got to with CD. That amounted to a whole wall and getting them into 2 flight cases has been immensely satisfying.
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Traditionally we’ve moved each time to a larger house with more storage each time. Our last house had 2 stables, a barn, and a double garage, and a large loft (and a loft in the garage!)… after 14 years we’d naturally spread to fill this space 
Earlier this year we moved from 2000sqft to 700sqft with no outbuildings and no garage. Wow that took some sorting. The amount of stuff we chucked or gave away is saddening… I know, in years to come, I’ll want some of the gear we chucked 
Filled two 6 yard skips and two van loads to the tip Managed to reduce it down to fill one small garden shed, a 20ft container, and two pallets at work - HiFi went… dcs bartok is at work under my desk. After two months we’re finding it a real struggle to cope with the downsize.
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