I’m 25 and I became a minimalist out of necessity. My dad died and I was forced to choose between his shirts and the decorations I impulsively bought from Target for my first apartment. Chose my dad’s shirts and I have no regrets. Then my grandparents moved into assisted living and I had to go through all their stuff while mourning my dad. They did not have that much stuff but it was so exhausting to go through. Had to take a week off to go through probably 20 neatly packed bins and dressers and cabinets. And I needed that money from work but that is the life of the oldest granddaughter I guess… Anyway. I never want my friends or family to have to do something like this for me (I literally lied to my grandpa and told him the school I worked at was on spring break to save him the guilt). Everything I own is either meaningful or useful to me now because I refuse to hold on to anything just because maybe one day down the road I’ll need it. I got rid of my clothes from middle school because it was more stressful to store them and move them every couple years from apartment to apartment than it was to get rid of a bunch of stuff that doesn’t even fit me or my lifestyle any more. Sure maybe I could have worn some of that stuff, but my life is not worse off just because I chose to get rid of some clothes last year. If people are decluttering to make room for more stuff they are going to buy, then that is one thing, but most people are not doing that. A large portion of people who declutter do it due to a family member dying and if you don’t know that kind of responsibility, then good for you, but one day you will and it will probably make you rethink how freeing minimalism is for people who have learned the hard way that the time you spend curating/caring for your collection of material things is time that could be better spent with your friends and family. Sorry if this seems dramatic but no one ever taught me how to clean up after myself or let go of material items. Minimalism Mom and Dana K White did and they are the reason I was able to find peace in my most stressful times.

I did a huge declutter a few years ago together with a home makeover. I don't declutter any more. Like I have a very small bag of make-up, that I barely use. Every time I see some cute make-up product, I'm like "You have a make-up at home with stuff you never use. Use it first, then buy this new stuff." Same applies to jewelry, clothes etc. I don't throw away the stuff I have now, because it keeps me from buying new stuff I don't need or really want at the end of the day. You are totally right in the fact that decluttering can turn into a wasteful cycle.

omg NOBODY talks about how much thrifting contributes to overconsumption.... i was totally buying way more clothes and trinkets than necessary because of how much cheaper it is than retail.... and then not wearing or using 90% of the items like you said. its embarrassing the amount of clothes that i've bought from value village, and dropped right back off at value village just a year later!!!!

People should also remember how easily clothes can be changed in order to rejuvenate their lifespan. You spoke of your wedding dress, which by the way is absolutely gorgeous, and I was thinking... apart from passing it on as a wedding gown to a daughter or other important woman in your life, that dress could be professionally dyed to any color from a pale pastel to black, and kept as a knockout formal gown. Same with other clothing and, depending on the material, even shoes or purses which can be given a new life with a simple dye job, or by minimally changing the sleeve or skirt length. I think many people have forgotten, as you point out, that things used to be kept as long as they were in a usable condition, and a return to that mindset would be a wonderful thing for our environment and our pocketbooks.

I wanted to declutter my closet responsibly. Everything I had I “loved”, but much of it I only wore once and found it uncomfortable. I made a pile of the stuff I didn’t wear and spent time figuring out what was there and how it was different from what I do wear. I found that everything with any polyester or acrylic was in my pile. There was also one store where everything I had bought from them ended up in the pile. I made rules for myself that nothing I buy will have polyester or acrylic or come from that one store. Then I looked at my closet and realized I had too many dress/fantasy life clothes and not enough everyday clothes. So I made another rule for myself that I can only buy everyday clothes and only what I need. I donated the clothes that were still in great condition that I knew I would never wear. The things I kept including the fancy clothes I will keep until they wear out.

I totally agree that decluttering is the new "haul" culture. like a "wow look at me getting rid of stuff and not over consuming". For me I'm not just gonna throw stuff away bc i have "too much". Throwing it away for the sake of minimalism or decluttering is also wasteful. It definitely can come across as virtue signaling at times. But then seeing big youtubers or celebs declutter comes off as wasteful. its a double edge sword. The best thing to do is to just prevent the over consumption to begin with.

I liked your video it is very thought provoking. I am in my 60s and I am decluttering, I no longer wear corporate clothes, I gave all mine to my daughter who does. I no longer have children living at home so donated all my extra linen and towels to an animal shelter, I have things in my shed that have been there for 40years or more (because some was my parents stuff too) that have been gnored on by rodents, or got wet, or are rusty and broken. I have got fat and I will never be a size 10 again so everything that doesn't fit and my children don't want is going. I put a lot of the items that are still good on a local buy nothing page. I had to clean up my parents house when they passed and it was stressful and heartbreaking. I don't want my children to be stuck having to clear out 60 years worth of stuff when I pass. I watch a lot of decluttering videos and agree that a lot of the stuff that is decluttered is wasteful. I also must add that I do not buy much anymore unless I have something that breaks and can't be repaired. I rarely buy clothes because I don't need to, I don't work anymore and mostly I wear shorts and tshits as I live in a hot climate. I also keep things I like, I don't declutter for the sake of getting rid of things but at my age I need to be able to move around my very small house easier and be able to clean easier. And I have to say that finding things has become a lot less stressful and quicker.

I feel like decluttering is a good thing to do every once in a while, but your life shouldn't be lived on it because it does feed the consumerism cycle. We're constantly fed "new new new" on social media, which on average takes up like 3ish full hours of our day overall by the end of it; when we see so many new new new things, we have the urge to buy or change up our spaces, which leads to a desire to declutter then repurchase things. We are losing our own "character" and instead trying on a lot of different things to see what sticks, but when we're constantly trapped in the consumerism cycle nothing is ever really going to feel like it "sticks" and the temptation to haul and declutter continues. Now, I love to declutter when it is /necessary/. It brings a lot of mental wellness to me when I declutter my space. There is an inherent good in decluttering, but it doesn't need to be a constant action. Sometimes I'll purchase things like makeup that doesn't end up actually looking good on my skin or a shirt or bedding that wears out overtime and I'll push it aside for a long time because "oh, maybe I'll go back to it one day" or "oh I can repurpose this!" when really those things just need to leave my house. TL;DR : Decluttering without the intent of actually freeing up your space to feel freer is dangerous to our consumeristic habits, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.

THANK YOU!!!! I've been thinking the same thing! It's almost like we get a dopamine hit from decluttering! While I truly believe that ongoing evaluation of things you own is important because things can become no longer necessary and I certainly don't subscribe to holding on to things we truly don't need I think that it's important to make sound purchasing decisions to begin with AND to learn from what we "declutter" so we don't make the same mistake again. Buying/decluttering cycling is NOT sustainable or financially responsible.

When I was younger I lived in a smallish town (smaller than my current town), and I had a huge flat. I used it to store a lot of stuff. When I had to move I didn't know how big my next flat would be, but I knew it would be much smaller. I got rid of a lot of stuff, maybe half of what I owned. I donated most of it, I remember having everything in the hall of my building and someone just came for an item and brought back like 20 items, it was such a mess. I donated like six bags of clothes I had been storing away, most already out of style when I got them because they were hand me downs, and not good quality. I even donated so many of my precious books... I only packed the best of the best and still ended up with a very full library. Now my flat is much smaller, I only have room for so much and it is packed, I tell you. I don't declutter a lot, mostly clothes. I don't have room for spares. I don't want to spend money on clothes. I own like six pairs of shoes, two for everyday, one ballerina, one pair of sandals, one pair of running shoes, one pair of hiking shoes and that is that. The shoes I keep for sports aren't even cute, I don't really care. I try to own less but only what I wear and wear everything I have. I buy (thrift) maybe 5 items a year, including underwear, and they come in packs of three. I try to thrift nice things, that will last and that I will love for the years to come, even if it's a little more expensive. For now it's working well. I also need to declutter my desk, get rid of all that isn't useful anymore - old papers, broken pens, all of this. I haven't tackled it yet. I'm at a point in my life where I feel like I own a lot and need nothing. I have a lot of hobbies, including some that do take up some space like painting and crochet. I have a tool case just in case I need to fix something. I have a lot of tablecloths, mostly inherited. I still have a lot of books, some comics, even some cds and an old cd reader. I will not throw away what makes me happy. I feel like the mindset of decluttering is useful, but you need to have it even before the item enters your home. The question being : it's nice on the shelves, but will I use it, or will I want to declutter it in three months ?

i think its mostly that these decluttering videos are formatted and visually just feel very similar to haul videos. Its a glimpse into someones personal style. and even as they declutter you're sort of building a wardrobe or shopping with your eyes.

Decluttering is just throwing away money imo. At least if you're getting rid of things, try to sell them and make back some money.

My problem with some is that they make a decluttering video with a haul at the end😂

The other day I saw someone throw brand new bag away 😂 if u declutter barely used items it will anyways end up in landfill

Decluttering only to replace the items with new"better"stuff.

like anything, it's going to depend on whether it's done thoughtfully and who is doing it. if you are watching minimalist creators, they are going to stress the need to change your consumption habits to go along with decluttering. if you are watching content creators with a make up channel or a book channel, they are more likely to declutter and then bring in a lot of new things. however, even this can be done thoughtfully - I watch a lot of tarot tube, and there is a lot of decluttering and rehoming that goes on, as people's practices change or they find decks that work better for them. tarot tube talks a lot about consumption - in a lot of cases, it's a learning curve. you get into something, you're excited, you buy a lot, then you learn what you really like and what works for you, you buy less and get rid of things. decluttering is very useful to address the way we change over time - we need different sorts and sizes of clothes, we have different amounts of time or physical ability to devote to hobbies, we have things we acquired as gifts in relationships that now have negative emotional attachments, and yes, our aesthetic taste changes or we discover who we truly are. can decluttering be done in the service of just more and more thoughtless consumption, sure. are people who don't care about changing their or the audience's consumption patterns just making decluttering videos for clicks and likes, sure. you have to discern if you are watching thoughtful content or not. decluttering also feeds the second hand and free market, which is not only a cheaper way to consume, but a responsible way to keep things out of a landfill when they still have use in them. I've seen a couple of videos lately bashing it as just enabling consumption, and I think that's mostly only going to be true of people who are creating and watching content without really considering their own consumption habits.

Everything eventually ends up in landfill and nobody wants your stuff.

You make a lot of great points in this video. I was on the decluttering bandwagon before I moved last year (& the YT channel referred to in this video is VERY familiar to me), but after awhile, I felt like a lot of these creators were bragging about their ability to live without a lot of stuff, & adopting a preachy tone which rubbed me the wrong way. Isn’t it convenient how little we hear many of these creators address how crowded with junk thrift stores are, or how rarely they acknowledge overflowing landfills? Also, my new apartment felt empty without my familiar knickknacks & physical book collection (which I downsized pretty dramatically but not completely-a home with no physical books in it has never felt welcoming to me) for several weeks until I was able to unpack. I still consider myself “minimal-ish,” & aim to live with less stuff than the average person-I’m neurodivergent, & it’s way easier for me to have less to maintain-& am much more cognizant of the difference between wants & needs than I used to be. However, I resent the implication that I’m a less “enlightened” person because, say, I won’t get rid of all my books, & need some visual stimulation, so bare walls make me feel like I’m in an institutional setting.

I completely agree with this. I’ve been trying to refine what I have in my wardrobe (which involves getting rid of items that no longer fit etc as well as purchasing new ones), but realized after watching the videos I feel so out of place. I have hardly anything compared to most of the people in these videos, and part of the reason I watched them is to feel inspired for what type of items seem to work for different people, to see if it helps me work out what kind of items I still need or should consider avoiding. I’ve ended up having to seek out different content to align more with my needs and ideals

I agree ive even fail into this as well. I recognize it after a few months. It was mostly kids toys. Im lucky to have a library that I can rent toys for my kids. ❤

I love your videos ❤ you are special and original. I am also a new youtuber I try and give my best 😊😊 you have given me a great inspiration ♥️ Thank you so much and just keep going I am a new supporter 🎉♥️

I think decluttering videos are another trending topic to help get views. That is the nature of content creation. If it's going to get views ... creators are going to produce it. That being said ... some creators specialize in this niche and were making content well before it was a trend. I declutter by the season, not by the latest social media trend. Everything is not content LOL

🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

I do wonder the videos where creators declutter, how do they have so much stuff that they declutter so much every week. Plus they don't even mention where the decluttered stuff goes. Most likely trashed.

I watch decluttering videos all the time but I have to say I don’t really understand the point of watching someone clean/declutter their home. It doesn’t influence me to to get up and do the same. I’d rather just hear some tips, hear what methods they use and storage solutions but I don’t want to watch someone look at their stuff and say “keep” “get rid of” etc. it really grinds my gears when they say grab a bag of stuff and throw it away. Every time someone says throw out missing socks or throw out old cosmetics I want to throw my iPad at a wall. There are recycling programs for this. I don’t have a problem with people decluttering and organizing their home but at least do it in the most responsible way possible- recycle or sell before donating. Most donations do not end up on the floor and they receive thousands of items a day. If they already have too much inventory they don’t even look at your items and immediately chuck it. Offering items for free on fb or holding a yard sale are much better options so you know someone is actually using it. I heard one of the decluttering influencers actually say to declutter on a weekly basis and if you already did a massive declutter before starting that I’d hope that you stopped buying things you didn’t need so you wouldn’t have anything to declutter. I can’t imagine having crap to get rid of every year. You’d be lucky if I had a bag by the end of a year. I also noticed a different decluttering influencer decluttering items with tags and wondered if she had literally just bought it to pretend to the internet she was getting rid of things just to go and return it to the store after the video was shot. Needless to say she got very mad at my comment but her response made it seem like that was actually what she was doing. How can these people get rid of 10 bags every video? It’s just too much. Stop buying crap.