You may have heard about the Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondo who spearheads the push to declutter our homes with the promise of a more fulfilled and happy life.
However, being mess-free doesn’t equate to being stress-free according to the latest research. A survey of 2,000 Brits uncovered that a third of us still hoard old school reports from our childhood and treasure tickets from various concerts and events we remember fondly.
We keep old toys, Christmas cards, clothes our children have outgrown and even pots and pans. One in ten women even hold on to underwear they no longer wear for the memories!
Our emotions towards our belongings are positive - coming across treasured items typically makes 61% of Brits feel happy and reminds them of who they are. Yet we feel pressured to get rid of these things despite the strength of our attachment.
• One in ten admit the pressure to have minimal belongings in the bid for a happier, streamlined life resulted in regret as they threw away treasured items.
• Four in ten of those in a relationship said they got rid of things following pressure from their partner.
• A quarter of Brits admit they hold onto things belonging to an ex whilst nearly a third have actually discovered that their partner was harbouring such items.
While most of our treasured possessions link to our family history or remind us of our achievements, it's the ‘ex-factor’ items that have been a source of argument for one in ten couples.
According to the survey, conducted on behalf of
Safestore, more than half of respondees strongly regret having thrown away sentimental items in order to declutter their homes. Items associated with our childhood are cited as the most regretted (17%). This is closely followed by collectibles (14%) and items associated with previous hobbies (9%).
Obviously Safestore has a vested interest in the population holding on to ‘treasured’ items. The fact remains though, that we have a lot of stuff and we like to keep it. There are plenty of times when a short-term rental of a self-storage unit is a wise financial and personal move.
Let’s be honest though, for most of us this would be a long-time financial commitment that we can’t really afford, for stuff that we no longer really want or need.
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While most of our treasured possessions link to our family history or remind us of our achievements, it's the ‘ex-factor’ items that have been a source of argument for one in ten couples.
According to the survey, conducted on behalf of Safestore, more than half of respondees strongly regret having thrown away sentimental items in order to declutter their homes. Items associated with our childhood are cited as the most regretted (17%). This is closely followed by collectibles (14%) and items associated with previous hobbies (9%).
Obviously Safestore has a vested interest in the population holding on to ‘treasured’ items. The fact remains though, that we have a lot of stuff and we like to keep it. There are plenty of times when a short-term rental of a self-storage unit is a wise financial and personal move.
Let’s be honest though, for most of us this would be a long-time financial commitment that we can’t really afford, for stuff that we no longer really want or need.
Related articles:
Spring-cleaning tips to transform your Chiswick property
A seasonal scheme recycles unwanted paint
'The Only Way Is Up' when it comes to recycling
