Saying No to Gifts + Starting Clutter Free!

19 August 2014


I may not have always been organised and dedicated to being clutter free, but I am now, and that's all that matters. One of the things that I have been looking forward to doing, when moving out (lamely enough) is not taking with me any junk at all! Using it as the best opportunity to rid myself of all junk and clutter and either throw it out or sell it or even donate it to charity.

I know that it's very easy to collect "crap" over time. Short or long periods. You keep it around, you may even organise it neatly but it's still there, and a lot of time it's super useless.

One of the biggest challenges for me, and one that still continues to plague me, is gifts.
Graciously and gratefully accepting gifts from your nearest and dearest family members is my largest contributor to clutter in my home, well my room for now.

A great example of this is perfumes. Wow. I just threw out so much perfume, that I had acquired over time as gifts, that I had never used. All of it lovely and most designer, but why bother keeping around perfume that I am literally never going to wear. Some of those I never even got to.
I have maybe 3 perfumes that I love and use daily. I have never even bought myself perfume. Why would I go out and spend money on this when I keep receiving new ones every year, without even requesting any. I still have around 10 left. They all smell lovely. I do not need 10.


The thing with saying no to gifts, is you have to have some idea when they're coming. My mum recently returned home with a perfume for me that she loved so she bought one for herself and one for me too. That's very nice, I do really appreciate it, but please I already have so many, stop. You can't really put your foot down when you don't even know a gift is going to occur.

My newest problem is with accepting gifts to add to my collection of stuff for moving out. I love homewares, and I have already collected a few of my own things for when I move in with my partner in March next year. I unfortunately already have two dinnerware sets and two cutlery sets. With lots of other crap thrown in.

I've been receiving doubled up gifts from my mother and my boyfriend's mother, which of course is a disaster. As well as an incredibly large cutlery set from Target from my Dad's parents, and then the super lovely set that I bought. Not to mention the random assortment of items that I've received that I really don't want to take with me but HOW DO I DO THAT WITHOUT OFFENDING PEOPLE?

Obviously if the gifts are from people who will likely never visit then that is completely fine, screw them, I don't want your ugly gifts. Unfortunately when the gifts are from close family members that will visit what are you suppose to do. I'm sorry Mum but I want lovely salt and pepper grinders, not penguin ones, even though they are cute, and I'm not sure why you bought me that Babushka doll mug set? Mostly though that damn wire chicken shaped basket that I always laughed at. It wasn't a laugh of "yes please I want this in my home."

Maybe people should stop buying me gifts altogether. How about a gift voucher?

Cya xx



2 comments

  1. Hahaha, this is definitely a problem I have never had to deal with, but I can imagine it's frustrating! Maybe all these people read your post and got the hint? Lol.

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    1. Omg I think they actually did, My mum keeps making comments about how I won't get many gifts because she doesn't want to buy me clutter this year, and I said good, thank you mum that's honestly what I want. Plus she can't really afford to buy me much so I prefer it like this anyway. x

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