Vent: Why does everyone suggest storage bins before actually decluttering?

I mean, I get it, bins look neat and tidy. But I swear half the posts I see in here are like "I bought 20 matching bins and organized my closet!" and I'm just sitting here thinking... didn't you just hide the clutter in plastic containers? I spent 6 months helping my mom clear out her house before she sold it, and she had bins full of stuff from 2011 that she never touched. All those bins did was let her avoid deciding what to keep. Am I the only one who thinks you gotta sort and toss BEFORE you buy a single storage container?

3 comments

3 Comments

ellioth371mo ago

Bins just turn your mess into a time capsule waiting to explode.

seth_shah1mo ago

Ngl you hit the nail on the head. All those bins just let you kick the decision down the road and call it organization. Your mom's house story really drove it home for me, you can't just shove stuff in containers and hope it fixes the problem.

stone.lisa1mo ago

Man @ellioth37 really called it with that time capsule thing, that's exactly what it is. You think you're getting your life together but really you're just buying yourself a few months before you have to face the same pile of junk again. I've done it myself way too many times, bought a bunch of those clear plastic tubs at the hardware store, spent a whole weekend sorting stuff into them, labeled them all nice, felt great for like a week. Then six months later I'm digging through the same bins looking for a screwdriver or something and realize I never actually dealt with any of it, just moved the mess from the floor to a stack of boxes. The only thing that ever actually worked for me was getting brutal about what stays and what goes, no bins, no boxes, just a trash bag and a donate pile.