50 Signs You Have Too Much Stuff

If you find that you’re spending way too much time cleaning, you probably have too much stuff. One of the benefits of being clutter-free and having a space that’s more minimized is that it just it’s easier to clean. On my Facebook page, I used to have a post saying “Minimalism: because I hate to clean.” That accurately sums it up!

Your drawers are meant to be able to slide open and close easily on the railings. If you’re having to shuffle things around or shove things in and jam the drawer closed in order to get it to be able to close, then you probably have some things that you need to let go of. 

A personal pet peeve of mine is having sauce packets, plastic cups, or straws from fast food places. You might have a little bit of a problem holding on to things that aren’t truly valuable.

If you have piles of things whether that’s equipment, paper, clothes, or anything else, it’s probably a sign you have too much stuff. 

I’ve used the example of a fryer in the past. I know some people who have three different fryers because they’ve upgraded twice, but they’ve never discarded the previous ones. 

I’m going to give everybody a pass on one junk drawer 🙂 Sometimes we have this collection of miscellaneous things and they all end up collecting into one location. I like to say everything has a category. Even the things that don’t have a category or are categorized as “miscellaneous”. But having more than one junk drawer is one of the signs you have too much stuff.

You know when you sometimes go out and buy more medicine or batteries because you couldn’t find them at home, only to find the old ones shoved somewhere random a week later? That’s an indication you have too much stuff!

One of the social effects of clutter is that people feel embarrassed or feel nervous about the prospect of having somebody come over to their house. You may find yourself always trying to meet at your friends’ places or meet somewhere else.

Maybe you’re digging through a lot of clothes and trying on a bunch of outfits because you don’t feel entirely confident about the items that are already in your closet. When you have a more minimized wardrobe, whether you have a capsule wardrobe or another system, it’s a lot easier and faster to get dressed. You just grab things and you already know that are going to work!

‘Nuff said 😉

Let’s say you go to grab some hairspray or hair serum and you grab one but instead of using it, you shove it out of the way because you like another one better. You should probably only be keeping the stuff you actually like 🙂

That’s cheating.

When you find something and say “oh, I totally forgot I had that!” if you’re completely shocked at the existence of something in your home, then you probably have too much stuff.

This often shows up as bills being unpaid or paying bills late because you can’t find the thing that was mailed to you. I personally like to digitize those, but if you’re not sure what mail you’ve been collecting then you need to take a look at your paper clutter situation. 

These could also be rooms that are technically identified, but can’t be used for their intended purpose. So this could be the guest room that is not really able to house a guest because there’s so much clutter.

If your attic looks like a giant bag-spider laid eggs everywhere then you’re probably holding onto too much!

A single cabinet shouldn’t be overly exhausting and if it is, there’s likely too much in there.

Your mantra should not be “what if I need it someday?” If you haven’t bowled in 5 years, but are holding out hope for the day you do it again, it’s probably a sign you have too much stuff.

It could be like a random tool that’s been sitting down in your toolbox for years and you have no clue what it even does! Or it could be random screws that have fallen out of something, but you haven’t found out what that something is in a long time. I understand giving it like a certain period of time, just to make sure that it’s not a vital piece to something. But after a while, it just becomes excess. 

If somebody gave you an extra-long countertop, you would most certainly find things to sprinkle upon it.

Maybe you need to move tons of throw blankets or extra pillows to be able to sit comfortably on your couch. Or you need to move stuff in order to sit on a chair in the dining room. 

Your belongings should have a home and that’s easy enough when you don’t have too many belongings 😉

Old leftovers covered in foil and shoved wherever it can fit?

Or even worse, a full weekend to get through all of the laundry! That’s too much for any number of people!

That percentage is too high 🧐

You might have Tupperware without lids, or shoes without a pair.

I mean, you literally don’t have a clue and couldn’t begin to guess what’s under there right now.

Sometimes your decoration tastes changed for a year, but if after two years, you still haven’t used those Christmas decorations, at that point they’re just not useful to you anymore.

You know which pieces I’m talking about.

This could be an appliance, a tool, a piece of furniture, or just something that is broken. Maybe it’s been sitting there and you’re constantly having to tell people or remind people “Wait! That one doesn’t work.” Grace periods are totally fine, especially if you’re planning on fixing it up at some point. But give it a deadline. 

You frequently find yourself standing there with decision paralysis because you have too many things in the same category to choose from. 

If you’re constantly going out and trying to buy new bins and new organizers to take care of your clutter problem, you probably don’t need more storage, you need less stuff! 🙂

75% of Americans in a study fell under this category.

Your keys, pens, etc.

Clutter has been linked to stress, anxiety, depression, and just general overwhelm.

Physically getting around your space is difficult because you’re constantly stepping over stuff, trying not to trip, or needing to move stuff out of the way. That’s definitely a sign you have too much stuff.

I call this “information hoarding“.

We often hold onto things out of guilt or obligation but it’s still clutter if we’re never going to use it.

Storage facilities are a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Do you rent from storage facilities in order to store the stuff that you don’t have room for inside of your home?

Kids tend to play with 2-3 toys, especially when there are too many to choose from. The overwhelm makes them disregard the rest of the toys.

Clutter tends to mask and hide allergens and dust and things that can cause you to get irritated with the allergies or with your asthma. 

You can check out my free masterclass if this is you.

If your daydreaming has turned into visions of spacious hotel rooms because you would love to be “anywhere but here”, you might have a clutter problem.

A guest comes over and you hide things behind the couch, or you shove things underneath your bed. If you find yourself hiding things, that’s a sign you have too much stuff.

A good exercise is to walk to the bathroom and look at the floor of your bedroom after everyone has gotten ready for bed. How much stuff is now laying on the floor? 

Because you have too many picture frames and trinkets to dust around 😩

If you still have “mystery boxes” then you probably have too much stuff.

If you wanted to write a list or cook, you would have to move some things in order to use the surface.