8 Signs You Have Too Much Stuff and How to Limit It

Inside: Signs that help determine if you have too much stuff and could manage your life with less; plus simple strategies for avoiding too many belongings.

We all need things…things to run our homes, our lives and to function day-to-day. But how do you know if you have too much stuff? How clear is it that you could manage your life without extra belongings that are really just weighing you down?

Our homes can easily become a magnet for stuff. We need dishes, clothing, toiletries, phones, laptops, etc. Plus these items require accessories and other parts to do their job. But it is easy to acquire too many belongings that quickly becomes clutter.

gain a quick declutter win

Get the Ultimate Declutter Checklist of 100+ items you can get rid of and never miss!

Living in a home filled with excess stuff can create anxiety and stress as studies show. So how do you know if you have too much stuff? How do you know if your amount of belongings is “normal” so-to-speak or causing you stress (hidden or obvious)?

Table Of Contents

8 Ways to Know If You Have Too Much Stuff
Simple Strategies to Avoid Too Much Stuff
Recap of Signs You Own Too Much

8 Ways to Know If You Have Too Much Stuff

1. Your home stresses you out

If walking into your home gives you more of a panic attack than a deep breath, you likely have too much stuff. Certainly many factors can contribute to stress at home (whiny kids, bills to be paid, repairs to be done are a few I can think of!) but if life is overall settled and you still feel stress, it could be there is just too many things in your home, causing a lack of peace.

2. You struggle to find things

If you are on a daily search-and-rescue for everyday items (i.e., your keys, phone or kid’s soccer cleats), you may have too much. The fewer belongings you have the easier it is to organize and find things so your day runs more smoothly.

3. Nothing is contained

A clear sign of too much stuff is that it can’t be contained. Items are spilling out of drawers, closets and cabinets. You can barely open a closet or pantry without a mountain of things falling around inside. These are signs you have too much. Just because you have the storage space doesn’t mean you have to use it.

4. It is difficult to clean your home

When there is too much clutter, it makes it difficult to keep your home clean. Cleaning – such as dusting, vacuuming, wiping down countertops, etc – is much easier to do when there is less to move around to do so. Having clear surfaces and floor space allows you to clean your home efficiently and effectively.

5. You don’t use spaces for their intention

Garages are meant to park cars and store outdoor equipment. Laundry rooms are for washing and drying clothes; and closets are to house clothing and other soft goods (i.e., towels and linens). Naturally these household locations can be multi-use; but if you use every possible space to store unrelated items, it is a sign you have too much.

6. You own lots of duplicates

We must have duplicates of some things (i.e., towels, socks, dishes, sheets) but it is easy to overbuy and accumulate too many of one thing. A sign of having too much stuff is if you have an extraordinary number of the same item.

Examples of items that can have too many duplicates:

coffee mugs
t-shirts
sneakers
rolls of wrapping paper
reusable grocery bags
pool or beach towels

7. You are embarrassed by the condition of your home

Your home is not only a sanctuary for your family but is an inviting place for others as well. It’s natural to want our homes to be a reflection of ourselves and our values. If you enjoy having people over but are embarrassed by your home’s clutter, then this is having a negative impact on your well-being and enjoyment of connection with others in your home.

entertaining at home without too much clutter

Please don’t confuse this with the idea that your home has to be picture-perfect tidy at all times. That is not reality! We shouldn’t let perfection get in the way of connection. This is only about having so much clutter that you can’t enjoy entertaining or having people stop by due to all-consuming clutter.

8. You own a storage unit

I can only think of a couple reasons why people may own a storage unit: they are moving and need a place to hold their things or they have inherited one. Both of these reasons should be temporary.

Needing a storage unit for temporary purposes is understandable but be honest with yourself about what you are storing and why. If you have a unit that is never visited, reviewed or thought about then you don’t need its contents and have too much stuff.

Simple Strategies to Avoid Too Much Stuff

If after reviewing signs you own too many belongings and you’ve determined you do (have too much), what can be done about it? Below are a few simple rules for how to avoid excess clutter or hoarding tendencies and you can start living with less.

One in, one out rule. Before bringing more items into your home, take something out first. A quick daily or weekly declutter will help with this.
Declutter on the regular. Even 5 minutes of a mini declutter can keep excess stuff out of your home. Simple decluttering projects like sorting your mail, clearing out your shower products, or going through your sock drawer can prevent too much stuff from accumulating.
Stop impulse shopping. Avoid purchases at store checkouts or roaming through big box stores like Target and Costco so you won’t bring in more than you need at home. Not to mention save money!
Replace shopping with another activity. If you love to shop or use it as therapy try another self-care activity to replace the sensory experience — take a walk, follow an exercise or yoga video, play a board game, read a book or magazine, cook or bake.
Return what you don’t need. Take advantage of retailer return polices and return what you don’t truly need. Amazon Prime, Costco and Target have very generous return policies. Take the time to facilitate an online return or stop by the store to do an in-person return.
Donate on the regular. Think of those in need and how they can benefit from your excess books, blankets, towels, toys, and gently used clothes. Have a “drop-zone” of items you no longer need (for example, I keep a couple of grocery bags in my garage to hold outgrown clothes or toys); then take items to your local Goodwill or donation center once a month.

graphic for how to avoid having too much stuff