---
title: The Things We Own Too Many Of (And Why We Keep Buying More)
description: Discover why we accumulate duplicates in our homes and learn practical tips to declutter your space, making it more organized and functional.
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 Oct 23, 2026, 1:43:50 PM

# The Things We Own Too Many Of (And Why We Keep Buying More)

![Picture of Heather Aiello](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/5ab020d89968407b8b3eff26e8278626) [Heather Aiello](https://www.theorganizedyou.com/blog/author/heather-aiello)

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Coffee Mugs, Water Bottles, Extra Towels, and the Mysterious Things Taking Over Our Closets

As a professional home organizer, I've seen a lot of interesting things in people's homes. Beautifully decorated rooms, impressive collections, and closets that seem to defy the laws of physics. But one thing I've noticed over the years is that most of us don't necessarily have too many different things. We have too many of the same things.

I'm talking about the 27 coffee mugs in a household with two coffee drinkers. The collection of reusable shopping bags that has somehow multiplied into the hundreds. The linen closet stuffed with towels, even though everyone in the house has a favorite two. And don't get me started on water bottles. Apparently, staying hydrated now requires an entire cabinet of equipment.

The funny thing is that most of these collections didn't start out as collections. They started with perfectly reasonable purchases. We needed a new water bottle, bought one, and kept the old one. We received a coffee mug as a gift. We brought home another reusable shopping bag because we forgot the 35 we already owned. Before long, the things that were supposed to make our lives easier are taking up valuable space and making our homes harder to organize.

So why do we keep accumulating duplicates, and more importantly, what can we do about it?

## 1. The Coffee Mug Collection Nobody Intended to Start

Let's begin with one of the biggest offenders: coffee mugs.

Somehow, coffee mugs have become souvenirs, promotional giveaways, holiday gifts, and sentimental keepsakes. We have mugs from vacations, mugs with funny sayings, mugs from companies we don't even remember doing business with, and mugs that came with gift baskets ten years ago.

And yet, if you're like most people, you probably reach for the same two or three favorites every morning.

I'm not suggesting you throw away your favorite souvenir mug or the one your child made for you. But do you really need every mug you've collected since 1995? Probably not.

The challenge is that we tend to view each mug individually rather than looking at the entire collection. One extra mug doesn't seem like a problem. Twenty extras can take over an entire cabinet.

**Heather's Tip:** Take every coffee mug out of your cabinets and put them on the counter. Seeing the entire collection together can be eye-opening. Keep your favorites, allow a reasonable number for guests, and donate the rest. Your cabinets will thank you.

## 2. Reusable Shopping Bags: The Environmentally Friendly Clutter Problem

I love the idea of reusable shopping bags. They're practical, environmentally friendly, and much sturdier than the flimsy plastic bags we used to bring home from the grocery store.

There's just one problem. We keep acquiring more of them.

We buy them at grocery stores, receive them at events, and bring them home from conferences. Some are tucked into the pantry, others are in the coat closet, and there's probably a collection in the trunk of the car. Ironically, when we get to the grocery store, we often discover we've forgotten to bring any of them inside.

The result is that we buy another one.

The intention behind reusable bags is wonderful, but their value comes from actually reusing them, not collecting them. If you have more bags than you could reasonably use in several shopping trips, it's time to reconsider how many you need.

**Heather's Tip:** Choose a manageable number of reusable bags based on your shopping habits. Keep them together in one designated location, preferably somewhere convenient to grab before leaving the house. A few good bags that you consistently use are far more valuable than dozens scattered throughout your home.

## 3. The Linen Closet That Could Supply a Small Hotel

Towels and sheets are another category where we tend to accumulate far more than necessary.

We buy new towels because the old ones are starting to look worn, but instead of getting rid of the old ones, we move them to the back of the closet. After all, they might come in handy someday. The same thing happens with sheets, blankets, comforters, and pillows.

Before long, the linen closet is so full that removing one towel causes an avalanche.

There's nothing wrong with having extra linens. We need clean towels, spare sheets, and bedding for guests. But there is a point where having more stops being helpful and starts becoming a storage problem.

A reasonable starting point is two sets of sheets per bed and two or three bath towels per person, adjusted for how frequently you do laundry, how often you host guests, and your household's needs. The important thing is to decide what works for you rather than keeping everything simply because you have it.

**Heather's Tip:** Sort your linens by category and by bed size. Match complete sheet sets, inspect towels for wear, and eliminate items that are stained, damaged, or no longer needed. Consider donating usable extras to organizations that accept linens. Some animal shelters also welcome old towels, but check their requirements first.

## 4. Water Bottles: How Many Ways Do We Need to Drink Water?

There was a time when drinking water required nothing more complicated than a glass. Today, we have insulated bottles, stainless steel bottles, collapsible bottles, bottles with straws, bottles with handles, and bottles designed to keep water cold long enough to survive a trip across the desert.

And somehow, we need several of each.

I understand that different activities call for different bottles. The one you take to the gym might not be the one you bring on a long walk or keep at your desk. But when the collection gets so large that you can't find the matching lids, something has gone wrong.

The same applies to travel coffee cups and insulated tumblers. We buy new ones because they're a different color, have a better lid, or promise to keep our drinks hot or cold for another six hours.

Eventually, we have an entire cabinet devoted to transporting beverages.

**Heather's Tip:** Gather all your reusable bottles, tumblers, and travel mugs in one place. Match the lids, discard damaged items, and keep the ones you actually use. If a bottle hasn't been touched in a year, there's a good chance it won't be missed.

## 5. Storage Containers: When Organizing Products Become the Clutter

This one is particularly interesting to me because I organize homes for a living.

People often assume that getting organized means buying more storage containers. They purchase baskets, bins, drawer dividers, and beautiful matching containers, hoping these products will solve their clutter problems.

Sometimes they help. But sometimes they simply create another category of clutter.

I've seen closets filled with empty storage bins, cabinets packed with mismatched food containers, and shelves holding baskets that were purchased for organizing projects that never happened.

The problem isn't the containers themselves. It's that we're buying solutions before identifying what actually needs to be stored.

In the kitchen, the situation can be even worse. Plastic food containers seem to reproduce when we're not looking, while their lids mysteriously disappear. We end up with stacks of containers that don't nest properly and a separate drawer full of lids that don't fit anything.

**Heather's Tip:** Organize first and shop second. Before buying another storage product, sort through what you already own, eliminate what you don't need, and measure the space you're trying to organize. For food storage containers, match every container with its lid and recycle damaged or unmatched pieces according to local guidelines.

## 6. The Drawer Full of Cords, Chargers, and Things We Can't Identify

Almost every home has one. A drawer, basket, or box filled with charging cables, adapters, old electronics, and mysterious cords that nobody can identify.

We keep them because we're afraid that the minute we throw one away, we'll discover it belongs to something important.

So we hold onto all of them.

Meanwhile, the devices they originally powered may have been donated, recycled, or replaced years ago. We just never got around to dealing with the accessories.

Technology changes quickly, and the collection of cables we needed ten years ago may have very little relevance today. Yet these items are small enough that we can keep adding them to a drawer without noticing how much we've accumulated.

**Heather's Tip:** Empty your cord drawer and identify what belongs to devices you still own. Label the cables you need and keep them together in a small organizer. If you can't identify a cord and haven't needed it in years, consider whether it's worth keeping. Take unwanted electronics and cables to an appropriate electronics recycling program rather than putting them in the trash.

## Why Do We Keep Buying More?

Here's the interesting part. Most of us don't deliberately set out to accumulate too much stuff. It happens gradually, often for reasons that make perfect sense at the time.

We buy something because it's on sale, because we think we might need it someday, or because the new version looks better than the one we already own. We accept promotional giveaways because they're free. We keep gifts because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings. And we hang onto perfectly usable items because getting rid of them feels wasteful.

But there's another kind of waste we don't always consider: the space these items occupy and the time we spend managing them.

Every extra item needs somewhere to live. It may need to be cleaned, moved, sorted, or searched through when we're trying to find something else. Eventually, our belongings begin to demand more attention than they deserve.

And sometimes we respond to that problem by buying more storage.

That's when I know it's time to rethink the situation.

## How Much Is Enough?

I wish I could give everyone a magic number. Six coffee mugs, four water bottles, eight towels, and three reusable shopping bags. Unfortunately, organizing doesn't work that way.

A family of six has different needs than a couple living alone. Someone who entertains frequently may need more dishes and linens than someone who rarely has guests. And a person who loves collecting coffee mugs may genuinely enjoy displaying them.

The goal isn't to live with as little as possible. It's to live with an amount that makes sense for your household, your space, and your lifestyle.

Before buying another item, try asking yourself three simple questions: Do I already own something that serves the same purpose? Where will this new item live? And if I'm replacing something, am I willing to let the old one go?

Those questions won't eliminate every unnecessary purchase, but they can help prevent another collection from quietly taking over your cabinets.

## Less Stuff, Less Stress

As a professional organizer, I've learned that some of the biggest improvements we can make in our homes don't require expensive organizing systems or elaborate renovations. Sometimes the solution is as simple as opening a cabinet, looking at what's inside, and admitting that we don't need quite so much of it.

You don't have to tackle your entire house this weekend. Start with one category. Coffee mugs are a good choice, although reusable shopping bags might provide a bigger surprise. Gather everything together, decide what you really use, and give yourself permission to let the extras go.

And the next time you're tempted to buy another water bottle, storage basket, or set of towels, remember that having more doesn't necessarily make life easier.

Sometimes, it just means having more to organize.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go count our coffee mugs.

---

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