My mom likes a lot of stuff. Her clothes in her closet almost wrinkle being hung so close together. All her stuff is good and useful, it just is a lot. The exception is the soda she buys before we all visit, that is expired because she keeps it forever. My dad however likes to have super organized, minimal stuff. The garage has painted outlines of what goes where. He has everything you would ever need, just put it back perfectly.
My brother just shared how our dad is able to declutter without my mom filling all the empty space with her stuff. He cleans out a box and then puts it back on the shelf. She doesn't know it is empty, and it is his stuff to get rid of. I am thinking this is brilliant. She doesn't feel the internal stress from empty spaces and my dad isnt stressed that they are aging and he doesn't want to have so much stuff.