A fondue set, an aroma diffuser, a pasta machine: just some of the oh-so-essential items on the actor Jennifer Lawrence’s wedding list. It’s not her actual wedding list – rather, a “collaboration” with Amazon to share “my favourite registry wish-list items”. However, it serves as a handy example of all the random things people think they want these days – things that, frankly, they will use a maximum of once before confining to the back of their cupboards.

A 2017 survey by Skipton building society found the average UK household has more than £1,100 worth of items gathering dust, including exercise bikes, posh crockery and water filters. I am no better – I have an ice-cream maker that has made it through three house moves and still remains unused (at least the toasted sandwich maker gets brought out a few times a year). Even decluttering experts fall into the trap – one of them, Rachel Burditt, confesses to me that she owns a pasta machine she has used only three times. Electronic kitchen gadgets are the most common purchases cast aside, she adds: “Soup makers, breadmakers, NutriBullets.”

And naturally, wedding lists aren’t the only vehicle by which unnecessary stuff finds its way into our homes. Sometimes we buy things that represent the people we want to be – a juicer for that two-week health kick, or cutlery for “best”. “If I do a garage clearout,” says Burditt, “I’m guaranteed to find dumbbells that someone bought 20 years ago that they don’t want to get rid of, just in case.”

But there is another way. In response to the deluge of stuff we live with – all of which, of course, has an effect on the environment – a sharing movement has taken off, such as the Library of Things and Streetbank, where people can borrow a range of items from power tools to camping gear, things that would otherwise be bought but rarely used. Burditt recommends pooling items with family and friends, too. “It’s about understanding what you absolutely need to buy versus what you can buy as an extended family. You don’t have all these things cluttering up your house.” Jennifer, if you’re reading this – lend us your robot mop?