Make decluttering easier by beginning with these no brainers
Despite the reluctance to part with some of our stuff, the decision to toss out items that have been kept for a long time in storage should be so clear that it requires little deliberation. Storage areas such as closets, basements, attics and garages are prime zones to find stuff that no one actually needs or even cares about all that much. If the items were truly cherished and crucially important, they’d never be placed in storage in the first place.
Do a quick search for these 10 unnecessary items that may be cluttering up your home.
- Clothes that don’t fit perfectly, or that don’t make you feel fantastic
- Empty boxes for things you’ve had for over 3 months
- Packaging fillers such as peanuts and air pillows over 6 months old
- Hobby or craft supplies that you no longer use (or never actually did)
- Pet supplies for pets you no longer have
- Outgrown toys and games
- Paid bills that are not tax related and are over a year old
- Tax paperwork that has been filed over 7 years ago (or 8 for extra diligence)
- Expired medications, beauty, and personal hygiene products
- Old holiday cards
How many (if any) of the top ten list of unnecessary items did you discover? Does this list of things to toss contains anything that you feel too sentimentally attached to let go of yet? Do these items truly spark joy in your heart? Do some of these things actually make you sad or bad?
Examine how you feel about your stuff and release anything that you don’t truly love.
If you found some stuff you are ready to part with, here are a few tips on how to dispose of it.
- Donate clothes, crafts supplies and toys to a local charity of your choice
- Donate unneeded pet supplies to a local animal shelter
- Remove your personal information from old paperwork, or shred it with a commercial shredding service (some of the bigger office supplies stores offer this service)
- Recycle packing material, or take it back to a UPS store or other shipping place for reuse
Decide then Remove – Without Delay !
As soon as you have gathered the stuff that is to go, immediately get it out of your home. Waiting until “later”to deal with removing the unneeded items is not a good idea. Here’s why. You, or other members of your household may waver in your choices and become weak and indecisive. If that happens, some of the items may end up back in limbo, while stealing your storage and living space. Also, donation items that are left hanging around in a corner or in a box, may slowly get reabsorbed into your living space by becoming part of the room and collecting dust. It feels much better to complete the entire mission in one fell swoop. So get ‘er done and don’t dilly dally!