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Loading...18 Things You Can Get Rid of Today
- Samantha, selected from Family Circle
- January 2, 2012
- 6:06 pm
- 486 comments
By Diana Reese, Family Circle
Just Say No to Too Much Stuff
Stuff. For many of us it’s worse than any four-letter word. That’s because “stuff” can weigh you down and hold you back, says Gail Blanke, author of Throw Out Fifty Things. And, in the end, much of what we accumulate in life isn’t all that important. As Marilyn Bohn, author of Go Organize!, points out, “No one ever says, ‘I wish I’d kept more stuff.’”
Still, getting rid of our discards can be a challenge. Carla Eskelsen, a mom in Farmington, Utah, admits she had trouble letting go of stuff until she figured out how to manage her “pioneer DNA.” Once she figured out that donating and recycling “honored” her pioneer ancestors, she found it much easier. “It’s about sharing and blessing others instead of keeping it all for yourself,” she says. Here’s how you can share and bless others with all of your stuff—and end up with a cleaner, more peaceful home while you’re at it.
1. Kitchen Utensils
Is your utensil drawer so full you can barely open and close it? You’re not alone. When Robin Austin started cleaning her kitchen in preparation for a move, she found she had plenty of duplicate utensils, the result of a new marriage that combined households and six kids. Many of us also buy new utensils but forget to get rid of the old.
Here’s a smart way to figure out what you’re really using, from Motherboard Mom Jeanne Smith, Overland Park, Kansas: Toss everything—all the spatulas, rubber scrapers, pie servers, and so on—into a box. As you use a utensil from the box, put it back in the drawer. After a month, check what’s left in the box. Keep those once-a-year items that remain in the box, like a turkey baster or candy thermometer. But donate the rest.
2. Coffee Mugs
Another item many moms find hogging valuable cupboard space: coffee mugs. “We had over 20 coffee mugs,” says Kansas mom Dawn Schnake. She and her husband each chose four mugs to keep and donated the rest to a church rummage sale.
“Even if you received something as a gift, it’s okay to let it go,” says organizer Marilyn Bohn. “You only need to keep what works for you.”
Read more: Feng Shui & Organizing, Home, Reduce, Recycle & Reuse, clutter
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
people are talking
lovely. thank you for sharing and spreading the word
Sharing!
interesting
ty
I have Four cats this will come in handy. Thanks... (^_^)
486 comments
+ add your ownthanks for useful tips
a timely article - I seriously need to get rid of the clutter
I am a nut for cleaning and organising and I enjoyed this article immensely. Since I am too busy at the moment to get down to serious cleaning, I try to throw out / recycle / donate at least one item a day. It feels really good to see things clean, tidy and organised.
Yes, I agree we need to give away OUR OWN things.
Thanks
thanks
This is advice I can use - I am a terrible pack rat! Fortunately, thanks to Freecycle, I have been able to unload a lot of stuff. Here's another way to get rid of books: Bookcrossing.
Thanks for the ideas.
This article makes it sound so easy, but i always find it so difficult to part with my belongings, even if i don't use something for a long time.
Deep cleaning is helping my new neighbors who basically have nothing.
Easy to do, and it helps others. I donate to Salvation Army, schools, hospitals, and shelters. It is great to see some of the things that I no longer value become important to those without.
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