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You know that feeling of suffocating in your own home?
The one where you look around and all the piles feel a mile high and it feels like you will never, ever be done with your to-do list?
Yeah, I’ve felt that way before.
There is just SO. MUCH. stuff to have in this world that it’s hard to handle the flow of it into your home, and before you know it–you have too much.
And it’s keeping you from doing all your cleaning because you have to FIRST maintain all that *stuff* by picking it all up and putting it away (probably shoved away in some closet).
The toys, the dishes, the books, the random crap–it all adds up.
And the only answer is to Start. Getting. Rid. Of. Stuff.
So I’m here with this post (which I’ve developed by practicing getting rid of a *lot* of stuff) to help you out.
Let’s get started.
Old snacks and pantry items
Why do we insist that we’re going to eat the last few crumbs of that bag of chips and let it take up space in the back of the cupboard for months and months before we throw it out as “stale?”
I’m all for not wasting food, but the fact is that there are some things that we obviously *aren’t* eating.
And we’re hurting ourselves by hanging on to it and continuing to “care” for it (e.g. moving it when we clean or, worse yet, not cleaning our cupboards because there are too many things in them to move).
If you have unopened food items that you really don’t want to waste, you can try and donate them, but I honestly think it’s worth making your job easy and just throwing them out (and now you know what you don’t eat so you won’t buy them and waste them again).
Anything that’s broken
Holding on to stuff we shouldn’t can be a generational issue, and I think it sometimes reveals itself in the “I know it’s broken, but it could still be useful!” mindset.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in your life has a maintenance cost. It might be as simple as moving that object to clean it, but it is a cost.
Did you know that if you own an object for 50 years, and use only 10 seconds a weeks to clean/move it, that at the end of your ownership you will have spent 7.2 HOURS taking care of that one thing?
People are out there wasting YEARS of their life taking care of literal trash.
It is SO sad.
Let me tell you again: It is not worth using your life to maintain junk.
Specialized kitchen gadgets (I’m looking at you, avocado slicer!)
Anything that can be easily replaced by a more generic tool needs to go. In the case of the avocado slicer, for example, a pairing knife and a spoon work just as well.
All those random tiktok gadgets that do things like slice cheese into perfect cubes?
They need to go too.
DVDs
This one is a little controversial, and I understand if you want to hang on to yours.
But, we’ve been preparing for a cross country move (next week, actually!), and I’ve decided to finally let ours go.
With streaming services, we just don’t use them!
And I figure that I can reasonably find any movie I really miss online somewhere.
Extra Bags
It seems like libraries, grocery stores, markets, and all kinds of other places are always sending you home with some sort of new bag–canvas, plastic, fabric or otherwise.
A while back I realized that even though all bags are useful, they are not all created equal.
I keep 3-4 canvas/fabric tote bags around the house for things like library trips or on-the-go snacks. And, I keep a small stash of 15 or so plastic grocery bags from Walmart.
But the rest? I don’t even let them in the door (or I get rid of them immediately if they make it inside). I don’t want to spend my life maintaining an excessive number of bags.
Old Manuals
Why do you need the manual for your garlic press?
But seriously, have you ever read it or any of the other manuals hanging around your house?
I typically toss manuals for things that are self-explanatory, and I keep warranty information and the manuals for more complex stuff in a folder altogether and go through them now and then to weed out the old ones.
Old car seats
I really hope that you know carseats expire, but if you didn’t, now you do.
It varies between brands (you can look up your specific one), but typically they only last 5-10 years from the manufacturing date printed on the seat.
Using seats past their expiration date puts your kids or grandkids at risk because of degrading plastic.
Don’t take that chance. Cut the straps and throw out any expired carseats.
Incomplete sets
Some sets of items can still be used incomplete (like silverware), but anything that you can’t use due to missing pieces isn’t worth keeping. I’m thinking of legos, games, puzzles, etc.
Hanging on to an incomplete set because of the value it had when it was complete makes no sense. If you can’t use it anymore, throw it out.
Accessories you don’t love
There is a rule that The Minimal Mom discusses on YouTube. Basically, if you haven’t used something in the last 6 months (or year, in the case of seasonal items), it can go.
It’s important to live your life in the season of now, and not a wishy-washy “someday.”
Keep the accessories you love and wear and let go of the rest. If it’s really valuable (like some jewelry) but you don’t wear it, sell it and put the money in a high yield savings account.
Let it make itself useful rather than just sitting around your house!
Craft Stuff you haven’t used in the last year
This goes along with the “time tells” rule that I mentioned in point 9. If you haven’t actively used it in the last year, stop living for someday. Let it go!
Remember how it costs time to maintain stuff, and anything you’re not using isn’t worth your time.
Extra Towels
I’m not saying you can’t have any extras. I mean, I get it–you want some on hand for family or friends who come to visit.
But think specifically of the max number of people who come to see you at a given time and keep that number of towels–and no more.
I typically won’t have more than 4 people at once, so I only have 8 bath towels right now (we’re technically a family of 5 now–but so far I haven’t needed more than the 8 still).
“Someday” Hobby Stuff
If you’re not using it, let it go.
Time lets us know if we use stuff, and we need to listen.
Maybe you will have that hobby again someday, but that’s not the season of life you’re in right now.
Let the hobby gear go and be used by someone who can love it.
Extra baby gear
Do you have extra activity centers for your baby or grandbaby laying around and taking up space?
Can I kindly ask how many one really needs for a child (if that child is even still a child)?
Keep what is being used, and let go of the rest. No “someday” baby equipment is allowed, unless you KNOW you have a baby or grandbaby actively on the way.
Also consider what is safe–some older baby gear (like jumpers) have been shown to do more harm than good.
I have a bouncer seat–and that’s it.
And once my littles can move, I encourage them to do that rather than putting them in various baby contraptions that may or may not be helpful.
Find out what helps the kids in your life and cut the excess.
Toys your kids or grandkids don’t like
Speaking of things that help kids . . . we’ve gotten to toys.
Oh the toys. There are so many of them. All the time. And if you have teens, the “toys” may now be things like video games or sport gear.
“Fun” items are probably what I have the hardest time decluttering.
For little kids, the question “What do you like?” can be helpful. I declutter with my five-year-old, and she’s able to sort the toys based on what she likes and doesn’t like.
For teens, it’s harder because they have more autonomy, but you can still have conversations with them about items for fun that they use and don’t use.
Help them understand that it’s better for unused items to bless someone else than collect dust.
Old make-Up
If you don’t use it, toss it (I know, I said it again).
Expired? Gone. Unused for the last year? Gone. Not really your style? Gone.
I recently heard Dawn on The Minimal Mom say that we’re all minimalists at heart–we only use our favorite things. We just don’t always recognize it because of the layers of all our other stuff.
So keep your favorites–ditch the rest.
Extra Bedding
Why do you need 50 pairs of sheets?
Do you have 50 beds? No? 25? (Maybe you want two for each, so you have an extra for when the other’s in the wash?)
I feel like many of us people who were raised frugally have this habit of hanging on to old sheets in case we’ll need them down the road.
And, it’s great to be sure that you have a set of sheets for every available bed in the house (including blow-up mattresses for when people come to visit).
However, I’d argue that you don’t need more than that.
Sheets wash quickly. You don’t need extras for when one is in the wash–just wash it and throw it back on the bed.
Maybe someone will have to sleep on a towel after wetting the bed or throwing up at night. But . . . I personally think that’s fine.
It’s up to you on if you want to maintain the stuff or not.
Memory items (except a select few)
It’s okay to have a few things that you keep to remember special moments in your life.
But boxes and boxes of stuff?
Nope. Not in my opinion.
Take pictures of stuff if you’re keeping to remind you of certain events. And if you really want to have a few physical items, use the container rule.
Basically, have one container for your memory stuff and let go of anything that doesn’t fit in that container.
Down the road that might mean you exchange some things and let go of stuff in lieu of newer memory items-but that’s okay.
Clothes and shoes that you don’t wear
This goes back to what The Minimal Mom said about us all being minimalists at heart–we all have our favorite clothes and shoes that we wear. We just may not realize it.
Take a good look at your clothing and footwear. It may help to pull aside what you know you use and love, then look at the remainder. Chances are, there will be one or two other things you need, but you can probably let go of just about everything left.
Duplicates of anything
You don’t need two barbie castles. Or two allen wrenches of the same size.
If it’s a duplicate, get rid of it, unless your household is already consistently using *both* at the same time, and cannot reasonably accomplish frequent tasks without multiple.
Any instruments you no longer use
Remember that Tuba from high school that you keep under the bed?
Yeah. Get rid of it. You haven’t played it in 5 (or 15, or 55) years.
You’re not going to start now.
And if the Tuba suddenly really means ALL that much to you again in 6 months, you can always buy a cheap used one off FB marketplace to play and then save if you need a nicer one.
But you probably won’t. Just sayin’.
Extra Utensils
I’m all for extras, but in the last few years of my life since becoming a stay-at-home-mom, I’ve realized that every additional dish or utensil I own is just an excuse to not wash the dishes longer.
And I don’t need excuses. I need motivation to do the dishes.
And, ahem, that motivation comes when I have fewer dishes and have to wash stuff so I can use it.
So, if you’re here because you have too much stuff, I’m guessing you probably have dish-washing issues too, and I’m telling you to drop the extra utensils.
It’ll get you washing dishes sooner and have you maintaining less stuff.
It’s a win-win all around.
Old cards
This one can be a little harder emotionally, especially if you have meaningful notes from old friends or family members that have passed away.
My suggestion? Take pictures.
I love to put stuff in Google Keep under a “memory” label I created (it lets you add images or take one with your camera). With it set up that way, it’s easy to go back and scroll through whenever I want to remember stuff.
I keep a few really, extra-special cards in my memory box, but the rest I’ve let go of.
Books you don’t or won’t read
This applies to books you have read–but won’t again–and books you’ve just never read.
Books are meant to be used. There is no reason to have a book, only to never read it.
I really love what Marie Kondo says about decluttering books in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Basically, she keeps a rolling collection of about 30 books. She has a few that she loves so much she’ll always own them (or at least keep them for a long time), but there are many that she collects and reads on a monthly or yearly basis and then lets go of. Once they’re read–they’re read.
No need to keep hanging on.
And, for kid’s books, you can always increase the number to 50 or so (just to have lots of options for story time).
But also remember that there are libraries and digital reading platforms!
You can likely find a book through one of these options if you regret getting rid of it down the road and want to read it again.
Extra toiletries
I’m all for being prepared. But, come on people . . . a lifetime supply of cotton swabs? Come on.
I have pretty much stopped buying extra boxes of toiletry items until the one I have is nearly out.
That way I’m not maintaining extra boxes in space I don’t have.
And yes, for me this means not buying bulk at Costco. I just don’t want to deal with the time cost of caring for extra boxes, and it’s usually not much more expensive per ounce or item to get generic brands at walmart.
(Let me add that the one toiletry I do buy in bulk is toilet paper. That . . . I will always buy in bulk. We just go through it too fast and no one wants to wipe with rags if another global pandemic sweeps the earth again. *Shudder.* But I usually still just buy one giant pack at a time.)
Anything you won’t use in the next year
I mentioned this in previous points, but it’s so important I figure it needs its own point all to itself.
If you won’t use something soon, you shouldn’t have it in your home.
You don’t want all of your stuff to remind you of who you’re not and to interrupt the life you’re living now.
Wherever Items you have should help you with your current season of life.
So let the rest go to the thrift store and bless somebody else.
It’s Worth it to Declutter Your Stuff
I’m still learning to declutter. Preparations for our cross-country move have really helped me with pairing down (out of necessity), but I know I still have more to let go of.
The thing about decluttering, though, is that it’s like a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
So try it now. Even if it’s hard and emotionally draining, once you get started you’ll start to see that it truly feels good.
It feels good to not have extra stuff to maintain. It feels good to have a space that supports you in the here and now instead of reminding you of who you’re not. And, it feels good to have a home that’s under control so you can focus more on the people you love.
So start now. You can do it. And, if you want some extra help, check out my favorite decluttering book right here.
