“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” Steve Maraboli
We’re creatures of accumulation.
There’s no denying that each of us have our own reasons for not throwing away our precious possessions.
Could it be that the more things we have, the merrier it’ll be? Or maybe we need that added security and reassurance that come with more things.
Yet many of us justify holding on to our possessions because . . . well we’re just plain sentimental about them.
But no matter how good your reasons may be, you’ve reached that critical point where you know you need to do something about it. The tell-tale sign is when you can’t even vacuum thanks to the mountain of stuff clogging up your home.
A fresh start to 2020 is what you need. But what exactly are these things you’re supposed to let go?
I’ve taken the guesswork out and put together these 147 things you can let go without too much pain.
These are the common things that we unintentionally accumulate. You can opt to sell, recycle or donate them to charity, provided their condition is acceptable.
Related post:
14 Best Places to Sell your Unwanted Stuff and Make Money Fast
Area #1 : Our Bedrooms
- Books lying beside your bedside table untouched for 6 months
- Magazines you’ve been meaning to browse for the past 4 months
- Pillows that have seen better days and are practically falling apart
- Broken or chipped reading glasses
- Old suitcases not used for decades
- Stained bed linens
- Old and yellowed pillowcases
- Old candles
- Tattered drapes
- Tons of framed photos
- Torn bed sheets
- Slippers with tears and holes in them
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Area #2 : Closets
- Clothes that will never fit, not anymore. You need to get real here.
- Old clothes donated by well meaning friends and relatives
- Socks that don’t match
- Clothes that need ironing. . . and you simply loathe ironing.
- Extra wire hangers
- Bedroom slippers that have worn out (I’m still trying to get Mr MMT to throw away his heavily-bandaged duct-taped ones)
- Scarves that haven’t been worn in a year
- Hats with stains from sweat or lipstick
- Broken belts
- Clothes with holes in them due to wear and tear. (Not the trending type)
- Broken coat hangers
- Ironing board and iron unused for years
- Old undies that are loose
- Socks and pantyhoses and thin tights with holes and tears
Area #3 : Living Room
- Keys you have no idea where they should belong to
- Plants that have perished months ago
- Old receipts
- Music recordings and tapes that are outdated and no one wants to listen to
- DVDs that you have no intention of watching again
- Books and magazines you’ve put aside for another day, but which you’ll never have the time to read
- Old furniture that are unsightly with tears and damage on them
- Toys and board games your kids have long since abandoned
- Old TVs and stands, old computer stands and old computers lying around
- Old decor items especially those on the wall that sap your energy
- Old electronic instruments no one has been practising on for years
- Cables and wires you’ve no idea where they belong to
- Old sunglasses and glasses with multiple scratches on them
- Damaged clocks and watches that don’t run
- Reminders and notes you’ve written to yourself
- Cards from friends and relatives
- Old calendars
- Old wall hangings
- Outdated pictures
- Old photos with little sentimental value
- Dated audio equipment
- Old batteries
- Damaged and/or outdated phones
Area #4 : Bathroom
- Empty product packaging
- Used remnants of soap bits
- Moldy and stained towels
- Items you’ve tried and dislike
- Skincare items that have expired
- Prescriptions and medications that have expired
- Unsafe products you’ve unwittingly bought
- Old disposable electric toothbrush heads
- Old makeup that have expired
- Empty original bottles of shampoo and other products
Area #5: Kids’ Rooms or Playrooms
- Damaged toys, especially those with sharp ends
- Board games and puzzles kids have outgrown
- Electronic games kids no longer play with
- Grubby and soiled stuffed toys
- Old clothing and footwear that are outgrown
- Half-completed crafts that have been abandoned
- Toys and games with parts missing
- Activity books that are unfinished
- Paint and play dough that have dried up
- Toys that are similar to one another
- Left-over art and craft materials
- Pens and markers that are used up
- Paper crafts like origami creations
Area #6: Garage
- Empty cardboard boxes
- Broken garden tools
- Expired liquid fertilizers
- Empty bags of compost and potting mix
- Electronic tools that no longer work
- Boxes of old clothes
- Furniture parts that have been salvaged
- Odd pieces of car parts like wheel caps belonging to cars that have long since been sold
- New garden ornaments that don’t suit your current house
- Duplicates of garden tools
- Broken flower pots
- Damaged items which couldn’t be repaired
- Odd pieces of wood
- Old garden furniture
- Empty plastic containers
Area #7: Kitchen and Pantry
- Children’s drawings and outdated notes on fridge doors
- Expired products in the pantry
- Spices that have expired
- Empty cooking oil containers
- Washed clean jars with no lids
- Damaged water flasks
- Chipped crockery
- Pots without matching lids
- Dirty and soiled sponges
- Stained, torn and dirty hand towels
- Drinking glasses that don’t suit your needs
- Bake ware and cookware you don’t use anymore
- Poor quality pots
- Kitchen appliances you don’t use
- Empty food packaging
- Worn and damaged place mats
- Cutlery you seldom use
- Empty plastic water bottles
- Discolored old cereal containers
- Worn and torn dish cloths that have seen better days
Area #8: Mementos, Keepsakes and Relics
- Posters
- Old keepsakes
- Old and faded cards from family members and friends
- Unwanted gifts
- Old and unimportant trophies
- Newspaper and magazine articles you’ve saved
- Recipes you’ve collected but have never used in the last 2 years
- School magazines
- Old photos of acqaintances
- Unimportant informal awards, for example, “The Fastest Pizza Eater award for Classroom 2G”
- Kids art work
- Old wedding invitation cards
Area #9: Home Office
- Faded Pictures
- Pens that have run out of ink
- Faulty mechanical pencils that don’t work
- Pencils that are too short
- Outdated software and hardware
- Damaged equipment
- Broken rulers and staplers
- Wires and cords that are not used
- Old calendars
- Glue sticks that have dried up
- Used ink cartridges
- Books you don’t need anymore
- Notebooks full of outdated information
- Paper items that need shredding
- Sharpeners that aren’t sharp anymore
- Erasers that have been reduced to tiny remnants
Area #10: Paper, Paper Everywhere
- Outdated notes and reminders
- Coupons that have expired
- Grocery and shopping receipts that you’ve checked against your statements
- Old business cards you don’t need
- Advertising leaflets and flyers
- Outdated health records
- Secondary tax documents dating back more than 8 years
- Outdated warranties
- Local and community newsletters
- School magazines, letters and newsletters
- Used school worksheets and textbooks your kids have no use for
- Old newspaper clippings
Wrap Up
With these simple ideas, you can now take the easy path towards decluttering your home much faster than you realize.
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