Having too much stuff can defiantly be a problem! Many people will hold on to unused things because they feel bad just throwing them away, others horde stuff because they are sure they will “need” it later. The bottom line is that clutter affects your attitude/ mental state and can often cause more problems than good. Did you know a clutter filled office can stifle your productivity and can make you more easily agitated?
We are in the process of moving right now and we always prefer to get rid of stuff if we can. It makes moving easier!!
– Go through your clothes and shoes. Try on stuff you haven’t worn in a year. Do they still fit okay? Do you still like the style? Can you wear it in the near future? Make a pile of “keepers” and “goners”, if you are unsure simply get rid of it.
– Go through your magazines and mail stacks regularly so that the task does not become too big to handle. Magazines can go to bookman’s (if you have one in your area) or to a doctor/ dentist office. Junk mail and old newspapers can be recycled, composted or offered to those who can use it. I use old newspaper for my bunny cage and for the garden mulch.
– Go through your books. Many people keep books they will never look at again. Rather than having them take up space let them go to someone who can use them. Use the same rule of thumb, if you did not look at the book in the last year or two you don’t need it anymore.
– Do you have dishes or gardening stuff you don’t use? What about all the stuff in your attic and garage? Go through it, reorganize what you need to keep and let the rest go!
Want to have a clutter free home? One way is to recycle your unwanted items. Let your clutter go to someone who needs it (maybe even more than you do) and can put it to good use. This keeps working/ reusable stuff out of the dump and it helps those in need! My absolute favorite way to easily get rid of things is to FreeCycle! Everybody loves free stuff and it is good to be able to easily give your things away to those who can use them.
FreeCycle makes this give and take of free things possible through a community email list. You simply post your offer for things that you need to get rid of and people who need what you have will contact you offering to take it off your hands. Then you pick a person to take your stuff and you make arrangements for the pick up/ drop off of goods. I usually leave my free goods on my porch or somewhere for the chosen person to pick up. It’s super easy and very convenient in my opinion! FreeCycle is present in almost every community and you can find your community list by visiting the FreeCycle website (freecycle.org)
Another way to get rid of stuff is to sell it or give it away for free on Craig’s list. Craig’s list is a free web based community where you can post for sale or wanted ads (for free) and reach tons of people. Craig’s List can be found @ craigslist.org
– ioffer.com
– ebay.com
– amazon.com
