Three Organizers Share Their Best Reasons for Letting Go

Letting go can be hard. I recently heard someone say, “Everything I get rid of has claw marks all over it.” I love this! Most people operate under an “automatic keep” mentality: once we acquire something, our gut reaction is to keep it. Unfortunately, if all we ever do is add, and never subtract, we will soon be drowning, possibly under a pile of things we don’t even care about. At a recent meeting of Minimal Quest, a monthly virtual meetup where we explore minimalism, our three organizers share their best reasons for letting go.

This meetup (which is free and open to everyone) is hosted by professional organizers Matt Baier (Matt Baier Organizing), Susan Lovallo (Clutter Solutions LLC), and me. Just like everyone else, we have clutter in our lives and need to perpetually circulate items out of our spaces in order to maintain a functional and enjoyable environment. We thought hearing our reasons for letting go might motivate others to look at their belongings with fresh eyes.

We began by reminding our group that decluttering is most effective when we review one item at a time. Lumping unlike items together can make decision-making difficult and/or overwhelming, so remember to move at your own pace and look at one thing (or category) at a time. Also, we encourage you to prioritize holding onto the items you are using now, as opposed to those you used in the past.

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Here are some reasons we three organizers shared for letting go:

Susan’s reasons:

My tastes and style have changed.

Susan talked about a favorite, old comfortable couch. She liked the couch, but the custom pillows no longer fit with her style. She decided to keep the couch but purchase new pillows that are more in line with her current taste.

An item takes up more storage space than it is worth.

In this same example, Susan also considered keeping the old pillows because she had spent a lot of money on them. However, pillows are fairly large, and since she has limited storage space in her home, she decided to get rid of them.

I got a new storage container with limited capacity.

Susan shared a photo of a pretty, lidded basket she placed in her living room to hold her exercise supplies. She mostly works out at the gym, but if she is short on time or the weather is bad, she likes the option of exercising at home. She shared that she had accumulated two sets of 5lb weights. One pair was old and a bit cumbersome in design. A while ago, she purchased newer ones, but she still kept the old ones (Don’t we all do this sometimes?) However, the basket can only accommodate one pair of weights, so she chose to let the older/larger set go.

I never use them.

As professionals, we periodically get “freebies” from vendors who make products for our industry.  Susan had some filing supplies that she used frequently in the past but no longer does. She currently uses other solutions she prefers. Since she honestly never reaches for these older supplies, it was time to donate them.

I never liked it.

Susan received the gift of a t-shirt with the logo of a professional football team as a gift. Although she watches some football, she’s not a huge fan, and has no association with this particular team. Furthermore, she doesn’t often wear t-shirts because she doesn’t like how they feel. She appreciated the gift, but it was time for this shirt to move on to someone else.

I used to love it, but I don’t anymore.

Over time, our preferences evolve. Susan showed us photos of a purse she used to love. It had lots of compartments and was a nice size. In the past, she used it a lot. However, her needs and wants have changed over time. Now she prefers a bag that has more structure on the bottom. So, she decided to donate the older bag.

Matt’s reasons:

The technology is so old I can’t use it.

Matt shared a few photos of items that he can no longer use because he doesn’t own the necessary hardware: floppy disks, LP albums, and slides. You may have similar items, such as VHS tapes, 8-track tapes, CD-ROMs, and DVDs. Yes, Matt admitted that he could theoretically rent or buy equipment. But, he acknowledged the reality that he won’t ever take this step. So, he’s letting that old tech go.

It’s blocking access to storage locations.

In this case, Matt talked about how a piece of furniture was getting in the way of a storage area. Furniture is large and hard to move around. When it sits in front of a closet or shelves, it becomes an obstacle to whatever is behind it. In Matt’s case, a big chair in his office had ended up in front of his bookshelves. Since the storage space behind the chair is worth more to him than the chair itself, he got rid of the chair.

It’s too costly to repair.

Matt shared a sweet story about a fancy blender he and his wife received as a wedding gift. They loved it and used it for years before it broke. They explored the option of getting it repaired, but discovered it would cost more to repair the old blender than it would to get a new one. (Seems like this is frequently the case these days.) Furthermore, they’ve gotten used to using a food processor instead of a blender, so they really don’t need a blender at all anymore.

There is no one alive to appreciate it.

Keepsakes can be meaningful, but only if we have an emotional connection to them. Matt has an old, wooden photo album. He isn’t completely sure where it came from, and it doesn’t hold any photos. Yes, it is kind of “cool,” but he doesn’t want to keep an item he will never use and means nothing to him. His wife still wants to keep it, but he’s ready to let it go.

I’ve been keeping it because I thought I should, but I really don’t need to.

Under this heading, Matt talked about paperwork. Most people have a bit of anxiety about letting go of old paperwork, and there are some documents that we should keep. Keeping old tax returns, and their corresponding documentation, is wise.  However, we often hold onto paper that we don’t need, such as old pharmacy receipts, monthly utility statements, bills, and manuals for appliances we no longer own. Shedding unnecessary paper not only frees up space, this process also makes it easier for us to store and find the paperwork that we truly need.

I don’t have a good reason to keep it.

Matt shared about the reasons he keeps books:

• To read (on a bookshelf)
• To reference (in a home office or similar)
• To display (aka “Books for Looks” on a coffee table or in a Zoom™ background)
• For sentimental reasons (in a keepsake box)
• As investments (in a safe, clean, protected location)

Books he’s accumulated that don’t meet any of these criteria can go.

Seana’s reasons:

No one is going to fix it.

I shared about a chandelier we used to have in our kitchen. Water came through it once and apparently rusted an important piece in one of the arms. When I changed out a lightbulb, the piece got torn out. I asked an electrician to look at it when he was in our house on another project, but he wasn’t able to fix it. We purchased another chandelier, and my husband put the old one in the basement with “plans to fix it.” It has been in our basement since before the pandemic. Yes, it was a very nice piece. However, since we don’t know how to fix it, we have finally agreed it can go.

Someone else can use it more.

We have been holding onto two pairs of skis in our garage that belonged to our daughters. Both of our girls are grown and have moved out. These skis are usable, but not by us. We had a vague idea of saving them in case somebody might come home and need them, but the possibility is too remote to justify holding onto them. Time to donate them.

It doesn’t mean as much as it used to.

We live outside of New York City, and as a result, often get to go see Broadway shows. At some point, I think I saw someone say that they saved all their Playbills, and how much they enjoyed looking back at them. I assumed this was what I was “supposed to” do, and started putting all the playbills in the bottom of a living room chest of drawers. However, the truth is, I never look back at these. I enjoyed the shows, but I don’t need the playbills to reminisce. Perhaps if I were a big theater buff, or had been in theater myself, these would be a treasured possession. In my case, I think I would rather have the drawer freed up to hold something I am using now.

I want relationship harmony.

Early in my marriage, my husband bought a rowing machine. Admittedly, rowing machines are great for getting in shape, and he used it for a while. However, as happens, time changes things, and he has since moved onto other forms of exercise. Nevertheless, we have held onto the rowing machine. My husband was holding on because he thought he would “get back into using it.” Finally, the machine started to rust, and I became worried that the chain was going to snap and hurt someone. Fortunately, I was able to convince him that his wife would be happier if we removed it. In this example, and at different moments, I held on, and he let go to make to benefit our relationship.

I want to live with less complexity.

In the early days of apps, I would download and sign up for anything that looked fun. Years later, I’ve decided I am sick and tired of logins and passwords. I only use them when absolutely necessary, and I’ve been deleting accounts that I don’t use.

To clear space for something new.

We have a cabinet in our family room that was full of DVDs. They still worked, but we agreed we were never going to watch the vast majority of them. In addition, this cabinet is in a very convenient location. Looking ahead, I decided I wanted to empty this cabinet so that is can hold things that might be coming down the line, such as toys for a grandchild.

To save money.

Most people underestimate the “carrying costs” of belongings. I shared a photo of a storage unit and reminded our participants that you pay for a storage unit by the cubic foot. In other words, space costs us money. It’s easy to think that keeping something is “free” when it is inside of your home, because you are paying for that space regardless. In reality, you are paying a mortgage and/or taxes on every square foot of your home. As a result, it makes sense to prioritize your space for what matters most, not just hold because you’ve always done so. Be picky!

I don’t enjoy them anymore.

Over the years, our family has bought and received many games. Some were fun, some were complicated, and some were sort of a “one and done’ experience. Regardless, we were in the habit of just keeping all games. Of course, this is silly. Turns out we really only play a couple of the many games we own (usually Scrabble™, Boggle™, chess, and cards). There are a few we pull out every now and then, but many we haven’t touched in years. If I don’t find a game fun, there is no reason to keep it.

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Letting go of possessions challenges each person in different ways. Decluttering is most successful when it feels like a “win” for everyone involved.

What category of belongings is hardest for you to let go?