Do you struggle with letting go? Do you look at a box full of stuff and feel overwhelmed? Do you ever want to get rid of something, but then second guess yourself? Maybe you have even put an item in the trash or donation bag and then gone back and retrieved it? I understand why people struggle: it can be tough to make decisions. This is why having another person around to provide a second opinion can be very helpful! Admittedly, not everyone has the time and/or budget to hire a professional. But fear not! Decision-making can be easy when you have “permission to pitch.”
Before I go further, I want to acknowledge that there are completely valid reasons why we hesitate to let go:
- We feel guilty, especially with things that were given to us by a close friend or family member.
- We have anxiety about letting go of an item that we might need in the future.
- We have aspirations of using an item and don’t want to give up on that idea.
- We hate to be wasteful.
- We want to find good homes for unwanted belongings.
- We don’t want to simply trash or give away something we invested in.
Nevertheless, in order to be organized, you need to be actively circulating items out of your space. If all you ever do is accumulate – even if you put things in labeled bins – you may be creating a future burden for you and/or someone else. If you want to clear out some clutter, but need a little positive encouragement to get the ball rolling, here is a list of “common culprits” that you can feel good about removing from your space.
Of course, every person is different, so take this is a “general list of suggestions” as opposed to a hard and fast rule. As with all belongings, if they are in good shape, or able to be used by someone else, please consider donating to a worthy cause rather than simply trashing.
Items to Pitch, Donate, or Recycle
- Singleton socks.
- Expired medication (please dispose of responsibly).
- Broken holiday decorations.
- “Free” cards from charities. It’s okay to keep a couple, but pass on the rest.
- Clothes you don’t feel good in – regardless of where they came from or how much they cost.
- Exercise equipment you do not use.
- Boxes. One box of boxes is enough. Get rid of the rest.
- Magazines you haven’t read. They are making you feel guilty – just get rid of the accumulation of old ones and start with the most recent.
- Anything in your garage that has been broken for a couple of seasons.
- Mugs. Seriously. Go recycle a few.
- Shoe bags and plastic garment bags that you don’t use… you know, the pile in the back of the closet.
- Kitchen appliances or gadgets you never use (bread machine, meat grinder, juicer, avocado slicer, giant ladle, etc.).
- Old Encyclopedias. If you like the way they look, keep them for decoration. Most people research online where the information is more current.
- Any “free” items you’ve received… unless you love them, pass them on.
- Old, short pencils without erasers. They fall to the bottom of a pencil cup, are hard to sharpen, and can’t erase.
- Cords & chargers for which you cannot identify a corresponding electronic that you still own and use.
- “Dead” school supplies: dried out glue sticks, erasers that are more black than pink, dried out markers, broken crayons, notebooks whose spiral has sprung loose, backpacks with broken zippers, etc.
- Fabric covers for the arms of furniture. Unless you love them, feel free to get rid of them.
- Old purses/lunchboxes/messenger bags. When you get a new one, let the old one go.
- Keys which you can no longer match to a lock.
- Extra copies of invitations to old events or extra holiday cards. Keep one in a memorabilia box/scrapbook (or take a photo of it), recycle the rest.
- Anything you consider ugly. Even if it was a gift!
- Anything missing an essential part.
- Things that make you feel sad or depressed.
- Spices which no longer have any scent. If you can’t smell them, you can’t taste them.
- Items in the freezer you cannot identify.
- Cookbooks you don’t use. If you only like one recipe in a cookbook, photograph that page and give the book away.
- Outdoor decorations and toys that are damaged/dirty/ugly.
- Dead plants.
- Combination locks for which you no longer remember the combination.
- Plastic storage containers for which you cannot easily identify the matching lid.
- Old textbooks, unless you regularly reference them. If they are more than 5 years old, most book charities don’t want them.
- Fodor’s/Zagats that are more than a few years old. A lot has changed since COVID!
- Old road maps (not antiques, just old ones). Old maps may contain incorrect information, and if you have a GPS option, you will probably use that anyway.
- Makeup you don’t use.
- Manuals and instructions for appliances you no longer own.
- Outdated paperwork that is not supporting documentation for your tax return.
- Outdated tech (wipe clean and recycle).
- Memorabilia and souvenirs that no longer engender a sentimental response.
- Hobby supplies for hobbies you longer pursue.
- Towels, blankets, and pillows that are old/soiled.
- Photos in your photo stream that are blurry, unflattering, or unnecessary (like the photo of an item you took so you could find it in the store, but now that you’ve purchased it you don’t need it anymore).
- Anything you don’t want to touch because it is gross.
There are two ways you can use this list:
- Take this list to an area of your home you wish to declutter. As you clear out the area, remove items that match the criteria.
- Bookmark or print the list and put it somewhere you will see it so it will stay fresh in your memory. Whenever you come across an item on the list, let it go.
Making space in our lives for the items we use, need, and/or love is a task worth undertaking. It is about prioritizing your space for what matters most. Can you think of anything to add to this list?
I have to chuckle, Seana. You have touched on so many things that I have talked about with clients and over the years in blogs. I love the one about “mugs” – seriously.. how many can a family use in one or two days! I also really like your expression “actively circulating items out of your space”. This is a great way to explain (also a good visual) that things must go out. If things only come into a home the home becomes bursting at the seams.
We seem to be so much better at bringing in than circulating out, right?
I need to listen to my own advice on the mugs. Might go donate a couple now. 🙂
#18 made me think of another one – tiebacks for curtains that you’re not using. I think I’ve kept mine “just in case” but the likelihood I will decide to use them is slim to none.
Soooo good, Janet! I think I may have a set of those as well. Why I’m keeping them, I have no idea LOL!
Letting go can be so challenging. I love how you identified some of the typical stumbling blocks for releasing.
Then, you share a specific list of things to consider releasing. It’s brilliant! You captured so many of the things that I see with my clients and myself. Dead plants are one of the things I don’t like having around. They make me sad. So, if they haven’t ‘made it’ or are just done, I let them go.
I didn’t know about the spice tip, which is so useful. I will use your sniff test to check out my spice drawer.
I don’t like having dead plants around either, but I have to admit that I always think I can “save” them. There is one in my upstairs room that I think has just failed. Time to dump it and use the pot for a new/vibrant plant!
The key word in this whole post? “Nevertheless.” All those feelings and excuses? Our clients have them, and organizers do too. Well, I’ll speak for myself. I’ve let things pile up here for a little longer than usual and have some decluttering to do! Because “nevertheless, in order to be organized, you need to be actively circulating items out of your space.” Thanks for the motivational list, and the permission to pitch, Seana.
I have to make myself do it as well! There are times when I’m really focused on decluttering, other areas where it seems to be sort of natural, and then those spaces where I tend to accumulate. After reading the comments, I’m going to dig into my mug collection. It has been awhile, and I know there are definitely some that can go!
Great list of stuff to pitch, Seana! As I pulled from our kitchen mugs for our other home, I was excited to make room in the mug cabinet. Then, my husband added mugs that were somewhere else—ugh. Now the cabinet is full again. =(
As I read your post, it reminded me that one of my clients loved sports, and when we would go through her downsizing things, she would say, “Pitch it”! Lol. To a person who is not a sports enthusiast, I thought it was a great way to say trash.
So funny that your husband just filled the “freed” space back up with other mugs. I tend to use a “themed” mug for a year or two, and inevitably I’ll get another one as a gift, so I move on. I do have a set of matching mugs, but on a daily basis, it actually works for me to use a specific mug so I don’t get it mixed up with anybody else’s. When my Dad comes to visit, he always reaches up high and takes this small blue mug. That one has become “his.”
Great story about your client saying “pitch it!” If you see him/her again, share my enthusiasm for their word choice. 🙂
We all love a good list! This takes the mystery out of what to let go of and gives permission as well. With so little to decide, there should be a lot of decluttering!
Just helpful to know what you truly don’t need to be anxious about shedding. If nothing else, it is a starting place!
Great list. I know you are focusing on physical stuff, but you can add projects that you are not interested in doing and people that bring you down,
Great additions! Clearing the calendar of unwanted things is certainly “permitted!”
Stellar list!
36(b) should be manuals in languages you don’t speak. So many manuals are online these days, but I still find that you can open a box to find one manual in English and another in Spanish (or lots of pages in multiple languages I can’t always identify — is this Tagalog? Vietnamese?).
Keys to things you don’t own is another that I see all the time.
I think our clients all want permission to pitch; I think we need it to. Even as organizers, we have our own blind spots. I’ve needed to get buy-in from colleagues to push me to finally get rid of those last textbooks from grad school 35 years ago!
You always make me laugh, Julie! Tagalog? So true about the foreign languages. I feel that way about the paperwork that comes with the EOB from our state’s insurance plan. I call it the “100 languages” page. Such a shame to keep printing this and wasting trees. Yes, I know you can get the EOBs online, but I have some clients who prefer the paper, so I see it over and over.
My husband still has his business school textbooks. I’ve tried. He’s not budging.
Thank you for the list. A lot of the things on the list made me smile. I am usually listening to reasons why they should be kept. Logically it is easy to let go of most of those things, emotionally is another situation altogether. If you got rid of / donated one item from each of the things you listed think how much would have been removed from the house. If you did it once a month you would make a good start on decluttering your home in a year.
I love your “little at a time” approach. I often operate this way. Yes, a major overhaul session can be impressive, but decluttering a bit each day (which feels much more approachable) can actually have amazing results!