I Love Getting Rid of Things: A Tale of Decluttering

Hi friends -

You know what gives me joy? Getting rid of things. Seeing an empty corner that was previously filled with things. Passing on things I no longer want or need.

I’m not about to go all Marie Kondo on you. But I do love a good declutter! On the contrary, some people love things. Having things. Stashing things. Buying new things even when you have a lot of existing things.

Don’t get me wrong, I love new things. But I feel like for the ecosystem to exist, there needs to be an ongoing clearing of the things. That is where we’re headed with today’s blog.

Follow along as I share with you some of my favorite tips for getting rid of stuff! I promise you, you’ll love it. Or if you bribe yourself with a treat afterwards, you’ll at least tolerate it.

Five Questions To Ask Yourself To Help You Declutter

1. Do I physically need this thing?

The first question of any good declutter is, do I physically need this thing? Guess what, y’all?! It’s the digital age and we might as well take advantage of that!

Got a lot of old photos? Make a few albums and then, maybe digitize the other 10K. Got a bunch of hand written recipes that are literally crumbling, impossible to read and lacking numerical measurements? Clean those bad dads up and make an online recipe book! Or if it’s sentimental, scan the OG recipes and share it with the whole fam.

Think about it this way? If you are able to take a physical thing and turn it into a digital thing, you and a bunch of other people can enjoy it at the same time. That’s a win-win in my (crumbly, old recipe) book.

2. Does this thing have (legitimate) sentimental value?

You know what probably doesn’t? That crusty Old Navy shirt you got ten years ago. That old set of towels you kept even after upgrading. The decor you picked out for your college apartment.

I know you need to hear this so I’m just gonna say it. It’s time. You need to say goodbye. Or better yet, you need to not overreact to this inanimate object and just get rid of it without exchanging any pleasantries.

If you want to keep something that’s meaningful, by all means. But if you consider everything meaningful, then nothing really has meaning, right? Gotcha!

3. Can you keep one or two but get rid of the other fifty?

I have a lot of ribbons from when I swam at the neighborhood pool. Like definitely dozens, if not hundreds.

Do I need 100 poorly labeled ribbons from my rec-league swim team? No, I do not. Do I need one or two? Still probably no, but hey, I’ll keep a few of the best ones.

This applies to many things. Like your child’s artwork. I don’t have children so maybe it’s true that your opinion changes when you’re a parent. But as an objective bystander, I can tell you that it’s not great. It’s either indistinguishable or it was actually made by their daycare teacher.

Let me just reiterate that for clarity. You are saving art made by a 32 year old stranger pretending to be your child. It’s creepy, right?

Pro tip: if you’ve finally built yourself up to getting rid of something like this, don’t ask or tell anybody. Other people and their “keeping stuff” mindset might just talk you out of it and you’ll be left with 100+ ribbons that have little sentimental value and take up far too much space.

4. Did you get a new, snazzier one?

If you have a new version of something, do you really need the old one? If that thought is too much for you to fathom, let’s take it one step back. If you have a new version of something, do you really need 3, 4 and 5 versions ago?

You don’t. I really hate to break it to you, but that can go. You don’t need your microwave from 30 years ago. First of all, is that even safe? (IDK, I don’t know how microwaves work now or 30 years ago). And second of all, if the time comes when you really wish you had it…well you can tell me I told you so and I will bow down to you/offer to let you heat your food up at my house.

I feel like the answer is no. Like, I can respect if you’re saving something for a child or a friend or someone who has expressed interest in said thing. But you don’t need to be saving things that no one wants or needs.

5. Could you use the space for something else?

If you have a space in your house exclusively dedicated to keeping old things, you might need to reconsider. Look, we all need storage, but if you’re not occasionally taking these things out of storage and into usage…well, it’s not really storage. I don’t know the formal definition of storage, but in my opinion, it only counts as storage if it’s being stored for a well-defined future use.

So if you have a space in your home that exclusively holds old things that rarely to never get used…you could absolutely use that space for something else. Or at least some of it!

Get rid of some of those things and open up some of that space. I guarantee you will find more shit you don’t need to fill it with.

What Should You Do With Old Items You No Longer Want?

Y’all, for me this year is all about sustainability and less waste. I understand that me telling you to get rid of stuff is wasteful. So let’s talk about how it could be less wasteful. Here are your options:

Can you reuse/upcycle this thing?

If you can, that is amazing and what I recommend! So…then I’m not really getting rid of it, right? I guess you’re not. But if you’re giving it new life, then you don’t need to get rid of it.

This old kitchen cabinet found a new life

Things to consider - instead of getting rid of old clothes, can you turn them into rags to use around the house? Instead of getting rid of old towels, can you repurpose them into something else like a chew toy for the dog or some DIY reusable makeup wipes? Yes, you can! We love this option because it doesn’t become waste, it just becomes a brand new, shiny thing!

And you know what feels so good? Taking something that you thought was old trash and turning it into something new and cool. WE LOVE IT!

Can you re-home this item?

Rehoming items in an excellent way to declutter without throwing things away. Rehoming can mean selling, giving to someone you know or donating. But the truth is, a lot of donated items still end up in the trash. So we’d rather donate it to a specific organization that will turn items away if they won't use them, give it to someone personally or sell it to someone who wants it and will use it!

Can you donate this thing?

If selling is not a realistic option, then donating to a more general organization is the next great choice!

Trying To Do Better & Buy Less

You know what we love even more than getting rid of things? Not buying things that we’re not going to keep. Not buying things that are a fad that won’t last. Not buying things that we just don’t need.

As I’ve said so many things, I am certainly not an expert at this. I do love stuff, but I am trying to become better. There is so much overconsumption these days. And don’t even get me started on the overconsumption surrounding holidays, birthdays, etc.

This year, I am challenging myself and anyone who wants to join me to try living a little more simply. You can start any day by decluttering and trying to reuse or re-home your things. And then you can make tiny little movements forward every day.

And if you ever need some support in cleaning out your house and really buckling down on the things you have, well I will be here to hype you up! And then when you’re done decluttering, come on over and we will do some simple living shit like make veggie stock and washing our reusable napkins together.

Cheers,

Lisa