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This tends to be my internal monologue while decluttering, “Oh wow, look, it’s that thing that is broken and that I had completely forgotten about, but now that I have it in my hot little hands I can’t imagine parting with it again. I’m sure I’m going to need this one day, and I’d hate to have to rebuy it. That would be such a waste. I’m so glad I found it, even though I completely forgot it existed, because it’s sooo cute! I have no idea where I’ll put it, so I think I’ll just throw it back in this box until I find a place for it later.”
The item is then promptly forgotten about until a few months (or years?!) later when I’m decluttering all over again. As much as I loved the movie Groundhog’s Day, I don’t want to reenact it every time I walk around my house. If you’re ready to clear the clutter for good, these are the five questions to ask while decluttering.
Most of my clutter can easily be classified as out of sight, out of mind. My storage rooms, in particular, house things I didn’t even remember I had until I saw them, and other things I didn’t even recognize.
Sadly, those aren’t even the worst things lurking in my basement. The worst is that I have found bags of papers that need to be shredded (aka garbage, just not the dirty, stinky kind) from a decade ago. 10 years! Over the last 10 years, I have moved four times, which means I have paid to haul and store trash four times over. Ugh, that’s an embarrassing admission.
Here’s the paradox of clutter: I keep things because I think I might one day need them only to, in most cases, rebuy the same objects because I can’t find what I’ve saved. When nothing has a home or is easy to find, I might as well not have the stuff at all. It does me no good to hold on to too much. It does me no good to hoard because that’s basically what I’ve been doing… saving stuff just in case.
Times are a changin’ though. I’m determined to simplify and get organized once and for all. These are the questions to ask while decluttering to determine what to keep and what to get rid of:
1. Have I used the item in the last 12 months?
Let’s be honest, 12 months is a generous amount of time. If I can go 12 months without using something, there’s a pretty good chance that I’m not going to need it tomorrow… or ever again. Unless it’s especially sentimental or rare, I’m going to toss it.
2. Is it in good condition?
If something’s broken or needs time and attention in order to be usable, I need to throw it out. At this point in my life, I really don’t have time to devote to fixing inconsequential items so I can keep them just in case I need them again. If there is something that I want to fix, I need to give myself a deadline in the not-too-distant future by which it must be taken care of. If it’s still not fixed when the deadline comes, out it goes.
3. Do I love this? If I saw this in a store today would I buy it again?
I can talk myself into a lot of things, especially when they’re “free.” (Already purchased is “free” in my book.) I hate the idea of wasting stuff. If I’ve already spent money on it, it feels wasteful to get rid of it. I feel like I need to put it to some good use before I can let it go. However, while money is valuable, it’s not our most precious resource. What I really need to prioritize is my time. We can always make more money; our time is the only thing that is truly limited, and unlike the money on a balance sheet, we don’t know when our time’s going to run out.
I truly believe that when we keep things that we do not love, we are wasting our time and energy. Those things that we don’t love aren’t self sufficient. They need to be dusted, rearranged, packed, and unpacked, maintained, and, to some degree, cared for. That’s a lot of effort and time to put into to something that we don’t really care about. As hard as it can be to let go of the clothes that still have tags on them (tell me I’m not the only one who has had to do this!) or the body products that have been living in our bathrooms for years, it’s even harder for me to think about wasting so much time on stuff that I care so little about.
4. Do I already have one of these?
How many can openers does one family really need? Or hair dryers? Or kitchen sheers? These are all kind of serious questions because I have multiples of all of them.
It seems like getting rid of duplicates would be easy. After all, I’m not going to be “without,” I’ll just have a little less. Then that evil hoarding angel on my shoulder starts whispering, “But what about when that one breaks? What if it’s dirty or lost? What will you do then?” and I want to shove everything back in the drawer and maybe go buy a few extras just to be safe.
What I need to start saying back is, “I’ll be taking better care of my stuff so dirty things will be cleaned asap, and stuff won’t get lost any more because everything will have a place, thankyouverymuch! And, if something happens to break, I’ll just go buy another one.” (Beyond the clutter, maybe I should be worried about this whole “hearing voices” thing.) 😉
5. Does this fit into the vision I have for my life?
Personally, I think this might be the most important question to consider. Like I said, I can talk myself into a lot of things if I really want to. I guess I find myself very persuasive. I can kind of weasel my way around the above questions if I really want to:
- “Well, I haven’t used this in years, but now that I’ve found it I’m going to use it a lot.”
- “That’s a tiny tear. It’ll be easy to fix.” or “All this needs is a little glue, and it will be as good as new.”
- “I don’t really love this, but I think I can make this work… or I can use it in a room we don’t go it much. It would be such a waste to get rid of it.”
- “But what if the others break? Why rebuy this in the future when I already have three others right now? I’m saving us money in the long run, right?”
- Crickets…
Maybe I haven’t tried hard enough yet, but I can’t really fudge the vision I have for our home and family because the vision includes zero clutter. Nothing I can think of or say can justify keeping junk when I look at it through the “does this align with my family vision” lens. If it’s an unnecessary duplicate, unusable, broken, I don’t like it anymore, or I haven’t used it in years, this questions stops me dead in my excuse-making tracks.
I want to turn this house into our home. I want people (those who live here and guests) to feel comfortable and at ease within these walls. I want our focus to not be on stuff but rather on one another and the things that really matter. I want us to be happy, healthy, and safe, and not controlled by stuff, and that means there’s no room for clutter.
I’d love to know what helps you get rid of something when you’re decluttering? What questions do you ask yourself?
For other Decluttering posts, check out:
I’m a purging queen. My first question when deciding to donate, trash or keep an item is, when was the last time I used this or wore it? If it is more than 12 months or I can’t even remember….I get rid of it. I do this pretty well with clothes…
If something is broken – I know I’m not going to fix it – I get rid of it. I try to limit sentimental pieces as much as I can. My goal is to have just 1 storage container of those ‘sentimental’ pieces. If the container is full then I won’t buy a new one. Once in a while if you go through your ‘sentimental’ storage bin you will find that something you wanted to keep 1 year ago you may be okay with getting rid of it now…but don’t go over that one storage bin or else you’ll end up with 2,3, 4 or more.
Just be honest with yourself and keep your thoughts simple.
Lauren @ Simply the Sims
Clothes are hard for me because I’ve been carrying weight from babies for a while. I keep convincing myself that I’m going to lose it so I’ve kept just about everything, but I’ve finally come to the realization that even if I do lose the weight I’ll probably want to buy new clothes to celebrate. It figures I’m finally ready to get rid of them now that I’m actually losing weight! haha
Minimizing sentimental pieces is a great tip. It’s so easy to hang on to too much because of the memories associated with them. I’m hoping by the end of these 40 days I’ll be able to call myself a purging queen too! 🙂
I am striving to do this with holiday decorations. We have such a tremendous number of “stink bugs” nastily invading the cardboard boxes in our storage areas that I must buy Rubbermaid bins and my frugal nature will only allow 1 per holiday (except Christmas!) I’m looking forward to less to store, but not the children so much, so I plan to use up some craft supplies to make temporary holiday decorations- and memories- with them.
Stink bugs are the worst! I hate that creepy, weird noise the make when the fly around. I’ve had one stuck in my hair on two different occasions now. I’m shivering just thinking about it. Yuck! On to happier topics, making temporary holiday decorations is a great idea. More meaningful and less to store!
Found this while I was procrastinating decluttering on the Whimsy Wednesday link party. Exactly what I need to get me motivated again. 🙂 Thanks!
Oh good! I’m glad it helped. 🙂
I’ve written down the questions, starting with “what do I want to keep”
don’t touch until decision if made
3 pile signs: keep, toss, belongs in another room
(Sorry, no donation pile, I’ll have to un-hoard my car first…no time, no regrets)
Finishing with: clean and organize
Checklist of all my rooms so I can see the progress on paper as I move along…
Wish me luck, I desperately need it…5,000sq. Feet, large 2 car garage, attic and 30 years of junk…. Here I come!!!
You’ve got this, Crystal!! If you’d like support and are on Facebook, we’d love to have you join us in the Declutterathon group! http://www.facebook.com/groups/declutterathon I’d love to hear how it goes for you. Good luck!
Great collection of tips! My favorite tip related to your #1 is to write an ‘expiration date’ on something and see it if turns up again the next time you go to declutter. Then you know it’s got to go! (Seen on Wow Me Wednesday.)
That’s a great idea! Thanks, Katie 🙂
GREAT questions! De-cluttering is such an important part of running a household…..
Happy St. Patties!! 🙂
x Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
Thanks, Crystelle 🙂
I’m visiting from the Work It Wednesday Link up! These are great tips. I plan on doing some purging soon and this will be a great guide! I love the “Would I buy it again” question. You really can’t fool yourself with that one.
Thanks, Marybeth!
I used to think I was good at getting rid of things, but now that I am doing the 40 Bags challenge I realize that I am not good at it. These are such helpful tips that will help me with my other 14 bags…yeah I have 26 bags already hauled off. LOL Thank you for the guidance! 😀
26 already! It sounds like you’re doing a great job! I’m only at 8. Good luck with the remaining 14 🙂
These are great questions to ask myself as I am getting ready to spring clean!! So thankful to have stopped here from Time Travel Thurs.!
Thanks, Joanne! I hope they’re helpful 🙂
I’m constantly going through and trying to purge stuff but my husband is the one who tries to stop me claiming we may need it one day. So I do most of my purging when he’s out of town. But there are things that I wind up holding on to as well that I just need to go ahead and get rid of! Great article!
Thanks, Melissa. My husband is the purger in our house, whereas the kids and I have a hard time parting with stuff.
#3 on the list is the BEST! I have to remember that. I may have had a reason to buy it at the time, but do I really want/need it now? Great list, Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for visiting and your kind words! 🙂
This is truly the best “decluttering” article ever! Thanks for sharing, Emily… I’m a step closer to being free from an awful hoarding habit :'(
Thank you! Your comment truly made my day 🙂
I’m slowly, slowly getting better at decluttering, but it is hard. Your fifth question of “Does this fit into the vision I have for my life?” is a tricky one, because often what I should be throwing out fits into my vision of who I wish I could be… the crafty, all-natural, etc, etc person that I don’t really have time, interest or skills to be. For me the question “does this fit into my vision for this room?” or “does this fit into my vision of this next month?” makes more sense. If it doesn’t fit into those, then even if it fits into my dream life, its not practical.
That’s a good point, Christy. I didn’t really think of the 5th question as being quite as aspirational as you described when I wrote it. I was thinking more along the lines of wanting an uncluttered space so there’s no room for clutter, but the most important thing about all of these is exactly what you did, making the questions work for you. Thanks so much for sharing.
Great tips, I am starting my spring cleaning this week, and will think of these questions as I organize, I love clearing excess clutter! 🙂
A newly uncluttered space always makes me feel so much better. I hope these questions help. Good luck!
I definitely need to get better in decluttering, as we still have toys and our youngest is 18!
Wow,
This was a wonderful post… I just found you on Bowl full of Lemons and it couldn’t have been better timing. I’ve been trying to be more ruthless with getting rid of the clutter in my house. Just last night I was purging my toys and wrote a post about debating if I was a bad mom for getting rid of toys… (now I just have to take some pics with my newly cleaned room so I can post it 🙂
Thanks for the great ideas…
Thank you, Theresa. I’m definitely going to have to read your post about getting rid of toys. I’d love to see your newly uncluttered spaces too!
My MIL gave me a great idea a few years back. She has some pottery she made in college and wanted to keep the memory of it but wanted to declutter. She took a picture of it and gave the actual pottery away. She can revisit the memory anytime she wants with the picture but doesn’t need the stuff to help clutter up her house. Thanks for the tips. Sometimes I feel like the only one in my house that wants order. I know it’s good for my family but I’m so unmotived to go at it alone.
That’s a great tip! I’ve actually been trying to talk my kids into that so they’ll be more willing to part with some things (like boxes their toys come in. I wish I was making that up). I know what you mean about feeling like the only one who wants order. My husband’s on board, but my kids couldn’t care less.
I love decluttering! We’ve actually moved so often that I am pretty much forced to do it, but I still enjoy getting rid of things. I especially love tip #1. That’s what I always think to myself when I go through my closet. I’m featuring this at my link party tonight and pinning!
Thanks so much for the feature, Alexis! I like having a decluttered space, but I could live without process necessary to get there.:)
This is a great post! Organizing and de-cluttering are near and dear to my heart. The sentimental stuff is hardest for me!
I’m featuring this post in this week’s Weekend Wind-Down party. It goes live Friday at 6pm, so come by to grab a featured button and link up new posts! Thanks so much for linking back to us and giving us great content to feature. 🙂
Nicole
Thanks so much, Nicole! I’ll be there 🙂
This was just what I needed and I have read a lot of decluttering tips! The way you have explained it here really works for me! Can’t wait to start and decluttering even further big thanks x
I’m so happy to hear that, Michelle!
I pray that one day I could actually declutter my garage and my kid’s rooms! The problem is my kids (aged 21,24 & 27) live on their own (small apartment) and still don’t want we to get rid of their video games, wooden doll cradle, doll sets, books or train sets, etc. They have an attachment to these items and whenever I whisper the words sell or donate, its like being on trial. Thanks to A-1 moving and Storage and their professional storage services, I was able to keep their childhood alive and claim my home back.
It’s hard to get rid of stuff that has so many memories attached to them, but it sounds like you’ve figured out a great solution.
That’s sure nice of you… I think I would tell my kids (don’t have any yet lol) to stuff it – if they want to pay to store toys they don’t use, they’re welcome to!
I just found your site via pinterest. I love the point in this post of “If I saw this in a store today would I buy it again?” I’ve read many decluttering articles and never read that before. I often feel bad that I’m getting rid of a perfectly good whatever, even though I don’t really like it. Thanks for bringing up the point about if I would buy it again!
Thanks, Lindsey. I struggle with that same guilt. I’m so glad to know it was helpful 🙂
I recently found a quote that really resonates with me, and it’s been motivating me to get rid of clutter that I’ve had trouble parting with. It goes “If it doesn’t make you feel fabulous: don’t do it, don’t buy it, don’t keep it.” When I need an extra little push, this quote really helps. I think we all tend to hold onto some sentimental clutter that is weighing us down (e.g. gifts we don’t use, things relatives gave us etc.). I was holding onto many items that made me feel sad whenever I came across them. Items that reminded me of my parents’ divorce. Items I never used and didn’t particularly like from my late aunt. My mom or late aunt would not want me to feel sad, right?? So it made it easier for me to let go of these items. The quote also helps me when I shop. Just because something is on sale, for example, doesn’t mean I need it. Does it really make me feel fabulous or am I buying it just because?
Exactly! You’re so right. I’m actually working on a post about this right now. It’s a great question to keep in mind when those tempting shopping urges try to take over. Sometimes a great sale ends up being a lot more expensive than we think (taking up out time, energy, etc).
OK, I have a great idea for you! It will give you the motivation to get the work done. That basement you showed that is just a clutter spot, take everything out of it. Then prepare that empty space into an office on one side for you with the kiddos playroom on the other side with table large enough for them to sit at working on their artworks. Throw in a couple of Love seats and a TV for movies, cartoons. Paint it happy colors light aqua, green and either pink or orange. Make it everybody’s happy place. Keep this dream in front of you for the motivation to do the decluttering and organizing. Just what popped into my head when I saw the picture you posted. I hope you like it 😀 I am personally overhauling my own one bedroom apartment with brighter colored fabrics and I wanting to add curtains.
That’s a great idea!
Thank you. I’m presently transforming a room that was the storage/junk room into my office/craft area got to keep that image before me to keep me motivated.
Evil hoarding angel- haha- yes! I have one on my shoulder too!
And I also just found out I had 2 can openers- the same exact can openers!
I have done that. I KNOW I own one of those, but dang if I can find it. Thanks for posting. Hello from Busy Monday.
This is great and sounds so familiar.
The only thing we have added to our questions recently is
How many of these do I really need? We ask BEFORE we sort so we can’t change our mind.
Especially when it comes to clothes, office supplies and kitchen utensils. During last year’s purge we gathered all like items together and counted BuT first we decided how many would be helpful. Staplers for example:office area upstairs, office area downstairs, one for travel and one for me daughter= 4.) We had somewhere around 12 PLuS 12 staple removers which we don’t even use. The local school supply donation group was thrilled to have them and we have a ton more space.
Very good question!! And especially smart to figure out how many you need before starting. Thanks for sharing, Tina!
What helps me is living in a smaller space. I grew up in a larger home and felt like we always had lots of “stuff.” It wasn’t pretty or used for entertaining, but just filled space before it was donated or dispersed to a family member. As a military spouse, I lived in various types of housing. I realized right away that we really don’t need that much! This isn’t to say we need to clear out lifelong belongings and live on birdseed, however. I just think most would feel better and have a clearer vision if they had a clean, uncluttered space. One that doesn’t require continual cleaning, maintenance, insurance $, and attention. How great it would/can be to have the freedom and time to get together with others, celebrate fun activities and not be tied to your property. I still stress out about people “dropping by” my place and am determined to “lose” this feeling via decluttering and maintaining a (completely) organized space.
I think you’re right on! We moved into our “dream home” 4 years ago, and it wasn’t long before what was supposed to be out forever home was just a big regret. It’s a lovely home, but it’s a lot to care for, and I’d do things differently if I were doing them today. Is much rather spend my time doing fun things instead of work around the house.
I love your posts on de cluttering! Many of the comments, as well as this post originate from 2014, and I really appreciate that it is still very much “alive”. 🙂 You asked about what helps me declutter? It was the fire in our attic, a couple of years ago. Luckily the fire was put out very quickly and there was little damage to the house. But as I saw the pile of stored treasures that had to be thrown away grow higher and higher I had an “awakening”. This stuff I had kept for others. For my relatives, for the kids, when they grow up. And then I realized: would they really use these things, instead of buying new? How many years until they would use them? And: wasn’t I being selfish, keeping these things? How many young families with little to spare would have been happy to receive these baby clothes, buggies, ice-skates…. So that’s why I now donate – and love it – relying on the fact that I have enough, and those around me will alwaysnhave enough.
Thanks, Kath. I absolutely love your last line, “So that’s why I now donate – and love it – relying on the fact that I have enough, and those around me will always have enough.” I’ve done some reading about how our thoughts really influence and control our lives, and operating from a place of abundance and being confident that we have enough is so important. It’s something I struggle with, but it sounds like you’ve got it down! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that.
I love the question, “If I saw this in a store, would I buy it?” That one works best for me. I have “stuff” from family giving it to me that they don’t want anymore and that I really don’t want or like and this is one question I need to ask myself a bunch!
Great advice! Thanks for sharing your posts at Thoughts of Home on Thursday. 🙂
Great tips for decluttering! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
Thank you, Dee!
Hi Emily I have just found this great article of yours. I have just moved and it took me more than 2 months to pack everything, it really was a nightmare and I could not believe the size of the moving truck we needed and which got full. As soon as I arrived our new home I decided it was decluttering time although I decluttered a lot of my clothes and things before moving but my husband has a lot of stuffs, that’s gonna be the hardest thing, convince him of getting rid of lot of his stuffs ir the ones that were of his mother; however I will work hard on it, thanks a lot.
Congratulations on your new home! Good luck decluttering. It can definitely be challenging, especially when it involves someone else’s belongings, but it sounds like you’re already on the right track. If you need any support or encouragement, you’re always welcome to visit again. I’ll help however I can, and you’re also welcome to join my facebook group The Declutterathon. It filled with super sweet and encouraging people who’d be happy to help however they can.
“while money is valuable, it’s not our most precious resource. What I really need to prioritize is my time.” Thank you, I needed to read this. 🙂
Thank you for reading! ????
Our family had the unfortunate circumstance a few years back to have to clean, sort and dispose/donate my late grandmother’s belongings. It was quite an eye opener for me to see that most of the items that she cherished and collected were of little value to us after her departure. Now, my go-to question to ask while decluttering is “do I want my family to deal with this after I’m gone”? While it may seem morbid, it is actually very effective for me as I know nobody else will want to deal with 5 tubs of Christmas decor or a box full of old thank you notes. Donating usable items always takes a bit of the sting out of giving away something that is otherwise perfectly fine–at least it might help out at tax time.
As someone who has gone through a similar situation, I think that’s a very realistic and thoughtful question to ask! So much of what we feel we need to keep ends up being unwanted and unused by others so it’s wonderful that you’re able to let go of it now so you can enjoy more open space and breathing room in your own home.
By the way, your internal monologue totally cracked me up! It is almost verbatim the same ‘discussion’ I have with myself when I’m on the fence about getting rid of something. Learning to change this to a more rational thought process is a challenge.
How can we get more rational than that?! lol Yes, changing firmly ingrained beliefs/mindsets is hard!
We recently bought a larger home that would also accommodate our 31 year old son. He wants to help us as much as he can since it has become so physically difficult for us to do things. My husband and I also have several chronic health problems. Our son brought everything he has owned and also additional furniture he has bought. In our home he has his own bedroom on the first floor – which is where everything is for our convenience. He also has a “loft” or living room, upstairs for his living room furniture, tables, TV, etc. It is a very large space. Problem – he has too much furniture and stuff for his spaces. When getting ready to move, my husband insisted on taking everything with us and going through it later. After moving I had to have shoulder surgery, and then my husband had to have prostate surgery. Months later we still have moving boxes and bags all over. I just found this article Emily and loved it!! I really enjoyed reading all the comments from “fellow keepers of too much”. I am energized and re-focused now to get to work with my two guys! I may need to have another surgery and I don’t want to come home to this mess. I want my new (to me) home to be organized and beautiful and clean. Thank you Emily, and everyone who posted their comments. I will remember all the good advice and tips!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kathryn! I hope both you and your husband are feeling better, and I wish you all the best on your decluttering journey! <3