Decluttering is good for the soul, but it’s also pretty stressful. The toughest thing is trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away. In truth, this is probably why you’ve got so much clutter in the first place. You’ve been unable to throw anything out as you think you need it! So, here are a few tips and tricks to help you figure out what deserves to be kept, and what you can get rid of for good.
How often do you use it?
This is a good question to ask yourself if you have items that technically have a purpose. For example, that slow cooker you’ve kept in your kitchen cupboard for the last two years. How often do you actually use it – or, more accurately, when was the last time you used it? If it’s not been used for years, you can safely throw it away. On the other hand, if you use it fairly frequently, perhaps it deserves to stay. Something that you use once a month or once every two months still gets used. So, you could argue it deserves its place in your home.
Is it worth a lot to you emotionally?
The emotional worth of things can be huge when deciding to throw things away or not. There will be things in your home that you never use, but they mean something to you. If that’s the case, it’s more than worth keeping them. Now, some of you will raise the point that most of your clutter could have some sort of emotional value. In which case, if you feel like your home is still too full, you could consider places like Mammoth Storage to keep these items. Self-storage pairs really well with valuable items as they are technically safer locked away with guards patrolling the area!
Could it be useful in the future?
If you followed the first tip, you will have a list of items that don’t get used and could be thrown away. After the second tip, you will keep some of these items if they’re emotionally valuable. Thus, you are left with a collection of things that seemingly have no emotional value and never get used. Before you instantly decide to throw them all away, consider their future value. Could these items be useful in the future? For example, lots of old clothes can come in handy if you have another child. You could save a load of money on clothes shopping if you kept the old ones.
Similarly, think of their use financially as well. You might have something that could end up being valuable in the future, so it makes sense to hold onto it. This is something of a gamble, but if you use storage facilities again, at least you can keep it out of your home!
Ask these questions when decluttering to slowly filter through the good and the bad. Soon, you will identify what needs to be kept, and what deserves to either be thrown in the bin, recycled, donated, or sold.