10 Things to Get Rid of Now

​Organizing and decluttering can be hard – even overwhelming.   There are many techniques out there that tell you where and how to start - From taking all of your clothes out of your closet and piling up on the bed to completely overhauling your pantry in one afternoon.   But decluttering doesn’t have to be scary.   You can start today with just a few simple steps.   Once you have success with this list I hope you’ll move on to other areas in your home.   But let’s start with 10 things to get rid of right now. 
 
1.Junk Mail – we all get it.   I don’t even let mine come in the house.  I have a garbage can in the garage and do a quick sort before I walk in the house.   Then I put the relevant mail in to sorting bins by the door for the right people in the house.  
2.Old towels – we all have them!   Stained, worn out, just no longer your style.  A great place to donate them is an animal shelter – they are always looking for bedding for the pets.   You could be a pet hero!
3.Last year’s calendar – It’s getting to be that time…time for a new calendar.  For years my family has had a wall calendar that has been great.  Lots of room for every member of the house.  Very organized.  But this year we converted to an online calendar called Cozi so we all have the family calendar on our phones.  We won’t be replacing the wall calendar this January with a 2023 version because of Cozi.
4.Extra Water bottles  - how do we acquire so many water bottles?   I organize mine in a cabinet by putting them in a wine rack.   It organizes the bottles and saves space.   There are slots for 8 bottles.  That 2 bottles a person for my house.  If we do an activity that requires more than two full water bottles to participate then I’m out – I’m more of a couch person. 
5.Empty shampoo bottles – do you have kids?   Specifically teenagers?  I do.  And let me tell you the shower that they share is full of empty product bottles.   Why?  I have no idea.  My guess is they’ve just forgotten they are there…like the clothes on their floors.  But that’s another story.  Time to recycle those bad boys.  (the bottles, not the kids)
6.Kids art  - I know this is controversial and I’m not heartless!  I cherish the art my kids have brought home over the years and dutifully filed it away.   But there is a better way!   Try an online company called Artkive.  I gathered up all the old art and sent it to them.  They scan it and make it into a book.   Instant coffee table art and makes a great gift. 
7.VHS Tapes – or out dated DVDS – time to donate, sell or just get rid of your old media.   I recently had success re-gifting my collection of Barbie movies on DVD through the local Buy Nothing Group on Facebook.   I made some 8 year old in my town very happy.  Goodwill will take VHS tapes, but you also might try other sources for gifting like the Buy Nothing Groups. 
8.Expired Spices – I recently did this and it has made all the difference in the world.    I went through my spices and am embarrassed to share that I was holding onto some gems from 1999.  Was I even cooking in 1999?   My mom must have given me that one.   Expired spices don’t have the same flavor potency as fresh spices, so do you and your cooking a favor and discard the old stuff.  Restock with new bottles of the spices you actually use and you’ll taste the difference!
9.Stuff you planned to re-gift – I had a basket in my guest room closet full to the brim of things I planned to re-gift.  I recently did a complete overhaul of said closet so I took out the basket and really made some decisions.   Once again I turned to my Buy Nothing Group on Facebook and gifted a few items I had been holding onto.  Super easy and so fulfilling because you know they are going to people who want them. 
10.Cookbooks you never use  - I went through a Keto phase a while ago.  For about a year it was all meat all the time.   My husband actually got sick of all the bacon I was serving!   I accumulated 5 Keto cookbooks during this phase.  But that phase is done now and I’m back to salads.  Time to let the cookbooks go – they’re just collecting dust anyway.   For books I like to donate to my local library to sell or our town has a dump (called a transfer station) that has a shed where you can drop old books and people can “shop”.  Lots of options for donating books that do a lot of good. 
 
Are you ready to tackle these 10 items right now?   I promise once you really dig in you’ll be thrilled with the results.  Fast and easy decluttering – it’s what we all need! 
 
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