Things to Throw Away Right Now!
Clutter happens. It’s almost a part of life. We all have that junk drawer, or cabinet, or closet, that houses all of the things we have forgotten about with stuff that we will never use, or need, ever again.
Here’s the thing though, that area where all the mess is, is taking up space. And for most of us, space is valuable. Unless you have this massive home with endless space, well then good for you, but truly, do you want it filled with all that stuff? And stuff collects dust, which makes a mess, and it becomes a cycle. It is not good for our health to be keeping all of this useless garbage.
Now as much as I love and respect Marie Kondo for her organizing methods, she herself has admitted lately that throwing it all away isn’t unfeasible. Why give everything up when you truly could make use of it later. And with the way the economy is going with astronomical pricing, we’re better off not having to repurchase where we can avoid it.
But there are things we can and should get rid of right now! The following just makes sense and will clear a shocking amount of room once it is all gone.
Newspapers & Mail – I am adamant about tossing our old paper as soon as the new one arrives, if not sooner. I even try to only keep the parts of the paper and flyers we actually will look at, the rest goes straight into recycling. Same goes for our mail. Junk mail and anything we can’t make use of, goes into the recycling bin before it can enter our home.
Old Magazines – Be realistic with this and only keep the magazines in which you truly enjoyed the articles, learned from, or were inspired by. Collecting to collect is space consuming. Some titles are worth collecting if you do have the space to put them, like National Geographic or other copies that create history. But gossip magazines or even some design magazines can become out of date so quickly, best to just move along.
Expired Coupons & Menus – If you don’t use coupons right away, they tend to get lost and forgotten about and then create clutter. Menus are changed so frequently in restaurants that it is often best to look online rather than keeping tangible copies.
Samples – Don’t get me wrong, I love a free sample. But it is best to use it right away, give it to someone who will, or toss it. Samples are often not create to be long lasting and the packaging is not suitable for a long shelf life, making the sample product expire faster than a full bottle or actual purchased item.
Clothing that no longer fits or haven’t been worn in ages – This one is a struggle for me and likely for other mama’s out there. Pre-baby and pre-pregnancy clothing can be both motivating and depressing to see in our wardrobes. Personally, I had kept clothes for years that I thought I could fit back into one day. So much so, that they either had gone out of style, or my personal style has changed so much, it was time to move on. A refresh of your wardrobe is always rewarding and this could be the perfect time to add some new staple items.
Expired Food – Fridge and pantry cleanouts are important to do at least once a month or more if time allows it. Best to know what you have available in your home for cooking so you’re not overspending or realizing what you did have was expired as you were ready to use it.
Expired Cleaning Supplies – This goes for specialized cleaning supplies as well as bulk purchased stock. It takes a while for a lot of these items to go bad, but once they do, if you continue to use them, they could be causing you more harm than good.
Expired Makeup & Beauty Products – While there are some set rules in the beauty world about how long you should keep using makeup and beauty supplies, some of these can be more flexible than others. It is a good idea to consider how much you may actually need or use to ensure this doesn’t happen faster than we’d like. How many mascaras do you actually need? Another tip is, on the back of most beauty products is a symbol that resembles a round jar with it’s lid opening that has a suggested time that the product with be at it’s best for. For example, 12M, meaning best for 12 months.
Worn out Towels – Ratty old towels are yucky looking and not absorbing as much as they used to and sometimes develop a horrible smell. While towels can be expensive, stores like Winners or Home Sense can have some amazing deals.
What are some of your favourite things to get rid of? Clearing out the excess always feels good!
Melanie xoxox