10 things you can throw away this weekend
9 May 2014
It’s basement season for my business. I’ve been in a lot of basements recently and my teams have helped make them much more enjoyable and functional spaces. I keep seeing the same sorts of items, so I decided to a create a quick list of items that I frequently see people unnecessarily hanging onto in basements (and other parts of the house).
Are any of these items cluttering up your home?
- Empty boxes for items you’ve had over three months (possible exception: the box your giant TV came in)
- Packing peanuts and air pillows if you haven’t used any in six months or more
- Paid bills (non-tax-related) that are more than a year or two old (if that)
- Supporting paperwork for taxes filed more than seven years ago
- Clothing that doesn’t fit you or you don’t feel fabulous in
- Supplies for pets you no longer own
- Outgrown games and toys
- Supplies for hobbies or crafts you no longer do (or never actually did)
- Expired over-the-counter medications or beauty/personal hygiene products
- Leftover holiday cards from years gone by—especially dated ones
Do a quick sweep of your house this weekend. If you spot any of the above items, consider letting them go!
Here are some ideas for disposing of these items:
- Take the old paperwork to a commercial shredding service (the big-box office supplies stores offer this service as well)
- Donate clothing, toys and craft supplies. Consider using the app iDonatedIt to keep track of donations for tax purposes.
- Give your unneeded pet supplies to a local animal shelter
- Take the unwanted packing material to a UPS Store (or similar establishment) for reuse
The longer I do this work, the more I believe that less stuff = more happiness. A good place to start is with these no-brainers!
Photo by alan.stoddard via flickr.
Tagged with: apps,
basements,
clutter,
clutter clearing,
declutter,
donations