13 things you can let go of today

15 April 2025

After years and years of helping people let go of excess, it wasn’t hard for me to come up with a list of items that we frequently see people unnecessarily hanging onto. When we work in basements, especially, we almost always see these items. It’s so easy to let them languish there but letting them go creates space (and peace of mind).

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 live with
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
Holiday cards you received from others
DVDs or VHS tapes you no longer watch
Damaged or wilted holiday decor

Do a quick sweep of your house this week. 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.
Give your unneeded pet supplies to a local animal shelter
Take the unwanted packing material to a UPS Store (or similar establishment) for reuse
Let it be easy by calling in a junk hauler if you have large quantities of trash and/or donations

Of course, if you’re in St. Louis and would like some help, please shoot me an email and we can set up an organizing team to help you identify what to let go of (and organize what you decide to keep). We’ll even take your donations with us!

I firmly believe that less stuff = more happiness. A good place to start on your path to less stuff is with these no-brainers!

Photo by seeetz on Unsplash.

Tagged with: basements, clutter, clutter clearing, declutter, donations