Cleaning Out the Clutter

Last year, inspired by Questions For Dessert’s Krissie, I decided to try to simplify my life and de-clutter the house. I took three garbage bags of clothes to Goodwill, a couple of boxes of home goods (dishes, pots, pans, a bedding set) to a co-worker’s outreach program and sold some stuff on ebay.

I think it’s time for another de-cluttering session. It’s hard because I am a pack rat by nature. And I come by it honest because my parents are pack rats too. But honestly it felt really good to get rid of some stuff and it was sort of like the house sighed with relief.

Where to start? Clutter happens everywhere and no room is safe. Some starting points:

The book shelf: I’m a book junkie and I tend to have clutter here. I very rarely pay full price for a book instead looking for used books or clearance rack finds. (I know I should use the library more.) There are some books that I will keep but others get sold back to Half-Price Books. I use the words “sell” very loosely because you only get a few cents per book or at least that has been my experience. You can also donate books to local libraries, shelters, Goodwill, etc.

The kitchen: If you’ve bought new cookware recently or just amassed a large collection over the years, you probably have pots or pans that you’re not using anymore. Since Hubby had a collection of cookware when he moved in, my shelves were bursting with cookware that we didn’t need. I really cleaned out the cabinet and gave away two pretty large boxes of cookware: one to a person that I knew could use it and one to the outreach center. It has made cooking much simpler since I don’t have to dig through a pile of pots and pans in order to find the one that I want. The same goes for dishes. I had two sets, he had two sets , we registered for a good set and bought an everyday set that we both liked. It was time to pitch some of them.

Closets: Besides clothes, you probably have sheets, blankets, or even towels that you don’t use anymore. Toss ‘em to someone who can use them.

You can also sell your better quality “clutter” on ebay. Last year I sold a Pottery Barn shadow box (totally new that I bought for a project that didn’t take off), workout videos that I used once, a Longaberger basket (gift), Hubby’s old video games, unopened makeup, etc. I was pretty pleased with my sales too-in the case of the shadow box and the videos I got back when I spent on the items to begin with!

Tossing out the old can be hard but think of it this way: it gives you more room for new stuff.