- Clothes
I can’t emphasize this enough but your closet is the biggest hoarding space in your house. We like to keep clothes because it reminded us of a specific happy memory or time. Although there is nothing wrong with that, how often are you wearing it? Is it reasonable to still keep if it is old or no longer fits? This was my biggest dilemma as well, I have to admit. We have to get real with ourselves and purge what we no longer wear. I always stick to my 90 day rule: have I worn it in the last 90 days and/or will I wear it in the next 90 days? If not, purge and donate!
2. Shoes
Who doesn’t like shoes? I use to have shoes on racks and racks, it seemed endless! Well, now I only have 2 pairs of heels and 4 pairs of tennis shoes. Shoes just seem too valuable to throw away or donate but how many of those do you really wear? Or did you get a good deal on them or were they on clearance? We will find any excuse to keep them but we won’t find an excuse to purge them. Sure, they look good but are they taking up unnecessary space in your home? I don’t wear heels often, just to church and special events but that’s about it. Four pairs of tennis shoes suffice for me when I do 5K’s or go to the gym. Most of the time, I wear my Nike sandals/flip flops and that will do it for me. They are comfortable and easy to put on. I live in Florida so boots and such are stored in my garage so I can’t speak on that behalf but have just what you need and the rest can go to donations. Your closet will thank you.
3. Pots & Pans
Before I moved into my new home, I had to evaluate what I was going to bring into it. My kitchen was a huge chunk of items that I needed to look at. There were endless pots and pans that I had and only a select few that I used on a daily. I had even try to justify keeping all of them! It was insane. I separated my pots and pans from what I use daily to what I use once in a while or during get-togethers. When I looked at my once in a while pile, I really asked myself if I really needed them. Most of the items went into a purge pile and three months later, I have no regrets. I believe that we keep things in case we use them but isn’t that in itself odd thinking? If that were the case, we would never get rid of any of our items in hope that we will “maybe” use them one day. It’s either you use it or you don’t. I now only own 2 pans, 1 wok, and 3 pots – all of different sizes for my different needs and I haven’t had the need to get more than what I have. If you need anything of a bigger size for a gathering or special event, ask a family member or friend to borrow theirs for that day. This saves you space and money.
4. Cooking Utensils
Is it really necessary to have 20 cooking utensils? My utensil holder held so many that it was starting to get hard putting things in it. I purged all my utensils and went with one set of silicone utensils that were uniform and stored away the ones that I did not use or donated it. This makes my kitchen more appeasing to the eye instead of it being an eyesore.
5. Small Appliances
Small appliances are useful when you need them so this one isn’t about purging those items but storing them away until you actually use them. I try to keep my new kitchen counters clutter-free so I store away my small appliances such as coffee maker, rice cooker, toaster oven, etc. My coffee maker goes into my pantry and all other appliances go into the garage until we actually use them. After I am finished using the small appliances, I put them back right where they came from so I can keep my counters clean.
There are certainly more things that clutter our home but these are really the big ticket items. I hope this helps!
Yours Truly,
Melissa Lee