1. Single function items.
Think a Slap-Chop is cool for cutting up veggies? A chef's knife will take care of that. Microwave egg cooker? Flowbee? Just gimmicks. There are thousands of products that have only one function, but take up space in a drawer, closet, cabinet or tabletop. Its OK to cook an egg in a pan and it's OK to cut hair with scissors. Don't buy single function items.
2. Stuff that needs batteries...especially toys.
Well...maybe with a few exceptions....:-) The only thing I own that needs a battery is my remote for the TV. If you have stuff that needs batteries, you can never own enough of them. Need two AA's? You'll surely have 1 "D", a package of "C" and six AAA's.
3. Big stuff that needs constant maintenance.
Most of us really do need a car but when was the last time you used your snowmobile or your jet ski or your boat. How many lawn mowers do you need? Tillers? Blowers? I can't tell you how many people have asked me to sell a boat that's been moldering in a corner of the yard, trailer tires dry-rotted, axles frozen. Too late now. Should have sold it when the motor actually still ran and the hull wasn't filled with mosquito larvae.
4. Purge your clothing.
If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it. Period. I know in my closet, the stuff I didn't wear ended up in the back. I simply took everything halfway down the rack all the way to the back and donated it. Didn't miss a single item. Shoes? How many pairs do you need. Emphasis on NEED. We recently cleared an estate where the deceased probably had 500 sweaters. If he wore one every day for the 100 or so days our climate requires a sweater, it would take 5 years to wear them all....if he wore each once and didn't buy any more.
5. Duplicates.
I've been in houses that had three coffee makers, 5 drills, 100 paint brushes, 1,000 towels and 5,000 twist ties and plastic bags. Nobody needs that many. You can only use one at a time, two if you are gifted. The excuse? You never know when you might need an extra. OK...when the day comes that my circular saw dies, the Home Depot is right up the street. I don't need 5 crappy used ones in the garage "just in case."
6. Miscellaneous accumulating crap.
You don't need to keep your electric bills for 10 years, or your pay stubs or your canceled checks. Pull all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and get rid of what you don't use. Have a clear out day. Everyone has to get rid of stuff. Tell your kids to get rid of 10 things they choose...or 20. Put it all in one place then have a yard sale or rent a table at a flea market. Go out to dinner with the money you make. Just don't use the money to buy more crap.
Make it a point to analyze the reasons you are keeping things. If it is sentimental and you don't have it on display or use it, take a picture of it then get rid of it. Remember...you can't take it with you and even if you tried, you'd need to dig a mighty big hole to hold it all.
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| How many of these lurk in your cabinets? 50? 100?....and this is just one thing you can get rid of.. |
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