Things You Probably Own Too Many Of
Having spent a fair share poking through junk drawers and combing through the deep inner crevices of many a dusty closet, I have detected a pattern in collecting certain stuffs. The problem with collecting seemingly harmless STUFF (and duplicates and multiples, in particular), is that it gets in the way of swift and immediate access to the things we love and use.
You might say it’s a non-issue to own twenty-five canvas totes, but if fifteen of them are flimsy and ill-equipped to handle your heavy groceries (hello, pumpkin and gourd season), then it could be a real pain. Simply cull through the ones you don’t use, toss any broken or stained tones, and keep the rest.
Before I go off on a tote tangent, here are five things you might want to consider decluttering:
Mugs. It’s no fun to cram a silly amount of mugs onto your shelf and pray the whole thing doesn’t collapse. Here’s the truth: you don’t need all eighty of those mugs. I guarantee there are no less than five sad drab mugs floating around your cabinet that you never use. Donate these mugs if they’re usable, toss the ones that are chipped, and only keep the ones that you ENJOY using. You’ll not only be able to spot your faves much more easily, but you’ll also create space for future favorites.
Dust Bags. The truth about dust bags is that most of them sit unused in a closet collecting literal dust. Dust bags can certainly come in handy for travel (they make great packing cubes and laundry holders), but outside of this little hack, you don’t need to hold onto every dust bag that ever came with a nice pair of shoes or purse. If the material is rough and/or flimsy, you can either donate them or toss them. If they’re super soft and of a practical size, keep! I generally find that the sweet spot for dust bags is about ten to fifteen.
Hair ties. Hair ties are one of those funny things that accumulate seemingly out of nowhere. One minute there’s nary a hair tie in sight, and the next minute your home is overflowing with hair ties. I recommend keeping hair accessories in a small toiletry bag to avoid purchasing extras. Hair ties are bad for the environment because they don’t biodegrade, so just keep the ones you currently own all in one spot. I promise these will last years this way!
Pens. We all have that stash of pens clogging up our desk drawers, junk drawers, or just sitting perched on our desk waiting to be used. Owning too many pens isn’t a criminal offense by any means, but hoarding ones that are broken or with completely dried out ink can be a bother. Set a timer for ten to fifteen minutes and simply toss the ones that no longer work. Sharpen any broken pencils while you’re at it, and it will make those moments you’re in dire need for a pen so much happier.
Tupperware. How many times have you thought you were doing a mitzvah by holding onto plastic takeout containers only to end up using 0.0003 % of them. Owning too much Tuppwerware inevitably leads to mismatched Tupperware. Plus, it ends up hogging space that could otherwise be devoted to other important things in your kitchen, like pots and pans (there’s never enough room for these guys!). Recycle your mismatched Tupperware, donate the rest, and only keep what you use on a regular basis (does this sound familiar yet?).