We’ve been cleaning out our basement and storage room to make space for family coming to stay with us (nothing motivates you like a deadline, right?).
Honestly, I love it. I love organizing our stuff and even better, finding things to get rid of! Every time we give away or sell things we don’t need, I feel like a weight has lifted off of me.
I try really hard to only keep items that we love and use in our house, but extra stuff always seems to accumulate. Sometimes I’m not even sure how it happens. We hardly go shopping, but every few months I start to notice our house filling up.
Well, there are many articles written about how to go through your home to purge extra stuff, plus what questions to ask yourself when you are deciding if something should stay or go. But I think there is a big step being skipped when we get get rid of things from our home.
The One Thing You’re Forgetting To Do When You Declutter:
Before you take those items to the thrift store or sell them online or hold that garage sale, ask yourself how you accumulated this extra stuff in the first place.
We are always going to need to get rid of tons of extra stuff until we figure out where it’s all coming from and why we’re accumulating it.
Sidenote: Don’t miss out on the 4-Day Declutter Challenge! It’s the perfect way to get started.
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Is It Worn Out?
If you’re throwing out clothes or furniture that is completely worn out, is there a way that you can buy better quality items in the future so that you don’t need to go through the process of purging worn out items as often?
Because of my back problems, we spend more money on quality shoes for me. Yes, it can get expensive, my shoes last for at least 3-5 years before I need to think about getting rid of them. It often actually saves money in the long run.
A lot of those super cute clothes from Target start to warp funny after a few washes and you find them in the bottom of the closet a year later. You might have spent more on a similar top somewhere else, but it would have lasted longer and gotten more use.
Is It Unnecessary?
If you’re getting rid of clothes or items that you don’t need, try to remember where you got them from.
Maybe you’ve been buying items that you don’t really need just because it was a good deal or you were shopping just for fun.
Maybe you’ve been given hand-me-downs from well-meaning people. Can you politely decline their extras in the future so that someone else can get more use out of it sooner?
I recently decided to ban myself from thrift shopping! I did a huge closet purge and took a minute to look at what I was getting rid of. A ton of it was thrift store clothing! I found myself buying things that fit but not quite perfectly, or I’d get something home and find a hole or stain on it. In general, I wasn’t making good thrift store choices. For all of the money I “saved” by buying second hand, I should have just bought one full price new item because I was decluttering so many thrifted ones.
Is It Trash?
If you have piles of papers that need to be thrown out, what systems can you put into place so that these papers don’t make it into the house in the first place? Or how are you going to go through them daily or weekly to organize them (if they’re important) or throw them out as soon as possible?
I think if we analyze what we are purging, decluttering, and getting rid of, we can stop these extra items from making it into our homes in the first place.
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⇒ What’s the last thing that you got rid of?
Start The 4-Day Declutter Challenge!
A beginner's guide to a clutter-free life:
Delivered straight to your email with homework (and extra credit) for each day.
Laura Kathleen says
Thanks for sharing! I totally need to work on decluttering, especially since I live in such a small space!
Laura | Laura Aime Vous
Christine says
It makes such a difference! Good luck Laura!
[email protected] says
I often wonder how I accumulate “stuff.” I rarely buy anything, but it does keep accumulating. I blame it on my kids mostly, but also on the fact that a lot of people give me stuff because they know I’m cheap and will take it. I usually have a garage sale every year and I know I need to have one this year. I hate clutter!
Christine says
That’s great you have a system to get rid of things! I try to be careful what we accept from others because it can really start to pile up.
Erin | A Welder's Wife says
I’ve never thought about why I accumulate things while purging. I can see how that would give great insight and help you set up for success in the future! Thanks for sharing this! I’ve had a few light bulbs go off that need to be used as soon as I get home! Thanks!!
Christine says
Thanks Erin!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
Definitely makes you think doesn’t it!? I have PILES of old CDs that I got for free from a past internship/job while working in music. I have NOT listened to most of them yet I’m still struggling to throw them away…it’s like it’s my tie back to that time in my life. :-/
Christine says
My husband still has some old CDs too. I think he’s ready to let them go. You can always load them onto your computer so you don’t lose the music. And maybe just keep a few memorable ones if they mean a lot to you.
Tiffany says
I recently did some decluttering of my wardrobe. The question I should have asked myself when decluttering was “is it worn out?” Because, yes, most of it was. For years, I brought clothes that were cheap (Forever 21), and really weren’t meant to last. I now only shop for quality clothing because while you may pay more up front, you’re saving in the long run. Great tips!
Christine says
Thanks Tiffany! I absolutely think it’s worth it to spend a little more for items that will last a whole lot longer.
Jenine says
You make a great point about stopping to ask ourselves how we accumulated the clutter in the first place. It made me realize I’m often buying things or collecting freebies that I don’t need and they end up becoming dust collectors. Time for some spring cleaning and long term decluttering!
Christine says
Thanks Jenine! I have a hard time with accumulating things that were a really good deal. Just because it’s 75% off doesn’t mean I need to own it 🙂
Cara says
Great tips! As I’ve been decluttering and purging this Spring I’ve definitely started being more mindful of what I’m purchasing to bring in the home. Don’t want to clutter up what I just cleaned 😉
Rachel @ Smart Mom Smart Ideas says
Christina, you ask an excellent question. We need to keep this question in mind all the time when we make purchases. We go through the declutter process, and then start accumulating more things again.
Christine says
Thanks Rachel! It always seems like an endless cycle of getting rid of things and accumulating more. I’d love to stop the cycle!
Karen Holland says
Correct! Where did the items you need to declutter come from? Where they gifts?
“Gifting Sense” is a not-for-profit that helps parents teach their kids to think before they buy by having them “thoughtfully prefer” holiday and birthday gift wish-list items. Their free, safe, online “Gift Surveys” ask kids all the questions parents normally want answered before agreeing to spend money and automatically generate what is called a DIMS (Does It Make Sense) Score which is a number from 1-10 meant to help a child understand the true value of a request, before they make it.
Gifting Sense collects no personal information. They are dedicated to helping parents immunize their children against developing poor spending habits and all of the downstream issues those can create later in life. Spare yourself from having to declutter this year’s gifts next year, by only purchasing gifts that will really be used and appreciated – it takes less than two minutes on any device including smartphones, and also lets parents give their kids one of the best gifts ever – a small but meaningful dose of financial education.