Are you one of those people who have difficulty throwing things out?
Let’s face it: we all save things, thinking we might need them someday. But often, that day never comes, and the clutter keeps adding up. Is worth keeping a mountain of clutter for a “just in case” scenario?
So, if you’ve discovered the joy of decluttering or are just starting to realize your home might be full of unnecessary items, it’s time to get purging. The more you throw out, the better you’ll feel.
We’ve listed 22 items you might have held onto for too long. These items serve no real purpose, take up space, and cause stress. It’s time to get rid of these items for good! Your mental health will thank you.
1. Plastic Containers
You might be keeping plastic containers, like empty lotion bottles and boxes (in which your food comes), because they are good for storing other items. However, most of them become dusty in our cabinets, and it becomes difficult to find the things we need because of this excess clutter. These unused containers should be discarded now because they are just taking up space.
2. Condiment Packets
Keeping a stash of sauce packs with your takeaway or restaurant food means unneeded mess. They might seem useful, but you’ll forget about using them like everyone else. They’ll expire soon and become part of the growing junk drawer.
3. Pillows
While it’s important to have pillows for comfort, having too many lying around “just in case” can make your house look like a mess. Keep a few for guests or rotating seasons, and donate the rest to a shelter.
4. Single-Use Kitchen Gadgets
Many of us have a drawer packed to the brim with egg separators, avocado slicers, or strawberry hullers. While these items promise convenience (thanks targetted ads), most single-use kitchen gadgets can easily be replaced by a simple, multifunctional tool like a knife or a fork.
5. Photo Negatives
If you’re holding old negatives for sentimental reasons, they’ll likely remain tucked away in boxes in the attic. Get rid of these old negatives by digitizing important photos to preserve memories and free up space in your house. Don’t just throw them away. Instead, recycle them to reduce waste and help the environment.
6. Games or Puzzles With Missing Pieces
Games and puzzles are great for making your free time productive (and fun) but useless when some pieces are missing. If you’ve been holding onto incomplete sets, hoping to find those lost pieces, it might be time to let them go. Consider recycling them or using what’s left for creative projects. Your space can be better used for games and puzzles you can complete and fully enjoy.
7. Broken or Unworn Jewelry Pieces
Jewelry that’s broken or no longer worn takes up space without adding value to your life. You have options like fixing pieces you truly love or donating ones still in good condition.
8. Business Cards
Go through your collection of cards. You may find cards from people you don’t know or need to contact again. Having so many business cards is not useful; they are just pieces of paper piling up on your desk. Keep the genuinely important ones. Discard the rest.
9. CDs
CDs were popular in the past to store music, movies, or other data. But now, they are obsolete because everything is easily accessible online. There’s no need to save these CDs lying on the shelves. Put what you need on a memory stick or in the cloud and recycle or repurpose those CDs.
10. Handbags
Well, it’s understandable to hold onto handbags in the hopes of using them someday. However, if you have handbags that haven’t seen the light of day for months, it’s unlikely that you’ll suddenly find a need for them. It’s time to raid your handbag collection, find the ones you haven’t used in the past few years, and bid farewell to them.
11. Takeout Menus
Most of us look up menus online or through apps when hungry for takeout these days. Those old menus from places you don’t even order from anymore are cluttering your kitchen drawers. It’s time to recycle them and make room for things that are useful to you now. Ditching the old menus can help your kitchen look tidier and more organized.
12. Clothes
Are you keeping clothes that no longer fit with a wish to fit in them once again? One outfit that keeps you motivated is okay, but the rest should be tossed out. Consider donating them to someone less privileged or selling them for extra money. If your future body is different, it can have its closet when it comes.
13. Old Bridesmaid Dresses
Ask yourself if you will wear them again. Most likely not. These dresses were beautiful for the wedding, but now they’ll hang in your wardrobe for the rest of your life. Well, you might not want to throw them away because of the sentiments attached to them. You can still look for ways to recycle or donate them.
14. Solo Socks
Your drawer might be filled with socks whose mate is lost somewhere under the bed or behind the sofa, never to be found. It can lead to frustration when you’re late for work but can’t find a matching pair. Save your time and energy by removing these solo socks from your closet.
15. Old Makeup
Makeup expires quickly, especially mascara, lipstick, and foundation, and it can harbor bacteria over time when exposed to air and skin. Once expired, they lose their texture, and colors may fade, yet many of us keep using them. If you care about your skin and hygiene, clean up your drawers from makeup that is older than 6 months old and make room for new and fresh products.
16. Broken Appliances
Once electrical appliances are impaired, they can’t be used because they can pose a risk of electrical fires or other accidents. You keep them, hoping to get them fixed someday, but it usually never happens. Either they are completely damaged, or you are too busy. Take these appliances to the repair store as early as possible, or if they are damaged for a long time, dispose of them properly.
17. Expired coupons
Expired coupons can’t save you money, period. Instead, they are becoming a part of the junk in your home. Don’t let these coupons mess up your countertops; throw them away as soon as they expire.
18. Magazines or Newspapers More Than Two Months Old
Outdated magazines and newspapers should not have a place on your shelves. Once you’ve read them, the news and stories in them become irrelevant and uninteresting. So, discard the old magazines that you will not read again and keep the space for new ones to stay up to date.
19. Wedding Invitations
Old wedding invitations often hold cherished memories of special moments. But as time goes by, they may be forgotten. Consider preserving a few as souvenirs closest to your heart, or you could repurpose them into crafting and cast away the rest.
20. Extra buttons
If a button falls off and needs replacing, extra buttons usually come with new clothes. However, it’s rare to find a chance to replace a button. It’s sensible to keep a small selection for emergencies and donate the rest to a sewing group, where they can be used for good.
21. Product Manuals
Product manuals are useful guides for setting up and troubleshooting appliances and gadgets. But once you understand an item, they’re useless, and they end up being a chuck. Plus, you can always look up their digital copies online instead of piling up the hard copies in your drawers.
22. Old Bills and Receipts
Bills are kept for record-keeping, but nowadays, most payments are being made online, and many receipts are for minor purchases that are unimportant to keep. Sorting these old bills and receipts to clean up the clutter can be daunting, but it’s worth the effort.
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If you’re like most people, you might find yourself sitting on a treasure trove of stuff that isn’t quite treasure. In other words, your storage of antiques might be worth less than the space they occupy.
While some antiques hold sentimental or monetary value, others should be thrown away or donated. The reduced clutter can do wonders for mental health.
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These 14 Old Items Are Worth More Than You Realize
Wait! Don’t throw away your old stuff; they could be worth a fortune (or at least a tank of gas). Some of the largest sales in history were generated from the most unexpected items. Let’s look at 14 old items that might be tucked away in your home, covered in dust, or hidden in a box with more value than you realize.
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Aqsa is a passionate writer who loves spending her free time jotting down her thoughts. But that’s not all. She is a devoted mom to two boys and a skilled pharmacist specializing in hematology. When she’s not running after her energetic kids, you can find her lost in a good book or writing beautiful words. A nature lover at heart, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, staying active, and always seeking ways to learn new things.
