6 Kinds of Clutter You Can Purge Today
Does the idea of starting a cleaning or organization project sometimes overwhelm you to the point where you find other things to do just to avoid facing that project?  I believe we have all been there at one time or another.  There are certain items in everyone’s homes that can be purged pretty quickly and have a big impact on your storage and space. Today’s post will shed light on the top 6 kinds of clutter you can purge today to be on your way to a cleaner, more organized house!
1. Cookbooks
Let’s face it ladies, cookbooks can get out of hand. We buy them because we like the idea of cooking downright amazing meals. We imagine this new cookbook to be the one our grandmothers had perched in their kitchen that was ragged and worn with constant use. The truth? Most of our cookbooks end up looking brand new without the spine showing an ounce of wear or tear for YEARS. Why? Because it’s just plain faster and easier to hop on Pinterest, Youtube or Google and find the recipe we are looking for in seconds, with pictures AND reviews.
If you’ve got a pile of cookbooks, tackle those first. Cut out the ones you flat out never use or were gifts. If you’ve had it longer than 1 year and haven’t cracked it open, use it tonight or lose it.
2. CD’s
5 years ago I decided to “downsize” my CD collection by simply throwing away all the plastic covers and organizing them all into a zippered CD organizer. Now I have 100 old CD’s with 90’s club, dance, alternative and pop music that would rather forget about. I’ve got whole CD’s from my weird music phases in the days before you could buy an MP3 of the one song you liked.
If you are holding onto a music collection that you have no interest in listening to, just do your storage a favor and donate, sell them or take them down to CD Warehouse and trade them in for cash. What you can’t sell, immediately donate.
3. Expired Coupons
I use coupons regularly. However I get lots of coupons that I hang onto and put in a coupon folder only to be forgotten about and stored well after all the expiration dates. Save only the coupons for items that you actually use on a regular basis, keep those in your purse and ditch the rest.
4. Physical Books & Magazines
Have you read any of those books more than one time ever? Â Could you get it from the library if you wanted to read it a second time. Â I know that you paid the equivalent of one months rent for those college textbooks but do you think you will actually ever read that book that you barely cracked open in college again? Â Once you read that magazine, scan or rip out the stuff you want, remove your address and donate those babies.
The only way I have a physical book in my hand anymore is if comes from the library. Library books go back to library and don’t take up valuable space in my home. Otherwise I only buy EBooks and digital magazines. EBooks & digital magazines are so easy to organize, they never get lost and don’t take up any space.
If you need extra help in this area, check out my good friend Kalyn’s post from Creative Savings titled, 3 Questions to Help Downsize Your Book Collection.
5. Weight Loss “Goal” Clothes
Not everyone does this but I’m sure there are many of you out there. You have a pair of jeans, a blouse, a skirt or some piece of clothing from a time when you wore a smaller size. You hold onto these items for the day that you can victoriously slide them on again and not look like 5 pounds of potatoes stuffed in a 2lb bag. Am I right? I know I am because I’m guilty of this myself.
If you lose weight, find joy in celebrating that victory by going out and buying something new for yourself. Don’t let the past keep you from moving on. If you had a baby, your body may never go back into those size 8 Junior’s low ride jeans again. There’s probably a fantastic pair of non-mom jeans out there that you can feel good and look great in today!
6. Clothes & Shoes in Your Closet You Avoid
In your closet I’m positive that there is at least one or two blouses, pants, shoe pairs or shirts that you pass up every single day because a) You don’t like it. b) It doesn’t fit well c) You don’t feel good in it d) You got a good deal on it, it was a gift or it was free but you don’t really like it. Those things don’t deserve space in your life. They are just one more obstacle to your daily routine productivity.
Fill your closet with clothes and shoes you love and need! For special occasion type clothing, keep it for one year and if you don’t wear it, give it a new home outside your house.
I hope that this post has given you some momentum to get started on a few projects around your house. They are easy first steps to freeing up your life from unnecessary excess.
What kinds of projects around your house seem the toughest to start?
Kim Anderson is the organized chaos loving author behind the Thrifty Little Mom Blog. She helps other people who thrive in organized chaos to stress less, remember more and feel in control of their time, money, and home. Kim is the author of: Live, Save, Spend, Repeat: The Life You Want with the Money You Have. She’s been featured on Time.com, Money.com, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, and more!