But seriously, I need to do my yearly sort of "stuff" around the house. I have a rule: anything that we haven't used in a year is donated, given away, or sold. Unless, of course, it is a seasonal item or has emotional value.
It is way too easy to let things pile up. I was reading the article Five Things to Stop Hoarding on Martha Stewart Living and it got me thinking - what things do I hoard? That led to my own list of five things to stop hoarding:
1. Old Magazines and Newspapers. One organization technique I use is to only keep magazines for 1 year - anything older than that is thrown out. If there are articles or recipes that interest me, I tear out the pages and put them in a file or notebook for later reference. I tend to "hoard" newspapers to use in the garden since they make a wonderful (and cheap!) eco-friendly alternative to landscape fabric. Every so often I have to make sure my pile doesn't get too big. Oh, and if you save catalogs - toss those, too!
2. Mismatched Glassware. The Hubs is notorious for picking up glassware and cups everywhere we go. We have a huge collection of pint glasses he has amassed from Taco Mac, and I don't mind those (they are pretty handy as everyday drinkware, and if they break - so what?). However, he grabs up beer and wine glasses and cups left at festivals, sporting events, and Medieval Times (we have like 20 glasses from there). He (we) are notorious for leaving catered events with a wine or whiskey glass in hand...oops. I love that man, bless his heart. When the plastic cups get too stained from use I recycle them, and I occasionally sort through the glassware and donate the odds and ends. But sssh! Don't tell him!
3. Hobby supplies. I'm a little bit of a hypocrite here - I have tons of paints and thread from past projects that I hold onto for "someday." I really should sort through my unfinished projects and set a date and deadline in which to finish them, and make sure that my craft items are in useable condition. (Note to self: do that today!). I did, however, sort through the plastic nursery pots I have been saving for...say...2 years? I kept the high quality ones and recycled any that were flimsy or cracked.
4. Bills and paperwork. Ok, ok. You need to keep some past bills and important paperwork, but it can pile up pretty fast if you aren't careful! Switch to paperless (online) billing to help prevent identity theft and clutter. For the most part, I keep bills and bank statements for one year unless I need them for taxes - then I keep those for 3-7 years, as recommended by the IRS. For the most part, I like to file my papers once per month and shred anything I don't need. Every year I have a "purge" where I shred anything we don't need anymore.
Funny story - my in-laws tend to keep everything, and when it came to shredding old papers and bills they realized that they kept almost every piece of mail since 1982. They even found the hospital bill from when The Hubs was born! As cool as that is, it used up a lot of space and was a definite pain to dispose of it all safely.
5. "Someday" Clothing and Accessories. I think all women have this problem - you have your "fat" clothes, "summer" clothes, "winter" clothes, and your ever-hopeful "skinny" clothes. Heck, you may even have old Halloween costumes! Sort through them and be ruthless. If you haven't used it in 6 months, move it to the front of the closet so that you use them. If you haven't used it in a year, donate, sell, or give it away to someone who will cherish and use it! Check out my tips for cleaning out your clothing closet here!
I'm curious - what items do you hoard? I could keep adding to this list - perfume samples, cardboard boxes, hotel shampoos...it goes on and on!
- Maggie White
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