3 days ago
4 Things I've Tossed This Year That I Wish I Had Gotten Rid Of Sooner
True or False: It's exponentially easier to live a pared-down lifestyle when you don't give yourself enough square footage to accumulate things comfortably. The jury may be out on this one, but when it comes to our house, it's 100 percent true. Our family has always had a one-in-one-out rule when it comes to toys, we routinely clean out closets, and we've never found ourselves with enough space to warrant a 'play room.' We're quasi minimalists, though I'll admit there are some things that always seem to lurk around for longer than they should.
Whether it's sentiment, nostalgia, or simply just putting something off that I don't feel like dealing with, there are a few lucky little items that have bought themselves more time in our shelves, drawers, cabinets, and closets than they have any right to. Maybe you'll take a gander at this list and realize there are a few items lurking around your home that you've held on to for far too long, too. If so, drop me a line because my clutter-loathing heart will be ever so happy to say adieu to anything else standing in the way of my dreams of finally achieving a perfectly edited home.
Receipts
I have no idea why I hang on to paper receipts like it's 1995. I recently happened upon an entire folder of them and realized I needed to take a quick inventory of my life. In the trash they went and the next time I hit the coffee shop and the barista asked if I wanted a receipt I said nope. Just kidding—bad habits don't die that quickly, but I did opt for a text receipt instead. Baby steps.
Children's Books Our Family Has Outgrown
I am a lover of all things literature, so saying goodbye to books is hard for me. That being said, well-loved toddler books, double copies, and a very creepy children's story gifted to our son by a well-meaning family friend certainly don't need to clutter our shelves. I've realized that letting go of books has to be kind of a phased process for me. I am able to whittle down to the good stuff, little by little. Each layer I take away reveals one more that I can also do without. Plus, it helps me not feel guilty for hanging onto our more cherished stories while also making room for age-appropriate books as the children get older. They're happy, and I'm ever so pleased to see them peruse our shelves to find their next good read.
Plastic Cooking Utensils, Storage Containers, and More
I am fully on board with the healthy-cooking bandwagon. Getting rid of flimsy plastic utensils, cutting boards that haven't aged well, and even damaged cookware has been a project of mine over the past year.
Cookware is expensive—especially some of the high-quality pieces I'm slowly starting to accumulate, so it's been a gradual process, but one that I certainly wish I had started sooner. Tackling my kitchen clean-out is resulting in a more organized space, as well as one that reduces redundancies. I'm finding myself with more storage room in addition to a kitchen that's stocked with what I need to whip up meals in a flash, while actually enjoying the cooking process a bit more. It's a fine-tooth editing process that you shouldn't put off if you're considering taking the plunge. Start by tackling one small zone—maybe a storage container drawer or even a cooking utensils crock—and you'll soon find it snowballing from there.
Random Appliances
Vacuums I no longer use, a milk frother that's still in the box, and the most random of cold-press coffee brew kits sat taunting me for too long. I bet you're thinking, for a self-proclaimed minimalist, you sound a bit like a hoarder at this point. Honestly, sometimes I wonder too. It's true that I often find myself simply putting off getting rid of things because I don't want to deal with a run to our local donation site or putting a busted-up appliance down by the curb for trash pickup day. But all of these scenarios have one thing in common: Once they're out of the house, I feel lighter, brighter, and wish I had tackled the job sooner.
Taking constant inventory of my spaces, room by room, closet by closet, and even drawer by drawer, can help make quick work of cleaning out. It helps ensure I don't find myself happening upon a cast-iron barbecue sauce baster three years from now, requiring a full-blown internet search to uncover what said random item even is. Off it goes to a household where it will hopefully be put to good use!
So, now what remains? Nothing but a coffee table shoved into the corner of our guest room (just in case our next house has a basement—I know, I know) and a pair of swivel chairs in 'performance fabric' that never stood a chance with our young, peanut-butter-and-jelly-loving kiddos. Since we replaced them a week ago, we've been debating whether to pop them up on a marketplace or schedule a donation pickup. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Read the original article on Southern Living
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