February 6, 2014

Get RID of it!

In 2009 (and early 2010), I got rid of 80 pounds of emotional baggage and several clothing sizes.  Consequently, I got rid of a whole lot of guilt and stress.

Starting last year, Andrew and I have been making big strides in getting rid of some older debt of ours (nearly $500 per paycheck getting removed and put down on our debt before we even see $1).

This year, we are going to get rid of a bunch of just...STUFF.  We already shed a bunch when we redid our room and Thing One's room last summer.  Next up is the kitchen, the attic, etc.

Here is an annotated version of a list created by Emily Co (published on savvysugar.com)  of 116 things to get rid of as you work to eliminate clutter.  If you do just one or two a day, it won't take long to make a big difference.  (Link to original list.)  Comments in italics are my own not-so-humble opinions.

  1. The other side of a pair of lost earrings [Unless, like me, you have an extra piercing in one of your ears, in which case a single earring can come in handy.]
  2. Scraps of wrapping paper
  3. Cards people have given you with no sentimental value
  4. Receipts you don't need
  5. Ticket stubs
  6. Socks with holes  [But make sure you get rid of the mate to the holey one so you don't have a stray sock hanging around, cluttering up your sock drawer.]
  7. Old t-shirts
  8. Leftover change [I assume she means to get it out of your wallet/purse, not throw it away.  We put ours in a coin bank I've had since I was a kid and decide in December what to do with it.]
  9. Dried flowers
  10. Magazines
  11. CDs
  12. Hair elastics that have lost stretchiness
  13. Hair accessories you don't use
  14. Shoes that don't fit or that you don't wear
  15. Extra photo prints
  16. Little knickknacks (designate a bowl and fill it)
  17. Kitchen things you don't use
  18. Cooking utensils you have two of
  19. Tired bras
  20. Scarves you never wear [I disagree!  I still kick myself for getting rid of some silk scarves I wish I still had!]
  21. Clothes that don't fit
  22. Gifts you don't like
  23. Old towels
  24. Old makeup
  25. Old toiletries
  26. Old or unused hangers
  27. Expired or sample-sized toiletries
  28. Extra buttons
  29. Expired sauces
  30. Toys your pets don't play with
  31. Expired medication
  32. Dried-up nail polish
  33. Bills you don't need to keep
  34. Expired coupons
  35. Old paperwork
  36. DVDs you don't watch
  37. Snacks your pets don't eat
  38. Damaged clothing you can't mend
  39. Stained clothing you can't clean
  40. Old prom dresses
  41. Scratched nonstick cookware
  42. Old underwear or swimwear that's losing its stretch
  43. Outdated electronics
  44. Rusty jewelry
  45. Stockings with runs
  46. Pens that don't work
  47. Clothing you've outgrown
  48. Necklaces and bracelets with broken clasps  [Or FIX them if they're good jewelry, not costume jewelry!]
  49. Cables and wires you don't use
  50. Worn-out sheets and bedding
  51. Empty or near-empty bottles of cleaning products
  52. Old mending buttons for clothing you no longer have
  53. Worn-out bath mats
  54. Broken electronics
  55. Purses you never use
  56. Flatware, plates, and glasses that don't match the rest of your collection, plus dingy children's plates you no longer use
  57. Old pillows
  58. Worn-out shoes
  59. Wedding invites
  60. Save-the-dates
  61. Wedding favors you don't use [Is there such a thing as a wedding favor that gets USED?]
  62. Old wallets that you don't use
  63. Broken kitchen equipment
  64. Spare furniture parts you don't need
  65. Furniture manuals
  66. Boxes
  67. Unused vases
  68. Extra tupperware you don't need
  69. Old mail
  70. Junk mail
  71. Travel brochures
  72. Bobby pins
  73. Old crayons or art supplies, plus markers that have run out of ink [Give the crayons to an art teacher!]
  74. Random containers and jars
  75. Unused stationery, stickers, and sticky notes
  76. Ripped denim
  77. Old artwork or old children's artwork
  78. Used and ripped envelopes
  79. Broken or old iPhone cases
  80. Old unused batteries
  81. Extra and unused coffee mugs
  82. Old spices
  83. Address labels for your old house
  84. Wrinkled ribbon and bows for gift wrap
  85. Cards or gifts from exes
  86. Frequent shopper cards you never use
  87. Matchbooks
  88. Old shopping bags
  89. Old calendars
  90. Old folders
  91. Magnets
  92. Clothes that are outdated or from college
  93. Broken Christmas decorations
  94. Christmas lights that don't work
  95. Frayed towels
  96. Expired food
  97. Computer cords, firewire cord, etc. that you don't use [Use caution, though!  Make sure you're positive that it's the cord for something you don't use/don't have anymore.  There's a cord I can't find at the moment that I fear I tossed, mistaking it for something else.]
  98. Old and outdated software
  99. CDs for old computer programs
  100. Old cell phones  [Thing One's kindergarten teacher was happy to take mine top be used in the play area.]
  101. Hand-me-downs that you're guilt-tripped into keeping
  102. Freebie or promotional t-shirts you never wear [We're going to have a bunch of Andrew's free Genentech t-shirts made into a blanket.]
  103. Old fortune cookie fortunes
  104. Old bank statements
  105. Old planners
  106. Delete email subscriptions from sites
  107. Delete emails you don't need
  108. Delete unwanted music from your iTunes
  109. Extra buttons that come with newly purchased clothes
  110. Games that are missing pieces
  111. Old schoolbooks you'll never use again
  112. Papers you have backed up on the computer
  113. Books you've already read and don't want to display
  114. Cell phone covers you're over
  115. Old manuals to electronics
  116. Cell phone accessories you don't use anymore

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