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.
- 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.]
- Scraps of wrapping paper
- Cards people have given you with no sentimental value
- Receipts you don't need
- Ticket stubs
- 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.]
- Old t-shirts
- 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.]
- Dried flowers
- Magazines
- CDs
- Hair elastics that have lost stretchiness
- Hair accessories you don't use
- Shoes that don't fit or that you don't wear
- Extra photo prints
- Little knickknacks (designate a bowl and fill it)
- Kitchen things you don't use
- Cooking utensils you have two of
- Tired bras
- Scarves you never wear [I disagree! I still kick myself for getting rid of some silk scarves I wish I still had!]
- Clothes that don't fit
- Gifts you don't like
- Old towels
- Old makeup
- Old toiletries
- Old or unused hangers
- Expired or sample-sized toiletries
- Extra buttons
- Expired sauces
- Toys your pets don't play with
- Expired medication
- Dried-up nail polish
- Bills you don't need to keep
- Expired coupons
- Old paperwork
- DVDs you don't watch
- Snacks your pets don't eat
- Damaged clothing you can't mend
- Stained clothing you can't clean
- Old prom dresses
- Scratched nonstick cookware
- Old underwear or swimwear that's losing its stretch
- Outdated electronics
- Rusty jewelry
- Stockings with runs
- Pens that don't work
- Clothing you've outgrown
- Necklaces and bracelets with broken clasps [Or FIX them if they're good jewelry, not costume jewelry!]
- Cables and wires you don't use
- Worn-out sheets and bedding
- Empty or near-empty bottles of cleaning products
- Old mending buttons for clothing you no longer have
- Worn-out bath mats
- Broken electronics
- Purses you never use
- Flatware, plates, and glasses that don't match the rest of your collection, plus dingy children's plates you no longer use
- Old pillows
- Worn-out shoes
- Wedding invites
- Save-the-dates
- Wedding favors you don't use [Is there such a thing as a wedding favor that gets USED?]
- Old wallets that you don't use
- Broken kitchen equipment
- Spare furniture parts you don't need
- Furniture manuals
- Boxes
- Unused vases
- Extra tupperware you don't need
- Old mail
- Junk mail
- Travel brochures
- Bobby pins
- Old crayons or art supplies, plus markers that have run out of ink [Give the crayons to an art teacher!]
- Random containers and jars
- Unused stationery, stickers, and sticky notes
- Ripped denim
- Old artwork or old children's artwork
- Used and ripped envelopes
- Broken or old iPhone cases
- Old unused batteries
- Extra and unused coffee mugs
- Old spices
- Address labels for your old house
- Wrinkled ribbon and bows for gift wrap
- Cards or gifts from exes
- Frequent shopper cards you never use
- Matchbooks
- Old shopping bags
- Old calendars
- Old folders
- Magnets
- Clothes that are outdated or from college
- Broken Christmas decorations
- Christmas lights that don't work
- Frayed towels
- Expired food
- 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.]
- Old and outdated software
- CDs for old computer programs
- Old cell phones [Thing One's kindergarten teacher was happy to take mine top be used in the play area.]
- Hand-me-downs that you're guilt-tripped into keeping
- 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.]
- Old fortune cookie fortunes
- Old bank statements
- Old planners
- Delete email subscriptions from sites
- Delete emails you don't need
- Delete unwanted music from your iTunes
- Extra buttons that come with newly purchased clothes
- Games that are missing pieces
- Old schoolbooks you'll never use again
- Papers you have backed up on the computer
- Books you've already read and don't want to display
- Cell phone covers you're over
- Old manuals to electronics
- Cell phone accessories you don't use anymore
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