Last week I posted a photo in my Facebook group of some packing materials I was decluttering and wondered why I hold on to so many of these things. I only have occasion to ship something a few times a year, so I certainly don’t need to be stocked up like the UPS store! Several people in the group chimed in that they also have a hard time getting rid of similar items that are potentially useful. Here are some examples:
Plastic grocery bags
Reusable bags and containers
Boxes and packing materials
Pens
Notepads and sticky notes
Cleaning products
Paper products
Hardware such as nails, screws, etc.
The challenge in decluttering these items is that you will likely need them someday, so it makes sense to keep a reasonable number on hand. But in order to prevent your stash from getting out of control, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
How many of these am I going to need in the next year?
When is the last time I needed this item?
How quickly do I use these up?
If I ran out, could I get more of them easily and cheaply?
The bottom line with potentially useful items is that you probably don’t need to keep as many as you do. Give yourself a number limit or designate a storage space for them and when it gets full, clear some out. It may take a little discipline, but you can strike a balance between being prepared and being excessive.
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Make it fab!
Carrie