The following is a guest post on the questions she asks herself before purging her stuff from regular contributor, Kristin at The Gold Project.
Spring is just around the corner, which means my mind starts thinking about eliminating clutter. Well, actually, I probably have that mind set year round, but it really hits hard during spring time. Once my mind starts thinking about decluttering, every single thing I come into contact with in my house gets evaluated. Sometimes, I don’t even know I am doing it. But, there is actually a method to this process. I don’t start randomly tossing items.
Before anything gets donated or recycled, I ask myself 5 questions:
1. Have I used it lately?
We all have that one item in the back of our closets that we swear we are going to wear every single season. Then, it never makes it off the hanger, season after season. But, this not only applies to clothing. I have kept kitchen items because I might need that for that special party I might have at some point. And, you know what? That party never rolls around or I don’t even use that item at the party.
So, if it is just collecting dust, then I am not using it.
2. Do I even like it?
I can’t tell you how many clothing items I had in my closet that I didn’t like at all. And, I never wore them. Now, if I pick out a shirt and decide I don’t like it, it goes in my donation basket immediately. I should only have things in my home that I love. This not only applies to clothes, but to all areas of my home.
3. Does it serve a purpose?
That platter that sits in the back of the cabinet may have a purpose in another household. But, if it has been sitting in the same spot in mine for 3 years, then evidently, it is not serving a purpose. So, it is time to part with it.
4. Would I miss it if I parted with it?
If I ask myself this question and I am not sure if I would miss the item, I place it in what I call a “holding spot.” In other words, I will put the item in a bag and place it in the garage. If I have not asked for the item in a month, then the entire bag gets donated. I do not open up the bag and look after making that decision because that may tempt me to keep some of the things.
5. Could someone else benefit from it more than me?
This is usually the biggest question that will push me to move something to the donation pile. If I have gotten through the first four questions without fully committing to letting go of something, this will usually help me make the decision. There are many things that I have in my home that someone else could get so much more use out of and probably love more than I do. If I feel something will help someone else more than myself, I will usually part with the item.
My name is Kristin and I am a middle school career education teacher by day and a mommy/wife/blogger by night. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two loving children. We recently made a life-changing move to Arkansas, so our new house is always under construction. I get excitement out of finding new creative, functional, and cute ways to organize things! I also enjoy writing and documenting life as it happens. So, I put these loves together and created The Gold Project. With the help of my husband, I am attempting to turn our house into a home. So, check out this special place of mine and take this journey with me!
Hilda says
These are great questions! I especially like the last one… sometimes it’s still tempting to keep things we don’t use very often, but when we think about how someone else could be benefiting from it, it makes it easier to let it go.