Thanks to Cindy Bernstein of Aim4Order for this episode of Tips from the Pros with her blog about things we stockpile for no reason.

We learned from our parents not to waste anything that can be useful. Don’t waste food. Don’t waste money. Waste not, want not. It’s time to consider what you really need and what is clutter.

If you go to events, not that there have been many over the past year and a half, there are often giveaway items that can accumulate into clutter. Events like the State Fair, Towsontown Festival, senior fairs or other events often have vendors who will give away items that have their logo on them.

These items can include tote bags, lip balm, tape measures, drink cozies, note pads, chip clips, keychains and pens. So many pens! How many of those do you actually need or use? Sometimes nice pens are given away, so keep your favorites. In fact, keep your favorites of all of these items, but let go of most of them. The next time you have a donation bag of clothing, add some pens, cozies and note pads to the bag. This will cut down on the stockpile of giveaways.

Another thing people love to keep are old papers. Ask your tax preparer to be sure, but many papers only need to be kept for seven years. Tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements can all go after seven years. Be sure to shred anything that has your personal information on it. If you don’t have a paper shredder you can take it to a shred event or a shredding business. 

Even long after the garment is gone, people love to hang onto the spare buttons. If you do a lot of sewing your own clothes, buttons could come in handy. Most people don’t need a big bag of old buttons. If you don’t ever dip into the spare button bag, it’s time to get rid of it or at least most of it. Maybe keep just a handful of spare buttons as you eliminate the stockpile.

Do you have a drawer full of gift bags in all shapes, sizes and colors? Gift bags are an item many stockpile. When you receive a gift in a gift bag, you don’t have to keep the bag. If you do a lot of scrapbooking, you might make use of a few of them. You definitely don’t need a huge pile of bags.

Then there are plastic shopping bags. Many people do reuse them when they walk their dogs or even in small trash cans in your home. If you always have a large reserve of them, get rid of most of them. Some stores even have a receptacle where you can drop used plastic bags. Better yet, get reusable bags and just use them.

Companies often give away branded coffee mugs as gifts. They are nice, but you don’t need a whole shelf full of them. Go through the mugs and look for any damage like cracks, chips or faded images. Purge those. Then donate any good ones you don’t use.

A big source of clutter in cabinets is an excess of plastic containers. If you buy the big plastic container of pretzels and you have that great container when the pretzels are gone, recycle it. Don’t save it unless you have a specific use for the container. 

Carry out food often comes in containers that can be reused. Don’t keep them unless you actually do use them. If not, recycle them. You will discover that your cabinets are no longer stuffed to the gills.

Another carryout food item people have trouble letting go are condiment packets. Those do not last indefinitely. If you have very old ketchup or soy sauce packets, let them go. This goes back to your parents telling you not to waste food, but there comes a time when they are no longer safe to use.

Take some time this weekend and get rid of at least one stockpile in your home. You will find that you have more free drawer or cabinet space and less clutter. If you need help, contact me. I’m always here for you.

Are you buying or selling your home? Contact Gigi today!
Oh by the way, I’m never too busy for any of your referrals.