Cheapsters Guide to Decluttering

As I live in a tiny single apartment, my limited space keeps me in check as to how much stuff I’ve managed to amass. If I own it, I see it and really live with it, so I’ve made a habit of decluttering every three months or so. Nonetheless, those who have tried it know that decluttering can be a big pain in the butt. I find myself in a horde mentality as I try to get rid of my stuff, making lame excuses as to why I need to keep that book on caring for a pet chimp, or those ugly pair of boots I bought 10 years ago and will wear if Elvis comes back from the dead one day and I get my chance to meet him.

I’m no minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I know how much use a hot dog toaster has versus a coffee maker. If you’ve accumulated so much stuff that no longer serves any purpose and is just taking up space, it’s time to go through what you have an re-evaluate whether or not you really need to keep it.

As I’m spending this week decluttering in preparation for the free market this Saturday, I thought it would be a good time to offer some hints as to how to get rid of your junk.

Set a “toss out time (TOT).” Have you used that dress or picked up that book  in the last year, six months, or three months? Different categories of possessions may have different lengths of time to meet the TOT criteria. For instance, with seasonal stuff like skiing equipment the TOT is 2 years, but stuff I use on an everyday basis, such as clothes, the TOT is six months.  As I buy most of my clothing from bargain bins or get them free at clothing swaps or as gifts and didn’t spend too much money on it in the first place, I don’t have a huge problem getting rid of clothes. And as I suffer from object recognition delay when it comes to kitchenware, it’s a safe bet that I won’t miss that rolling pin still in its package or that set of Christmas cookie cutters.

Determine how much stuff you want to get rid of. Set a goal for yourself as to how much space you want to clear up. If you want to have more space in your living room and it’s been awhile since you decluttered, try getting rid of 5 or 10% of your stuff. I know it sounds like a lot, but once you get into the habit of decluttering, it’s easy to reach that goal.

Figure out how replaceable it is. If you find yourself quibbling over the possibility that you might need an item you own in the future, think about how easy it is to get a hold of another one just like it.  If it’s something like a book, DVD or item of clothing that’s easily found on Amazon or your neighborhood drug store, get rid of it. For instance, keeping that bike around just because you might use it someday is silly. You can give it to someone else who has been wanting a bike for a long time, and will use it right away. If you ever want to pick up bike riding in the near future, it’s super easy to find another bike on Craigslist. And hey, you might find something you like even better and might pick up and use!

Consider the item’s potential use to someone else. If you’re having trouble letting go of something, think about whether that dress, book or old appliance would be better off collecting dust in your garage, or if someone out there could enjoy it. When you give something away, you allow the opportunity for it to be of use and value to someone else.

Here are some hurdles you may have to jump over when decluttering:

Although I bought this suit seven years ago and have only worn it once, it would be the perfect thing to wear when I go on that date with Natalie Portman.

Chance are that if you haven’t used it in the last year, there’s a good chance that you won’t use it in the next. And it’s lame to plan according to hypothetical situations.

I’ll wear this once I lose 50 pounds.

Face it: If you’re not actively trying to improve your physique by  means of diligently exercising and dieting, then get rid of it. If you do end up losing a ton of weight, you can always go for a different look and buy new clothes.

But I got this as a gift! Wouldn’t it be rude for me to throw it away?

Eh, this one is totally your call. I struggle with feelings of guilt and fear of being rude. If it’s a gift from a faraway land or is homemade, then I tend to keep it. If it’s something you can easily buy with one click of the mouse button on Amazon, get rid of it. Also I think about whether or not I enjoy it or have use for it. If it’s a zhu zhu pet that was given to me as a gag, it would be better off in the hands of one of my little cousins.

I wore this T-shirt at the Grizzly Bear concert, and it still has remnants of the barf I spewed from drinking too much PBR. I want to keep it for the memories.

Again, this is your call. If it’s something that has sentimental value and doesn’t take up too much space, I usually just keep it. I have managed to get rid of some cute T-shirts that are kids’ sizes and will never fit me. However, don’t fall into the danger of justifying everything that has sentimental value or potential for future use.

So you’re done going through your stuff and everything’s in bags. Now what? You can have a clothing swap with your pals, donate it to a charity, such as the Goodwill or Out of the Closet, or you can try to sell it by having a garage sale, or on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. There’s also a great site called Freecycle where you can post stuff you want to give away.

During this decluttering sesh I managed to get rid of some bathing suits I got from an American Apparel clearance warehouse sale a few years back, and this striped neon bathing suit I bought at Urban Outfitters which sadly still has its price tag. With music, I admit I am a terrible horder, but I managed to toss out some CDs I bought at dollar bins.

Getting rid of stuff you don’t want anymore not only helps keep your living quarters clean, but also helps you realize how much you might buy and not use. I find myself thinking about how much stuff I buy that I used only once (and embarrassed to say, there are some things I’ve purchased and have yet to use!) and is now falling prey to the moths in my closet. So next time I eye something when I’m out shopping, I’ll think twice about buying it.

We were raised thinking that ownership is connected to identity, that our things are extensions of ourselves. But if you let that idea go, and try to think of all your possessions as either helping you or hurting you enjoy your  life, that your living space only needs to include things that have a use to you, you’ll soon realize just how little you really need. Knowing that I most likely will not even care or remember that I once owned something, keeps me in check as to what’s important in my life.

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