There is so much clutter in my house, but how do I know which things to throw out and which to keep?

Question

I have tons of crayons and markers, but I feel bad throwing them away, but I don't know who would want a donation of a bunch of used cryaons and markers. I also have a ton of VHS tapes of things recorded in the past, but I haven't watched any of them in at least 3 years. Should I throw them away? But what if I might need them someday? I also have old school books and notes, what should I do with them? I will probably never read them or use them again, but I would feel bad throwing them away because it feels like I would be throwing away my education. What should I do with this stuff? How do people get rid of their things without feeling guilty about it?

Answer 1

The general rule that I try to follow is that if I haven't touched it in 6 months or more, then it is time to purge that particular thing. Otherwise, your living space becomes overly crowded and can clutter up your mind and life.

As for things like markers and crayons, it's possible that there are organizations that may use them-- schools, shelters, churches, etc. I would suggest offering them as art supplies-- they can be used by younger children, or shaved and used for wax projects. I think that a daycare or shelter organization may be your best bet.

As for things such as movies, that may be something that you want to keep because they contain special memories, choose to keep only those that are MOST special, that you find important in your life. If you haven't watched most of the movies for three years, it's pretty safe to say that you probably aren't going to need them in the future. As for things that are not personal-- motion pictures, recorded TV shows-- if you ever really need or want to watch them again, it's very likely that you will be able to find them when you need them at a video store, a video service such as NetFlix, or online for a small fee. I know that I would rather pay $3 or $4 when I need something, rather than having shelves of movies wasting my space for years down the line.

Same thing with your school notes. You probably won't use them anytime in the near future. If you feel like you need to keep information from your classes and schooling, try scanning what you think is important to keep and storing them on a CD or disk. They will take up MUCH less space, and will keep longer. If you really feel a need to keep some tangible proof of the knowledge that you gained in classes, keep the most informational books that you may use in the future.

My advice-- buckle down and declutter. It will give you more room, fewer messes, and you will feel better about yourself and find more peace in your living space.

Answer 2

I'd say anything you haven't seen or used in 6 months to a year, throw out, or put in a large box and take to your local goodwill place, let them decide what could be reusable or not! Be careful not to see something you haven't seen in a long while and say oh cool i'll start using it now, chances are you will a few times and then it gets pushed to the back of the closet again. Where we live in Dallas, TX we sometimes get these postcards in the mail for donating to the local kidney foundation etc, and on a speicified day they will be in the neighborhood you call their number beforehand and let them know you have stuff, and leave the box or bag of stuff on your front porch if the problem is remember to take it somewhere?!

Answer 3

When I'm cleaning and I run across something I should probably throw away but am hesitant to (For the exact same reasons as you!) I just say, "Did I even remember I had this? Was I missing it at all?" If the answers are no, then out it goes!

You could always have a garage sale as well. I'd throw out your VHS, they are obsolete now anyway and you can get DVD's so cheaply.

Answer 4

First and foremost, you wouldn't be throwing out your education, you will never lose it!
It sounds like you have a hard time letting go of the past. Memories are great, but the future you will always have to look forward too! Keep the things that really have significant meaning and toss the rest. Little things you can always replace. Don't feel guilty, you'll enjoy the extra space and you won't miss the clutter. :)

Answer 5

if you feel bad about throwing things out, donate them bring the markers and crayons to a local grammar school. or day care center. for the school books and notes, go through them and decide if there is anyting that is going to help you in the future and keep that the rest of it, can be recycled, the book industry keeps updating the college books to keep the new book market viable, so they are often no good after about three years.

Answer 6

My first question is this:
Is any of this stuff making you happy where it is? Life is too short to hold onto all that "stuff."
It is time to stop holding on, and start throwing out!
Your crayons and markers can go to churches, many of them have no money for supplies in their Sunday School. Just put them in a plastic bag and hang on the back door, if you don't know who to give them to.
Your tapes can either be thrown out (if you really loved the show that much, you can almost certainly buy the whole series on DVD) or put in a big box marked FREE and put on your lawn. You will be amazed at how quickly they will disapper.
As far as your education goes, you hold that in your head. You said yourself that you never refer to those notes and books. They were there to help you study for your final, not to be an albatross around your neck (or in your attic) for the rest of your life. Don't feel that you have to hold on to a bunch of paper that you don't need, and never use.
Check out the FLYlady. She can help you unclutter your life; she did mine!

Answer 7

Just throw it away! Seriously. I used to collect everything, and one day I threw something out that I thought I still might be able to use in the future. It felt so good, I just started to do that to a bunch of my stuff. Now I'm pretty much clutter free.

Answer 8

Anything you haven't used in at least a year should go. Things like clothing, books, movies, etc. that can be reused and are in good condition should be donated to a local community bookstore, shelter, Salvation Army, etc. If you call up, they'll tell you what they can use and often make arrangements to pick up the stuff from your house.

Otherwise, anything you haven't used in a year isn't that important so just trash it.

Answer 9

You took the words out of my mouth. I donate stuff to Goodwill,
or the Mennonite society or the Salvation Army. These people
need it more than you, that's the way you have to think. There are
things I'll never miss, because all my time was trying to clean and
manage the clutter and that's no life. But when you have mates
that add to it, stuff becomes unmanageable. Sigh...

Answer 10

throw out the markers... if you need them one day go out and my new markers but dont go over board and just buy what you need... as for the vhs tapes... if they are home videos then get someone to transfer all of them on to dvds so that its easier to store.... give the books to good will or something and throw out all the notes....... i really dont understand why people hold on to things when we all have memories...