clutter nut how do you know what to keep and what to sell or give away when the house is over full?

Question

i got so much stuff alot antiques from my family pass on and them i got other stuff i want to unclutter but not get rid of family items from grandparents and on back
i want the house to feel lived in but where you can walk would help lol
to keep or not

Answer 1

If you haven't used it or wore it in the past 6 months it's time to get rid of it. You can donate items, or give to family members or even rent a storage to put the things in you don't want to part with. Good luck!:)

Answer 2

"TayLee" offers a good "rule of thumb." Except for seasonal clothes and such items, if you are not using it, or don't have any intentions of using is soon, YOU DON'T NEED IT.

This is especially true of larger, bulky items such as furniture that only sits in a room, taking space. Even family heirloom should, either, be used, or sold to someone who CAN use them. Heirlooms are practically meaningless if they are stored, somewhere, not being appreciated.

You like that old escritoire, and use it once a month to pay bills? Then by all means, keep it. That end table that sits in a corner, doing nothing but hold a doily and a load of knick knacks. That, and the knick knacks can be moved out to make room for your CD tower.

There ARE categories of things you never get rid of, for good reason. Things such as photographs and legacy documents should be archived and protected. Such things are not replacable and don't take up much room. But the stuff that serves only to sit there and prevent you from walking and living in your own house can move on. If you don't intend to disrespect the history of an inanimate object, then there is no harm to pass it on.

Answer 3

I'm not sure if the antiques are knickknack type things or furniture so it really depends on that. As far as the junk you have, if you havent used it in 6 mos toss, donate or sell it. If you have antiques from family that you dont like try to find a family member that will cherish it. But if you do have antiques you love try shadow boxes or shelves on the walls. This provides more storage than say a tabletop and gets things up off the floor. As far as paperwork goes you should keep important financial records and such for 7 yrs anything beyond that shred and toss. HTH

Answer 4

Storing items out of site would be the answer. You don't have to get rid of the items to get them out of the way. If the items are not sentimental, use the 3 month method. If you haven't used it in 3 months, you probably don't "need" it and it is causing the clutter.

Answer 5

Keep the best stuff--the antiques.
Put an ad in the paper for next Fri.-Sat. yard sale, say 7am.
Start putting things in boxes as you put a price on it.
6am next Fri. start dragging out boxes and putting stuff on tables.
On Sat. put out signs "Everything Half Price."
What doesn't sell, take it to Goodwill or Salvation Army.