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Everyone has some stuff in their home that is just sitting there and taking up space. The question is “Do you really need it?”. If you want to declutter your home but are not sure what or where to begin, here is a list of 13 items you will not even miss.
Recipes and Cookbooks
First, lets start in the kitchen and cabinets. You may have a full shelf of cookbooks or recipe box; our guess is that you are not using them as often as you need to with phones and tablets being able to store or search new recipes. Remove those cookbooks and send them to a donation center near you such as goodwill or salvation army. Sort through your recipe box and get rid of any that you have prepared and did not like or ones that you have no intention of making.
Single Socks
Where does the other sock go? This is a question that even the smartest scholars have not been able to answer. Many people save the single sock to see if they well be able to match it up later, but to no avail your collection of single socks is starting to accumulate. Now is the time to get rid of these socks, if you have not been able to match them up now, you probably will not be able to match them up in the future. Just chalk those up to the sock gnome. If you notice that you are now running low on socks, maybe treat yourself to new ones.
Misshaped Candles
Do you have a drawer or cabinet where you put all your candles? How often do you use them? I bet there are new candles mixed in with misshapen and used candles. It is a great idea to keep some around in case of power failure. Sort through them and throw away misshaped and partially melted candles. If you want, you can learn to melt down used candles and make new ones with the old.
Old Nail Polish and Makeup
Yes, ladies this one is for you. You should not have to dig through all your makeup to find the one that you want or the color of polish you want to wear. It is time to sort through it all. Get rid of any nail polish that has been separated or has gotten clumps. This will not do your nails justice. Look through your makeup and throw away any that has expired or is close to being all used up. Your partner will love you for this!
Excess Office Supplies
Be honest with yourself, how may pens and pencils do you really need in your drawer? Are you really going to go through those 10 boxes of staples? It is time to purge your office supplies. Bring your inventory down to what you think is reasonable. With all the extra supplies you can donate them to you local schools or church. Teachers are always looking for supplies for their students.
Receipts
Do you have receipts that are not going to be associated with returns, budgeting, taxes, or business expenses? All of those that we just named probably make up for at least 95% of the receipts in your wallet or office area. Why are you keeping them? Sort through the ones that you will need to keep and file them away, all others can make their home in the trash or recycle bin.
Wrapping Paper and Gift Bags
This one hits home; my significant other has a massive collection of wrapping paper and gift bags. I ask her all the time why she needs so much. She always says, “You never know when you will need it.” Well, that is not always true. Yes, you use them for birthdays and holidays, but really when else do you need them. You do not need a whole mountain of them. Sort through wrapping paper and gift bags. Keep what is still in good condition and has a lot of paper left. Purge the ones that are damaged or rolls that are basically used up.
Dried out Markers
I know this should have been included in the excess office supplies, but not everyone stores markers and pens in the same drawer. Pull out all markers and pens, and test to see if they work. Ones that are dried up and dead, just throw away. Your kids can have fun with this, hopefully that will not feel artistic and surprise you with a mural on the walls. Any extras again just donate to schools or churches.
Expired or Unused Spices
We come back to the kitchen. Was its Colonel Mustard with the Spice rack. No, but you probably have a collection of spices. You may even have multiple containers of the same spice. Take some time to go through all your spices. Check for expiration dates and consolidate spices that may be in separate containers. Get rid of spices that you never use and are just taking up space.
Empty Boxes
Having some empty boxes come in handy for gifts. If you have a large amount starting to form, break them down and send them to your recycle bin. There is no need to have 5 or more empty boxes unless you are planning on moving soon. These empty boxes are great homes for pests and other creepy crawly bugs and critters.
Instruction Manuals
If you are like me, then you may have a bin that holds all your instruction manuals and warranty papers. I cannot tell you when the last time I went through it. Maybe I will do that today. Many companies now have their instruction manuals on their websites, so there is no need to keep the paper versions. This is an easy decision, recycle them.