A new year is upon us… that’s right, it’s the time of goals and “New Year, New You.” Last week, I talked about New Years Resolutions, and why goal setting is a great option for getting things done, and this year, my resolution is to do a little bit of decluttering. In fact, it’s the resolution that’s always on my list– it seems like every year could use a little bit of decluttering, really. But when it’s time to actually get started, it can be a little tricky figuring out what to toss… So, just like last year, grab your trash, donate, and sell bags, and let’s get started!

That cookware you bought, but ended up not liking… I get it, you were really into stoneware at that Pampered Chef party you went to, but when you got home, the thought of cookware that couldn’t fully be washed started to freak you out. Or maybe it was that pan you got at Christmas that was just like your favorite pan, but not quite as good. Take a good, hard look at your kitchen tools and toss the cookware that just isn’t working for you. (Better yet, sell it– cookware is a great option for selling or donating if it’s in decent condition; you might not like it, but someone else will probably love it!)

Those free pens from the county fair that still work… about half the time, anyway. I get it– who can resist a freebie, especially something useful like a pen? But when you get home from the fair, they get scattered, and eventually, you find yourself scribbling to try to get the pen to work more often than it actually works, and at that point, it’s time to just do a good old fashioned pen dump. Get rid of anything that rarely works, and in fact, if you can, take the time to invest in a quality set of pens and toss out all of the mismatched, semi-working pens that you don’t love. For the record, pens that don’t work well are better left to the trash, rather than being sold or donated.

The stock you have leftover from that sales venture you tried, then quit. We get it, no one likes a quitter… but sticking with trying to reach sales goals sometimes means you’re left buying a lot of stock for yourself in order to keep it on hand. Whether you were selling makeup or wraps or wax warmers or board games, chances are if you’re not selling it any more, you still have remnants lying around. Toss the receipt paper, order forms, and more (unless you have a friend who is still selling that could use it), and sell the stock you have (if you’re legally allowed to– check with your company). You could alternately donate your extra stock to churches or organizations for auctions or fundraising. If it’s not your thing anymore, purging that stuff helps clear up space AND clear up your mind for whatever your next adventure is.

The stack of magazines on your bedside table that you swore you’d read. Seriously, raise your hand if you’re guilty of setting a magazine aside to read later. I’ve got a pile of magazines on my bookshelf that are just waiting for a spare moment for me to look through them, and honestly, some of them are dating back almost 6 months. While I still make time for my favorites in the stack, some that I loved are now set aside due to a lack of time. If they’re magazines you truly love, take some “you time” and go read them. If you’re just not in love anymore, toss the magazines you haven’t read. If you’re noticing a trend of the same magazine getting tossed again and again, contact the company and cancel your subscription. They may give you a refund on the issues you haven’t yet received, and it’ll prevent you the trouble of throwing them in the trash later (plus, hey, less waste!). If you’ve gone digital with your life, you might check and see if your favorites are available as digital copies instead, eliminating the physical clutter and helping put your magazines right where you see them.

Clothes. Seriously. Clothes. For a lot of us, our sizes and taste change throughout the years, and the New Year is a good time to go through your closet and see what you want to keep (and what you’re ready to part with). If you’re still struggling to part with this, try the 6 month hanger trick. Turn around all of your hangers backwards, and as you wear and re-hang the clothing, put them in the right way. Anything still facing backwards at the end of the season isn’t your style, and should be donated or sold. Before starting the hanger trick, though, go through your closet and ditch any obvious items. Updating your wardrobe or got a ton of cute new clothes at Christmas time? Go ahead and donate or sell 2 old items for every 1 new item you got. Chances are, you’ve accumulated more clothing than you’ll wear, so this 2-for-1 trick helps streamline your wardrobe and get you ready for the new year.

DVDs, or better yet, VHS tapes. If you’ve made the switch to Blu-Ray, how many of your favorites do you still need on DVD? Maybe you exclusively use Digital Copies now, and own all of your favorites on all of your devices. Or, maybe you’re still a die-hard DVD devotee, but even then, you know there’s a ton you haven’t watched (or worse yet, bought in a Black Friday sale 4 years ago and never even unwrapped… I’m guilty of that one). Sell or donate the ones you’re done with for good. Still hanging onto that old collection of VHS tapes? Sell them on a swap site if they’re in decent condition, or toss them if they’re in bad condition. Use any money you get from selling them to replace your absolute favorites with DVD, Blu Ray, or Digital Copy.

Old receipts and tax stuff from 10 years ago or more. Yes, you definitely need to hold onto receipts and tax stuff for quite awhile. But 10 years is past the required amount of time to hold onto it (the IRS says it’s between 3 and 7 years, depending on specific circumstances), so after that, you’re pretty safe to throw it away. However, when tossing this, you do want to be sure to shred it or take it to a shredding service rather than just throwing your tax info in the trash… be safe!

Fridge Magnets. I know it was super fun to collect magnets from every place you ever went during your wild college days, but is the magnet from your layover in Denver where you never actually left the airport really that sentimental to you? Keep the most important favorites to put on a magnet board by your desk or someplace you’ll get to see them often, and throw away the rest.

Plastic cups from every sporting event ever. Okay, I get that you probably paid a little extra for the “souvenir” cup. But do you really need 12 of the exact same one because you went to multiple games that season? Or do you really need the cup from that time your team got absolutely massacred on the field? And do you really need the one from that team you don’t really love but went to the game anyway? Pick one or two you absolutely love from your favorite team, and throw away the others (though if they’re in perfect condition, you might be able to swap or sell them to fans who didn’t make it to the game– your call).

The diet ice cream and frozen meals you bought to fulfill last year’s resolution. I’m not saying to waste perfectly good food, but if you bought these and didn’t love the taste, it’s better to just toss them and start fresh. There are a lot of tasty meals out there, and if these just didn’t do it for you, forcing yourself to eat them just doesn’t work out well (and leaves you resenting your meal plan). While you’re at it, take a few minutes to go through your pantry… toss anything expired– granola bars, cake mixes, flour… anything that has expired or just isn’t fresh. Remember– toss these, don’t donate them! No one wants expired or unfresh food. For the new year, make a resolution to do the FIFO technique– first in, first out. When you buy it new, put it in the back of the pantry, so the oldest items get used before the newest ones, preventing waste. The same works well for refrigerators!

All of the products from that subscription box that didn’t work for you. I know, subscription boxes are awesome. But there’s often that one product out of the 5 that just didn’t work for your complexion, your hair type, or just your personal enjoyment. All of those products that you know you won’t use are taking up space. Any new products (as in, ones you didn’t open at all) can be donated to local women’s shelters or other organizations, so call around and find one that can use it. If you tried a little bit of a product like a lotion or shampoo and didn’t like it, see if you have any friends who could use the rest. If you used it on your lips or eyes (mascara, lipsticks, etc), make sure you just toss them outright– no sense in risking germ transfer! Finally, if all else fails, take the whole haul of products that you never used and sell them on a swap group as a beauty sample haul!

Mismatched food storage containers (and socks!) Go ahead and get rid of those old butter containers that you’re re-using as food storage containers, and go through and toss out anything that’s warped, missing a lid, missing a base, or that you just plain don’t use. Once you’ve gone through all of that, invest in some nice containers that you’ll use for good (you can also find an alternative use for those deviled egg containers you might have here). Now, like that ever-popular image that keeps going around Facebook, I fully believe that those extra food storage container lids are just reincarnated missing socks, so when you’re done with your food storage cabinet, go look in your sock drawer. Anything without a mate needs to be tossed.

Old toys and games. If you’re a mom, you know the struggle all too well… your kids outgrow toys or their old toys get replaced with new, exciting Christmas stuff, but somehow, they still just keep piling up. Now is the time to purge all of the toys they’ve outgrown… pass it on to another family with kids younger than yours, sell it on a swap site, or donate it to your local preschool, daycare, or other age-appropriate place that could use them (call first, of course!). Mother of teens? Have your teen go through their old video games or other items as they put their new ones away, and get rid of any they haven’t played in months. This is especially useful if they just got the newest version of a game and know they won’t be playing with older ones. Sell good condition games online, at Gamestop, or at a store like VintageStock, and let your teen use that money to buy something new.

All those tools. Go through your shed and clean it out. When we cleaned ours out, we found out that we had four hammers. Even the toughest projects probably don’t need more than two hammers, so it was time to purge. Get rid of duplicates that you aren’t using, and get rid of the ones you bought for a project and never used again– if they’re in good condition, this is another great one to sell, or see if you can donate them to a local organization that helps people with small repairs (we have one where volunteers do repairs and painting for those who can no longer do it for themselves). Also consider getting rid of scrap wood or project scraps you no longer need. When selling, you can always use that money for a new tool or supplies for that project you pinned and have been dying to try out!

Kitchen Appliances. I know, you were super gung-ho about making homemade baby food, and it worked great for you, but now your baby is 5 and you’ve had that equipment sitting there since. Or you had to have that Belgian waffle maker that you used once and never used again. Or, you have the coffeemaker set aside in case you ever need to serve an entire carafe of coffee, but you haven’t actually used it since you got your one-cup maker… go ahead and sell or donate the good condition appliances that you never use. If you haven’t used it in 6 months, you’re not actually going to use it. For the appliances that you have in your cabinets, go through and put a small Post-It flag on each one; when you take it out and use it, peel the flag off. In 6 months, anything that still has the flag on it needs to be sold.

 

There’s a start in getting your hoarding purge on this New Year. If you’re over clutter like I am, this is a fair place to get started, but if you need more ideas, don’t worry– here’s last year’s list, which will help you keep going when you’ve finished this list. Don’t worry– I’m tackling this list along with you. I have a lot of clutter I’m ready to purge, and this is a great list to try. Don’t forget to pin it so you can revisit it next year! Also, if you are planning on selling some stuff, here are my tips for selling on VarageSale and other Swap Sites.