The New Year’s Purge: What and What Not to Discard

We’re entering 2022, and you know what that means! Time for your yearly purge!

You want to start off the new year with a clean slate, but your old things are getting in the way. Where should you start when you’re getting rid of your stuff? What should you get rid of? These tips will help you purge your way to the new year!

Be Aggressive… But Be Realistic

Let’s be real: you aren’t planning to use every single thing you own. You can live without them, so why not make way for the items you will need?

Keep your and your household members’ habits in mind. Don’t go into certain rooms and indiscriminately throw away stuff. You’re not trying to get rid of everything, just what no one in your home will need in the foreseeable future. Just so you’re sure you don’t get rid of the wrong things, make a list of what you and your household want to purge and what you want to keep — and don’t waver from it!

Throw away the stuff that’s collecting dust. If your items are dusty (and your home doesn’t easily collect dust), you’re probably not using them a lot and haven’t in a while.

Sort Your Discards

Whether you bought your things throughout the year or someone gave them to you, chances are you cherish them. It will break your heart to throw them all in the garbage, especially when someone somewhere can still use them. When you’re deciding what will stay and what won’t, keep 2 or 3 receptacles near you. One will be trash, and the second one will be for the in-between items (that you won’t keep, but are still worthy of donation, hand-me-downs, or eBay resales).

Now that you have a plan for your New Year’s purge, we can talk about what you should throw out.

Things You Can Purge

Look through your papers and separate what you may need from what you don’t need. Shred the unnecessary papers; even though you have no use for them anymore, they’ll still have your personal information on them.

You can get rid of all the games that are broken, missing pieces, or you’re just not into anymore. That includes board games, video games, and even video game consoles. I know it’s going to be difficult getting rid of that Nintendo Wii U; you might find it easier to get rid of expensive items like that if you donate or resell them.

Children can be fickle. Ask them what their five favorite toys are and keep those. Store the rest somewhere away from them for a month in case they change their minds.

Throw out that bundle of cords. The likelihood is, no one knows what they’re for or you’ve already gotten rid of whichever electronics they attached to.

Go through your cabinets and look on your shelves and racks, and throw out the expired things (in the kitchen and the bathroom). Do a little bookshelf purge; donate the books you’ve already read to a library.