How to start dealing with clutter in the home

There are many people who say they have very nice clothes they love but the don't wear them anymore.

But hang on:  If you value something so much...then don't you think you should be wearing it?

The reality is we are a society who likes to accumulate and, dating back to the Great Depression, we tend to keep everything we believe has monetary value when, in reality, it probably doesn't.

For example, a pretty dress or a nice suit you bought ten years ago that cost you a week's paycheck at the time.

And the problem is you haven't touched it in nine years because, as most clothes do, it went out of style.

Could it come back in style someday? Probably. Styles do often return.

But is that a good reason to hold onto things you don't use...'just in case'?

You feel like, because you spent 'good money on it, you are throwing that money away. But ask yourself this... is it putting money in your pocket sitting there in the back of your closet with dust on the shoulders?

Is it giving you anything? Do you benefit at all from keeping that outdated outfit?

Now ask yourself one more question... will you gain anything by letting go of it and donating it to charity?

You will gain.....

More space to be able to keep the clothes you are going to wear (we only wear 50% of the clothes we own) and you'll be able to see them all too, so you'll remember what you have.

Those items taking up space, yes, you paid for them. But you are gaining nothing by keeping them, except an over-full closet that's frustrating to work with because you cannot find anything.

Here is something you can do right now with items (they don't have to be clothes) you are holding onto just because you paid good money for them.

1. Go and find ten items you can't get rid of because they cost you money to purchase.

2. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns.

3. Write the items you are having trouble getting rid of in the left column. In the middle column, write "why I am keeping this item" and in the third column write "what would I gain by getting rid of this item." (Think of things like more space, less stuff to dust/clean, don't need to get it fixed...)

My guess is you will have a lot more in the right column than you will in the middle.

Be specific with both.

If you can honestly fill up the middle column with more reasons of why you should keep it, and they are good, legitimate reasons, then maybe you shouldn't get rid of it.

But I'm willing to bet that won't be the case.