Answering: how to get rid of stuff you’re sentimental about.
If the self-storage industry in the USA is any indication, how to get rid of stuff isn’t a question everyone can answer. Almost 10% of Americans pay for self-storage and the amount of self-storage rented equals seven cubic feet per American. The average monthly cost for a self-storage unit is $91. That means, on average, 10% of Americans are paying over a thousand dollars a year to store things they aren’t using. That’s an incredible amount of money spent on not being able to get rid of stuff.
The first part answer to how to get rid of stuff isn’t to look at why you’re keeping it, but to look at what you’re using everyday. Ask yourself these questions:
What do I use most days in my life? The clothing, kitchen utensils and recreation equipment in your garage should all be considered in this.
What do I use occasionally in my life? The formal suit, the tools and that cake stand could all be on this list.
What have I used in the last year? This is the starting point in how to get rid of stuff. The life we imagine we have is not always the same life as we actually have.
This is also a good time to make a list of the things you want to do more of – and then start doing them! You haven’t floated the river in four years but you still have five inflatables in your garage. Make plans with family to float the river because this is something that you want to do. Your treadmill is now just an expensive clothes hangar because it’s been broken for six months. Get it repaired or sell it as is for parts.
If you’re paying for storage to store stuff, calculate what money you could save or earn from that.
What could you sell from the storage unit and what could you save every month if you didn’t need a storage unit? Even more powerful: take that number of savings and tie it to something you want. Is it enough for a family vacation or could it fund a second hand car for your oldest child that’s needed for her part-time job. Relate how to get rid of stuff and how much you will save, to something in your life that you want. It could be replacing your old and broken couch or simply having more money in the bank.
Above all, stop saving things for someday. Someday rarely comes. And this thought of needing things for someday costs you a lot of money and stress. Stop prioritizing someday over today. Today you use and need just a fraction of things that are in your house. You don’t even go to that storage locker unless it’s to add things to it. Today is here. Someday will never come. That’s how you get rid of stuff: prioritize your life today instead of that someday life.
How to get rid of stuff easily.
Here are three strategies to get you started with getting rid of stuff.
Book a charity to come and pick up items. You will declutter that storage locker because you have that date in the calendar. Making a commitment to a charity will force you to get rid of things.
Set a goal for earning money from getting rid of your stuff. Have a finish line with this goal. It could be, I’m going to make $500 selling things we aren’t using by my birthday. Incentives yourself with the treat of taking yourself and someone else out for a nice meal with some of our earnings.
Have a challenge with a friend. Ask another friend that is struggling with how to get rid of stuff to start a challenge with you. Maybe it’s how many things can we get rid of in a month. Set the goal at something like 500. Little things add up fast! The winner gets a free lunch.
Getting rid of stuff is worth it.
You’ll have more money in the bank because you’ll have less clutter to suck up your time and dollars. It will be worth it to get rid of that storage locker and empty out the garage. You will feel light and free because you won’t have the weight off all that stuff hanging on you. It will be worth it!
Want more help with decluttering the sentimental stuff? Check out my book, Do Less: A Minimalist Guide to an Organized, Simple and Happy Life. This book has helped tens of thousands of people pare down and simplify the hard stuff.
Great job on all those accomplishments. My thought about mementos is that if they are important enough to keep, they deserve not to be stuffed in a box. Show ’em or throw ’em! The shadowbox suggestion is great. You can also find ready-made shadow boxes at any framing shop.
I think I’m pretty ruthless, I threw away newspaper clippings and invitations from my exhibitions. I don’t need those. Getting rid of them doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Some mementos are worth keeping, I have a small box of things I think my daughter would enjoy having or looking through when she is older.
Wow! You are amazing! Amazing for the effort you put in to acquire all of those ribbons, medals and watches and just as amazing for being able to get rid of many of them! You are my hero! Go girl! =)
This reminds me, I have a giant (and I mean giant) tupperware bin in my parents’ basement full of sentimental stuff… nothing as noteworthy as a medal or watch, but photos, cards, letters, that sort of thing. Years ago I went through other boxes of letters and it actually brought back a lot of warm memories I had completely forgotten about. Then I wasn’t sure what to keep and what to get rid of. I did manage to get rid of quite a bit, but the rest needs to be reviewed again with minimalist eyes.
I have made great head way with my apartment. I did a thorough clean out of our front closet, shipped out four big bags of clothes from the bedroom closet, and got rid of / craigslisted several “decorative items” that no longer fit within our small space. Every time I open a cupboard, I try to re-envision it with just what we need and get rid of the rest. So far a lot of the stuff has been repurposed within my family. I had an extra printer, my sister needed a new printer… perfect! And my other sister and I are doing a bit of a clothing swap right now. We are both sick of many of our clothes, but they are still great clothes, so we are offering first to each other, then donating or consigning the rest. Next on my hit list is the filing cabinet!
Now see, I would put those in a shadow box and display them. To me that’s the difference between paring down and shearing off your old life. One shoebox does not a hoarder make.
Thanks for the shadow box suggestion. That’s simple to do, right?
I am so uncrafty. I just returned the sewing machine my mom was loaning me and gave my little box of craft supplies to one of my sisters. I figure if I really need to craft or sew in the future it will probably be a small project that I could visit them to do. They’ll get more use out of them than I will.
While I am into simplifying I do know that I would like more photos/art on our walls. Pretty bare at the moment. Project for 2011 =)
As a ‘recovering sentimental hoarder’ (yes said tongue in cheek) I really have to keep myself in check! I actually went through a stage of keeping every receipt and car park ticket associated with any purchase or transaction linked to a key event – such as first date with Hubby, or when I took my first born shopping. Absolutely ridiculous. particularly as I them had to stick them in a scrapbook in time and date order. Yes I know this is slightly unusual, I’ve always known even when I was doing it. It wasn’t just receipts either, clothes tags etc… then I started reading about minimalism and it really helped. I first read ‘Simplify your life’ by Naomi Saunders and other books/blogs. I realised that an item is only sentimental once you attach sentiment to it and the longer you keep it the more sentimental it becomes. I still have to work at it – but the first thing I try to do now is chuck such items away, or ideally not acquire it in the first instance – then there’s no item to develop such a relationship with.