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How to get rid of Clutter and Stuff

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Many people complain of clutter, but often the problem is more than just clutter. They simply have TOO MUCH STUFF!

How do you get rid of the stuff without adding more stress to your life? Try these simple tips for purging unnecessary stuff from your life, including clutter AND projects.

PURGE: Clothes

You don't have to spend a full day flinging through clothes in your closet to make a dent in the pile you no longer wear. You can purge old clothes a little at a time by taking just an extra minute each day to take a look at what you own.

Here are some great ideas for purging clothes that will allow you to reduce your clutter without taking a lot of time out of your day.

To clean out your hanging clothes, turn all your hangers the wrong way in your closet. As you wear clothes, wash them, and put them back, turn the hanger the right way. After a few months you'll be able to see which clothes you are no longer using.
Keep a paper grocery bag, laundry basket, or box in your bedroom or closet for clothes to donate. Each time you find something that doesn't work for you, put it in the box to donate.
Every time you try something on, ask yourself: does it fit? Do I feel good in it? Does it look good on me? Am I ever REALLY going to get around to fixing that hole? If not, in the donate bag it goes.
Pick one day a week to try on two extra outfits before you get dressed. These should be clothes you don't wear often. Apply the rules above, and donate if necessary.

PURGE: Videos

I LOVE to watch movies, and I have nearly 300 VHS tapes. When my collection was smaller it fit nicely in a video cabinet I bought at a garage sale. Now I've rearranged and repurposed furniture, and my collection is bursting from the seams of my new armoire-turned-entertainment system.

I'm getting better - I no longer buy lots of used VHS tapes at garage sales and discount stores (ok, a FEW, but not a LOT) and I'm slowly making the change over to DVD. But how can I get rid of some of these tapes?

Alphabetize. Taking an hour or two to sit down and alphabetize your movies can serve two purposes. One, you will be able to find what you want to watch when you want to watch it, and two, if you pick up a movie you no longer love, you can put it straight in the donate box.
Switch to DVD. Ask for DVD versions of your favorite movies for birthday and Christmas presents. They will look great in the improved quality a DVD brings and take up less space. You'll have room for the movies you really love.
Donate kids videos to the hospital. Many hospitals and clinics have waiting rooms where they can put children's videos to good use. If your kids have outgrown their movies, this is a good place to send them.
Switch to Netflix! I'm so going to do this! For less than the price of BUYING one DVD per month, you can rent an unlimited number of DVDs at a rate of two at a time. If you want to see a movie you don't own, it's just a mouse click and two days away.

Do you have a hard time purging?

Some people find it easy to get rid of things they no longer want and need. Other people find it difficult or even traumatizing.

Is it hard for you to get rid of stuff?

Nope. If I don't need it, it's gone.

I tend to hold on to things.

mariah says:

It's so hard for me to say good bye to clothes. I don't have a very specific style so because of my eclectic taste I never want to give up an opportunity to accecorize or have a cute outfit. But recently I haven't been dressing as cute and I feel the need to have more of a signature style, I feel like I'm drowning in just the idea of clothes.

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PURGE: Papers

Welcome to a paperless society...psych! I think the more technology I get, the more paper I collect. Even if you feel the same way, you don't have to put up with mountains of paper!

ASK: Do I need it?
By NEED I mean will you need it for a legal, tax, financial, warranty/proof of purchase, investment/large purchase, or medical purpose? If so, it's a keeper and needs to be filed.
ASK: Can I take action on it?
If you can make a phone call, put the appointment in your day planner, send an email, or do something else action-oriented to resolve the need for the paper, schedule time to do it. Or just do it now.
ASK: How can I find this later?
I keep a lot of magazine clippings with decorating ideas. I glue them onto looseleaf paper and keep them in a thin binder. That way they don't get lost, and when I want to work on one of the ideas, I can take the binder with me to the store or garage. This is just one way to make sure the things you keep can be found later.

Shred Personal Papers

Using a medium capacity shredder is a secure way to get rid of paperwork you no longer need but don't want someone else reading. If you burn wood, camp, or have bonfires, you can also create your own fire starters by tying paper into loose tubes.