Determine if items are useful
Ask yourself if you have used the item in the last month to 90 days, or if you see yourself needing it in the next month. If not, this item likely can be put aside. An easy way to identify items that won’t be useful is to check for duplicates or if anything is expired. Duplicate items can immediately be moved to the toss pile.
‘Why do I want this item?’
Consider each item you come across and ask yourself how it serves a purpose. If it looks great in the home or is a cherished memento, then it likely can be kept. But if you can’t say why you want it, it needs to find a new home, particularly if you already own something else that does the same thing but might also have other uses.
Does it fit?
One of the biggest culprits to clutter and overflowing closets is holding on to clothes with the hope that you’ll once again fit into them. Keeping a collection of multi-sized shirts and pants with the intention of dropping or gaining weight so that they fit once more only leads to hangers and bins full of useless items. Although clothes can be expensive, should you fluctuate in weight, it’s likely that you’ll want to get new clothes instead of wearing outdated styles. When assessing shoes, figure out which ones are uncomfortable or seldom used (a collection of sandals might not be appropriate if you live in a cold climate). Donate items in good condition.
Do you still feel the same about collectibles?
People often collect figurines, shot glasses or other items through the years out of habit. Over time, items that once were popular fall out of favor. If your interest in porcelain pigs has waned, it may be time to clear out collectibles to make room for other things.
Assess your paper files
Major financial records and/or business documents can be kept indefinitely, but other files likely can be shredded. The Internal Revenue Service generally has up to six years to audit a return, so it is helpful to keep tax returns and supporting documents for around seven years. Most people have pivoted to online bank statements and pay stubs, but the general consensus is to keep bank and credit card statements, pay stubs, paid medical bills, and such for a year before discarding them. Going digital by scanning files or documents and storing them securely might be an alternative to bulky files.
Getting organized means figuring out what to keep and what needs to go, a process that differs for each person.
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