6 Decluttering Questions: Question 1

by Jess Lex

When you start the process of decluttering and downsizing, you will have to make a lot of decisions to help you sort your things. I recommend asking 6 questions in order to help you make decisions about your items. Today’s blog will cover question 1: Is the item necessary or used regularly?

This question is a fairly straightforward one. It doesn’t really need much explanation. Yet, it is not always easy to pinpoint whether or not you’re using an item regularly or if it’s necessary. You may have some fear around getting rid of something that you haven’t used in a while. This comes into play because sometimes as soon as you get rid of that item, a need for it pops up.

Here are some strategies that you can use to help avoid being crippled in your decision-making by these feelings of fear.

1. Consider a price threshold

Create a rule for yourself to make answering this question less stressful. If the item is less than a certain cost to replace, just get rid of it if you don’t think you’re using it regularly. Then, if you end up needing it in the future, you can consider rebuying it. You can choose whatever price threshold feels most comfortable to you whether that’s $5 or $20.

Story time: I was once the owner of a salad spinner. And I am now once again the owner of a salad spinner. I bought the first salad spinner at Goodwill. I rarely used it in that phase of my life, so I decided to free up space and get rid of it. I had another use for it in the future and ended up having to re-buy it. The second salad spinner purchase was also from Goodwill, so it was a really inexpensive item, even though I had to buy it twice.

2. Use a “Maybe Box”

The “Maybe Box” is really neat for helping you figure out, a little more slowly, if you’re using something and should keep it. Any of those items you’re unsure about, put them in a box and seal it up. On the outside of the box, put a date that you think is far enough into the future to help you determine if the item is something you need to keep. For example, you could choose a date 6 months in the future. If within that 6 month timeframe, you go back to the box to remove any items because you need to use them, you can keep those items. Anything left in the box immediately gets loaded up for donation to your favorite resale store if it’s still in the box when the future date comes around. Pro Tip: DO NOT reopen the box before donating it. If you do, you may end up having to sort everything again because you’ll second guess the process.