10 Things You Can Throw Away and NOT Miss

Organizing, tidying, straightening, decluttering, or what ever you want to call it, used to be my life. It wasn't until I read a book, mentioned here and here, that I realized I could be happier with LESS. There were things that I could actually throw away and NOT miss, instead of constantly straightening them, moving them around, and tripping over them. 

After I finished the book and completed the KonMarie Method, I was left with so much less stuff, and everything I have gotten rid of, I have not missed once. Not a single thing. Honest. I have learned that there are certain things that you really don't need. Even though it maybe difficult to imagine getting rid of these things at first, you won't miss them when they are gone. You don't actually need more space, you need less stuff. At least that's true for me.

Here's a list of 10 things you can throw away and NOT miss... 

Paper. This includes receipts, pay stubs, credit card statements, bank statements, owners manuals. Most banks and credit cards companies offer online statements and you can go back 7 years to view them if you need too. I checked online here to see what papers you need to keep and for how long. Have a problem with your washing machine? Google the model number and find the manual online. A lot of my manuals were to items that I no longer own, like my first vcr, and I don't even own any vhs tapes! If you own your own business, I used to so I know, you do have to keep a lot more paperwork and keep your receipts in order for taxes. There are scanners you can buy and scan all of your paperwork into and it saves it onto your computer so that way you don't have to keep files and boxes of paperwork. *I of course kept 7 years worth of taxes.

Good bye paper!

CD and DVD cases. I didn't realize how much space these took up. Now I have them all in zip up binders and they fit nicely on one small shelf. There are other storage systems you can use that have sleeves and they fit into a box and it might be easier if you have kids. All the extra shelf and drawer space is awesome! I definitely don't miss those cases.

That's over 200 DVD cases!

Clothes. Ok not all clothes, I am talking about, ripped, stained, worn out clothes. Don't down grade your old clothes to lounge wear. Do you feel good about yourself when you wear things like that? Would you be embarrassed to answer the door while wearing them? Exactly my point. Get yourself proper sleepwear and lounge wear and throw away those stretched out t-shirts and ripped yoga pants already!

Boxes and cardboard. Seriously I know you have these lying around. You're keeping them 'just incase'. Old electronic boxes and shoe boxes take up so much space! And if you're thinking of saving them in case you decide to sell the item it came in, don't. That laptop, game station, or digital camera will sell all on its own, the box won't make or break the sale. 

Blurry photographs. These were all of my blurry photos that's were in albums! Three huge stacks! Why? I don't know why. I couldn't even tell what they were and who was in them. They were from my childhood, teenage and early married years, back in the 'olden days' when we used film, and you printed off every picture you took haha! I haven't missed them that's for sure! And now I have room in my albums for photos that's I love. 

Really?!?

Makeup, hair, skin and nail items. It was crazy how many things I was holding onto just because I spent money on them. Seriously?! I really don't know what good they were doing just sitting there, I was definitely not going to use them again. If it's expired or if you tried it and don't like it, just get rid of it. If it can't be returned, throw it away. You'll feel way better looking into your drawers and cabinets and only seeing only the items you love and that make you feel great. 

Photo Credit: Melanie Pinola from LifeHacker.com

Greeting cards. I did keep some special ones. Ones with special messages and ones from passed loved ones. But old Christmas cards, thank you cards, and cards with just a name written in the bottom were thrown away. I had stacks and stacks and stacks of cards. Now they all fit in a small bin and they all actually mean something to me. 

Magazines. I used to have a few subscriptions back in the day and I kept most of them for just an article or two, a how to project, or a recipe. Boxes of magazines that hadn't seen the light of day for years. Good bye! I didn't ever go back and read those articles that I thought were so important. There's this really awesome thing called the Internet and if I need something I can find it there :) Do you have piles that look like this?

Photo Credit: thechicnotebook.wordpress.com

Plastic. Cups from kids meals. Mismatched comeback cups. Plastic sour cream, cottage cheese, cool whip containers. I had over 30 of these in my cabinets. It's ok to get rid of them. Invest in some nice glass storage container so you can actually see what's in them and they are BPA, PET and PVC free and are safe to use while reheating food. 

Cords. You know that box full of cords that you have no idea what goes to what? Old computers, cell phones, tv's, toys and who knows what else. More than likely you have already gotten rid of what they belong to. Every time I looked into that box, it gave me anxiety, I didn't know what they went to but I was afraid of throwing away I might need. It took me a little bit of time but I went around to all of my electronics and made sure the cords that were supposed to go with them were with them. Then I finally tossed out that big box of junk and haven't needed a single one since.

Google Image, but mine looked very similar

All of these things took up so much room. Now after clearing things out, I actually have empty shelves! EMPTY! I highly recommend this book, if you need a little jump start to decluttering your home and freeing up to time and space. But these 10 things are things I definitely don't miss anymore!

What are things that you hang onto for fear that you might need them one day?