Why we hold onto things we no longer need

Take a look around your home – a good look. Open the chest in the corner, your wardrobe, those drawers in the study…

What do you see? Items that are useful, used often and organised? Items you’d expect in other people’s homes? Or is it a mishmash of useful things, an overabundance of others, items you look at wistfully every year or two, and things you’d completely forgotten about?

If you’ve said the latter, you’re like many of us, that hold onto things that we no longer need.

Determining just why we hold onto these is the first part of letting go, and removing the clutter from our homes.

The “Just in Case” Mentality

The “Just in Case” mentality overall isn’t a poor one. If you’re the kind of person who has a stock of wrapping paper, rubber bands, vases, sewing pins and other useful bits and bobs, then you’ll know they come in handy. However, having too many of these stockpiled is what adds clutter. Remove excess stocks to trim the fat.

The other “Just in Case” scenario is those that have items like a waffle iron (when was the last time that you made waffles?), a large stock of tampons and pads (when you’re well into menopause and the kids have left home), or a second desktop computer (that’s gathering dust and you can’t remember the last time you turned it on). These items are not needed and simply take up space, so clear them out.

The Guilt of Unwanted Presents

We’ve all received presents that we don’t really like, want, or need. However, some of us, rather than giving them away or regifting, will hold onto them out of guilt. This is guilt is neither useful or warranted. If you have unwanted gifts around, do the right thing and give them to someone who might appreciate it. If the present giver asks, you can simply say, “such and such really liked it so I decided to pass it on”.

Objects Can Bring Back Strong Memories

When you pull out an item out of a drawer, like a figurine from your childhood, or a knick-knack from a holiday, it can bring back strong, warm, nostalgic feelings. Now, this is okay in theory; it’s when your house becomes too cluttered with nostalgic items that are squirrelled away when it becomes an issue. Keep very important items and display them – don’t keep them locked away and accumulating.

Clothes You “Might” Fit into or Want to Wear Again

Clothes can be a big one on this list. If you’ve lost or gained weight, then keeping clothes that you no longer fit into on the chance that they’ll be wearable again is a common occurrence. You might also have items from years past that you think might come into fashion again. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn anything for a year, then it’s time to go. You might like to hold onto particularly gorgeous and/or expensive clothes, and wait a few more years, or try to give them to someone close who will wear them.