The new year is almost here; a time to start fresh and purge things that are no longer serving you. Make room for all of the good things 2018 has for you, and purge out all the clutter in your life that doesn’t bring you joy. Here’s a look at 18 things to purge from your life for 2018:
1. CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT
Pull out everything from your drawers and closet, and ask yourself if you need to take those things into the new year. If clothes are too large or too small or styles that you don’t like anymore, donate them. If you have any clothes with holes in them, stains, or are just tattered, throw them out. Things that aren’t serving you are taking up space in your closet and in your life; get rid of them.
2. RECEIPTS/MOVIE TICKETS/BOARDING PASSES
Saving receipts or movie stubs and boarding passes can really clutter up your space. Sometimes these items can have sentimental value, but consider how often you reference them or need them. If you really want to keep these things, take a photo or scan it and recycle the clutter.
3. KITCHEN TOOLS/UTENSILS
If you have a bunch of coffee mugs, plates, silverware, and measuring cups, think about how many you actually need at one time. If you have 10 coffee mugs, but it’s only you that drinks coffee then maybe you only really need one or two cups. We used to have a lot of plates, but it’s just the two of us and we had so many plates just piling up. Now we only have four plates and it just feels good not having extra things cluttering my life.
4. OLD/EXPIRED SKINCARE OR MAKEUP
Old and expired products can separate or become spoiled. They may cause your skin to have a reaction or behave poorly. Throw out old products if it’s time. Don’t risk using expired products on your face/skin.
5. OLD PLANNERS/JOURNALS
This one is hard for me because I love my planners and I love to have them to look back at and see how things have changed for me over the years. If you love something and it brings you joy, then keep it! But if it is no longer serving you then you should purge it. If you find yourself just holding on to your old planners and journals, but never looking back at them, consider tossing them out.
6. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
Now that Christmas has passed and you are getting ready to put the decorations away, go through and see what you really love and what you can do without. Don’t continue to store things that don’t make you happy.
7. TEXTBOOKS
If you are hanging on to any college textbooks, definitely donate them. They may have cost a lot of money and maybe you think that you’ll need to reference them, but textbooks are revised almost every year. Your old textbooks are probably outdated and you can probably find all of that information online. So ditch the bulky books and free some space for 2018.
8. BIRTHDAY CARDS
If you are sentimental, you may be hanging on to old birthday cards. Do you ever look at them or re-read them? Are they bringing joy to your life? If you are just hoarding them for the sentiment but never even look at them, toss them!
9. DRIED FLOWERS
Maybe you are holding on to lots of dried flower bouquets from birthdays or valentines. Why? Unless they are on display and you are loving them, throw out those dead flowers and bring in some new life for 2018.
10. HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS
This one may be hard, but how often do you really look back at your high school year book? If it truly makes you happy to reminisce then definitely keep them. But if you aren’t trying to hang on to those high school years, then why are you storing this massive yearbook? Instead, consider scanning the pages you care about and saving the digital files on your computer.
11. INSTRUCTION MANUALS
You can find most instruction manuals online, so shred those paper manuals and free up some space.
12. TRENDY PURSES AND BAGS
How many purses or bags do you really need? If you have a bag for every occasion or trend, you may consider phasing out some bags and choosing more classic/timeless items. Save your space, and also adopt a “time capsule” wardrobe at the same time. I use my Kanken backpack every day, or my new crossbody bag if it’s a little nicer occasion and I am so happy to eliminate the material items and the energy needed to make a decision about what bag to wear today.
13. OLD CELL PHONES/GADGETS
If you still have your previous cell phone or CD players or old computers but aren’t using them, get rid of them. Power up your devices and save/delete any information. Once you have wiped your devices, either sell them (eBay or an electronics store), or contact your waste company to find out how to recycle your electronics. Old phones and computers aren’t serving you in storage.
14. DECORATIVE TRINKETS
There are so many little trinkets and knickknacks that we accumulate over the years. Maybe they have sentimental value or maybe they are just fun. If you love them and they bring you joy, then keep them. But if they are just accumulating dust or sitting in storage somewhere, then get rid of them. Donate them or throw them away.
15. DVDS AND CDS
Disks are old and becoming outdated. Most media is digital, and new computers don’t even have disk drives. If you are holding on to any disks, upload them to your computer and then throw them out.
16. GIFTS YOU DON’T LIKE
You might have received some gifts during the holidays that you aren’t in love with. Don’t feel obligated to keep gifts just because of who gave them to you. See if you can exchange or return your gift, or donate it. Hanging on to gifts that you don’t need/want/like doesn’t serve you.
17. PENS
I love pens and paper, and just stationary in general. I have a lot of pens that I know I love and I use all the time, but I also have a bunch of pens that I just keep in a case or in a tin. I recently went through to see how many of those pens still even write, and how many I even want to continue to keep. If you are a pen hoarder like I am, toss the ones you don’t use. There’s no point in keeping a case full of pens that you don’t and never will use.
18. DEBT
Get rid of debt in 2018. If you have credit cards or student loans, or you just owe your friend/parents money, work to eliminate that debt. Debt just weighs you down. Using your money to pay for things from the past only takes away from what you could be doing now/in the future. Make a point to stop accumulating any new debt, and create a budget to help you eliminate debt this year. You can do it!
Keep the things that make you happy and bring joy to your life. So if you feel strongly about something and it adds to your life, keep it. But if it isn’t serving you any longer, ditch the baggage and start fresh for the new year. Leave the things that don’t inspire you back in 2017.
