3 questions to ask yourself when decluttering

by Serenity Haines

Decluttering your entire home is a huge undertaking. It can feel like an entire second job when you already have a busy house. And decluttering is not something you want to have to do (to the full extent) repeatedly.

When you decide to really get crazy and declutter, you will find some items tough to part with. And being budget-minded can make getting rid of things difficult! But at the end of the day, you need some peace, calm, and order to your home.

So here are three questions to ask yourself when you are having a hard time decluttering that should make making those decisions a little bit easier.

Read what the number one thing you must do when decluttering is by clicking here.

1. How do I feel about this item??

If you didn't hit the link to the above article, no big deal. This is basically the point:

You need to pay attention to the emotional response you have to every.single.item. that you touch when you are decluttering.

This is important!

You will feel something.

Marie Kondo wants you to pay attention to if it sparks joy. Which is great, but I want you to pay attention to the other feelings also.

Are you feeling guilt, dread, or some other negative feeling when you pick that item up?

If so, can I just say this...?

It's time to let it go.

Get your inner Elsa on sister, LET.IT.GO. (turn on the music for some inspiration?)

And if you are still unsure about a particular item, ask yourself the following:

2. When was the last time I used this particular item??

Has it been a week, a month a year???

I think when you decide to really, really go through your home that the whole Decluttering Process, you are going to find some items that you haven't used in a long time.

**sidenote - if you want to know Decluttering process I use, join our Monthly Organization Challenge & Newsletter below. You'll get the info (stat!) on how to get started!!

It's easy for the things that we don't use to get pushed to the back of cabinets or drawers, only to make a rare appearance later in life.

And I would venture to say that since these things have been shoved back, out of sight & out of mind, that maybe they are not the most important things to you??

When you pull those items out of their long lost home/storage place, take a minute or two to decide if you missed it all that time?

If you did, then by all means, keep it, sister!!

But if you didn't even realize the item was gone or missing at all, I think it's totally reasonable to send it to the donation pile, guilt-free!

3. What is the cost to replace the item?

Now, being a super budget-minded person, if something still holds value, it can be really hard to get rid of it, even when you don't actually need it or use it (please see above questions if this is the case).

I totally get that.

But if you think if it that you are paying for storage for every single item you own, maybe that changes things?

So you can look at it like this: Is that $1-2 item that you “might” use again really worth storing for the next 6 months to a year just in case??

Probably not. It'd be inexpensive to replace.

On the flip side: If you are looking at something that is considerably more expensive to replace, and you don't quite feel comfortable getting rid of it, don't!

But you can give yourself a time-limit to make that decision i.e. if you haven't used the item within six months you will donate it.

Hopefully asking yourself these three questions: How do I feel about it? When did I last use this? and How much will it cost to replace? Will help you easily make decisions about what to declutter in your home and what you know you want to keep and help you bring some peace and order to your busy home.

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