100 Super Easy Items to Get Rid of Today
This weekend it's all about the quick wins
Simple + Straightforward is a weekly letter filled with essays, tips, and ideas to live life more simply and intentionally. This is a public post so feel free to share with friends and family you think would enjoy a dose of simplicity every Friday.
Sometimes at Simple and Straightforward, I like to wax lyrical about the psychological and emotional effects of minimalism and simple living. But sometimes I like to write something to help you get shit done.
Today’s post is in the latter camp.
One of the first tasks most people take on when they want a simpler life is to remove the clutter in their lives. It’s a simple task - everyone can take a trash bag or donation box and fill it. But it’s not necessarily easy thanks to the emotional value we place on items.
But there are quick, easy wins out there too, items you probably won’t even notice are missing.
Here are 100 of them:
Kitchen
Out-of-date food
Old or unused spices (they lose their potency after around 1-2 years)
Unused condiments in the fridge
Ends of bags of dried goods like pasta, flour, and sugar
Extra chopping boards
Excess Tupperware
Excess cake tins, sheet pans, and cupcake trays
Unused knives
Excess rubber bands
Plastic bags
Extra reusable water bottles
Magnets you don’t like anymore
Unused recipe books
Unused appliances
Chipped mugs
Excess glassware
Extra serving platters
Unused silverware sets
Excess placemats
Excess oils and vinegars
Corkscrews (you only need one)
Duplicate or unused utensils
Living areas
Bags of cables you’ve not touched in years
College textbooks
Dead plants
Books you’ve never read
Magazines
Books you’ve read once and disliked
Old or unused DVDs
Old or unused CDs
Ornaments you don’t like anymore
Old board games
Manuals you can find online
Unused vases
Extra / never worn masks
Broken umbrellas
Bedroom
Old, unused bedding
Old towels
Holey underwear
Worn through socks
Extra slippers
Broken jewelry
Extra sunglasses
Old prescription glasses
Clothes you think you might wear if you lose weight
Overworn shoes
Old overcoats
Gloves with holes in them
Excess scarves and woolly hats
That hat you bought for a wedding and haven’t worn since
Costumes you wore to costume parties
Excess handbags
Excess belts
Extra reusable tote bags
Extra hangers
Extra hot water bottles
Bathroom
Old nail polish
Old makeup
Old cleaning supplies
Old perfumes and aftershave
Expired unused drugs
Expired credit / debit cards
Expired suncream
Office
Receipts (if you need them, photograph them)
Old paperwork
Old batteries
Pens (keep 4-5 tops)
Old phones
Old business cards
Card and paper cutoffs
Kids stuff
Broken toys
Unused toys
Clothes they’ve grown out of
Old prams / strollers
Kids’ old art
Old car seats
Old baby food
Extra or old sippy cups or bottles
Garage / attic
Excess nails and screws
Excess screwdrivers / wrenches / anything in your toolkit
Old or extra drills
Odd bits of wood that are always hanging around
Guns (just sayin’)
Paint that’s not used in your home anymore
Old paintbrushes
Extra bottles of white spirit, wood polish or
Extra rolls of duct tape
Broken Christmas ornaments or lights
Old Christmas trees
Leftover vacation money (donate to charity or convert to a useful denomination)
Old lightbulbs
Excess or deflated balls
Unused gym and sports equipment
Broken or unused kites
Excess crafting materials
Plant pots
Extra garden equipment like trowels, old kneeling pads, extra spades
Broken or unused water hoses
Old grills
Grill gadgets and equipment you never use
Something to read this weekend
3 articles from my collection (paywall-free)
So You Want to Sell All Your Stuff, Pack a Bag and Travel the World. How Do You Do It?
8 Purchases I’ve Never Regretted (Despite Being a Minimalist)
Why You Should Never Regret a Single Penny You Spend at Specialty Coffee Shops
If you are going to get rid of sheets or towels, please consider donating them to the local animal shelter. They could always use them.