Tips for Letting Go

This week is National Simplify Your Life Week, so we thought we'd share tips to pare down and let go of what you're not using. But how do you know when it's time to go? Here are some guidelines:

Clothing: If you haven’t worn it for the past season, consider passing it on. If a whole season has passed without use, chances are you’ve found something else in your wardrobe to replace it.Papers:  If you take the time to throughly go through papers, you’ll be amazed at how much can be eliminated. There are some important documents that should be saved, check out our Records Retention document for more information on what to keep. Also, consider scanning and filing digitally—retrieval is quicker and it takes up less space!In the Kitchen: The kitchen requires constant upkeep. Get in the habit of going through the fridge, tossing expired foods and doing a quick wipe down every time you add groceries. It's a great habit to help keep your kitchen in tip-top shape.Kids Toys: Are little ones overtaking your space? They shouldn’t have more toys than you can manage. Make sure all accessible toys are age appropriate and rotate them, keeping only some readily available. This will also help when friends visit—they love to check out every option available leaving a storm behind.Garage/Outdoors: A little attention to detail in the garage can make a big difference on how much accumulates. Make sure to give the space a once over each season. Store items according to the current season. Shovels and snow salt don’t need to be accessible in the summer.Sentimental Items: Are you hanging on to grandmothers rocking chair because she loved it, but you don’t? Your real estate is valuable, don’t hang on to things you don’t really love, because the next generation will love it even less. Save small momentos in a keepsake box and for those larger items that you’re having guilt about, snap a photo and write a story about how the item was cherished.

Another good option for streamlined living is to use the 'one in, two out' rule. Every time you add one item, eliminate two. This will help the inflow and outflow maintain a paring down proportion