Every one of your material possessions demands resources in one form or another. These resources are some combination of time, space, money, effort, or attention. In fact, even a maintenance-free object will take up space in your home. So any possession you don’t use is a waste of these resources. If you have enough useless things, they can even ruin the interior of your home. So, it is good to realize when you have a lot of stuff you don’t use. Here are some of the signs:
You use paid storage.
If you use paid storage, you believe your home is not big enough to keep everything you have. It also means you are willing to continually pay money to keep these things. But most things in storage seldom if ever get used and simply become liabilities. So, if you have a picture in paid storage, you are paying money to not look at it. You are better off either discarding the things in storage. Otherwise, you can discard unused items from your home to make room for them.
Clutter piles up on horizontal surfaces.
This is the sign that you have run out of proper places to put things. It is because every room has a finite amount of space. So, if you put too many things in a room, you will run out of proper places to put them. When this happens, clutter will pile up on whatever can fit it, such as horizontal surfaces. Because we use relatively few things, much of the clutter will be from things we don’t use. If there are too many, they can make it impossible to keep the room clutter-free. The only solution at this point is to get rid of things you don’t use.
Your home is a place to escape from.
A home should be a sanctuary to relax and recover. But many homes are not like that. Many people look to escape their homes. They often see a vacation as a great escape. Now, there are many possible reasons why people want to run away from their homes. Clutter is one of those possible reasons because it makes the home stressful. Whatever the case, if you feel the need to run away from your home, it is time to fix it. If it is because of clutter, it is time to get rid of things you don’t use. Your home should be the best hotel.
You can’t park your car in your garage.
This is a common problem among American households. They park their expensive cars on the streets and in the driveways. Also, they cannot even bring in groceries on a rainy day without getting wet. It is because they use their garages as storage, and often for things they don’t use. It is time to check your priorities and ask if the useless stuff is worth more than your expensive car. After that, it is time to clear out your garage.
You continually misplace the things you use.
The most convenient place you can keep anything in its proper place. That way, you never have to search for anything. So, if you have to keep searching for things, it is because they are not in their proper places. Having too many useless things can make it hard to find proper places for the things you use. Useless things can also conceal the things you use. Clearing out your space can reveal the useful things you misplaced. It will also help to create proper spaces for them.
You have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.
If this happens, it is either because you have no clothes for the occasion or you are inundated with choices. If you are inundated with choices, you have many redundant clothes for the occasion. If you have nothing for the occasion, your full closet has redundant clothes of other types. In either case, you have redundant clothes. You should look through your closet for the clothes that gather dust. These are the ones you don’t wear and should be gone.
It takes hours to tidy up a room.
A room with few things is easy to keep tidy. If your room takes a long time to tidy up, there are likely too many things in it. In this case, it is easier to get rid of the things you don’t use because you will save a lot of time and effort.
You have a lot of “just in case” items that are not for emergencies.
It is quite normal to keep items just in case some event happens. But only makes sense if not having the item will create an emergency because of the event. So, it is good to have a first aid kit or a fire extinguisher just in case something bad happens. But there are no emergency trinkets or catalogs.
You forget what is in some of your boxes.
When you relocate, it is normal to transport many of your belongings in boxes. Also, sometimes it can take a while to unpack all your boxes. But it shouldn’t take too long to unpack the things you need. After all, if you use something every day, you will unpack it very soon. If you go a long time without opening a box, you don’t have an urgent need for whatever is in it. If it is so long that you forgot what is in the box, you don’t need any of its contents. It is time to get rid of the box and everything in it.
You shop on impulse or out of boredom.
There is only one good reason to buy something. That is if you have a use for it but have no worthy substitute. Otherwise, you are either buying something redundant or rendering something else redundant. This happens quite often when people shop out of boredom. Also, if you didn’t know you want something until you saw it or its price, you didn’t want it that badly. Buying things you have no use for is a major source of useless things. You are better off saving your money.
In summary, here are some of the signs that you have a lot of stuff you don’t use:
You use paid storage.
Clutter piles up on horizontal surfaces.
Your home is a place to escape from.
You can’t park your car in your garage.
You continually misplace the things you use.
You have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.
It takes hours to tidy up a room.
You have a lot of “just in case” items that are not for emergencies.
You forget what is in some of your boxes.
You shop on impulse or out of boredom.
If some of these apply to you, it will help to shop less and remove things from your home. Your quality of life will improve.