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54 Items You Can (And Should) Declutter

I’m on my annual summer decluttering binge. Something about the new year gives me energy and makes me crave order. Over the past few years I have gone through most of our house so we don’t have much unwanted clutter, but it is still amazing how much stuff can build up. Kids grow out of clothes and toys, things break, our life changes.  So far I’ve gone through the kids books and got rid of a whole lot of ones that just aren’t suitable for the kids, or that they have grown out of (somehow I can’t see Toby reading magic ballerina or rainbow fairy books). I’ve done a light cull of the linen after buying some new single sheets for the kid’s beds (their old ones were looking a bit worn and grey), and gone through my wardrobe, after I was given a whole lot of hand me down clothing that had hardly been worn. Still to go is the top shelf in the kitchen, as well as the spare room (which is actually pretty good – I just need to go through my teaching stuff with a critical eye).

a guide to minimalist living

If you’re feeling the urge to declutter and simplify your home, here is a list of things that are easy for you to start with. Pick one or two, and cull, then repeat.

  • novelty hats – all those hats with beer logos, tractor branding, or farm chemical logos that come “free” need to go.
  • unwanted kitchen appliances – eg juicers, donut makers etc.
  • clothes you haven’t worn in 12 months (unless you’ve just had a baby).
  • coat hangers that are broken or don’t hang properly
  • broken pegs from the peg basket.
  • cookie cutters you never use.
  • instruction booklets you never read.
  • cleaning product that you don’t use.
  • books you won’t read again (be ruthless and honest about this!).
  • toys the kids have out grown.
  • broken toys.
  • completed colouring and puzzle books.
  • gift bags.
  • advertising fridge magnets
  • earrings that are uncomfortable.
  • craft kits that have been finished (but the box and spare pieces are still hanging around).
  • DVDs you don’t watch any more.
  • purses and bags that are unused.
  • half finished craft projects, that you will never finish.
  • 90% of kids art and craft.
  • University or TAFE notes from 10 years ago (or even 2 years ago)
  • sports equipment that is no longer used.
  • stuffed toys that are not loved
  • board games.
  • pretty stationary that you never use (hello email!).
  • gifts that you were given but you don’t actually want.
  • bed linen that you never use (sheets, blankets, quilts etc).
  • towels that you never use.
  • shoes that are uncomfortable.
  • random coffee cups.
  • old paper work that you don’t legally need to keep.
  • tupperware tops and bottoms that have no partner.
  • cleaning supplies you haven’t used in the last 12 months.
  • old makeup.
  • extra clothing that you rarely wear – no one need 5 sets of painting clothes.
  • baby equipment (if you no longer have babies).
  • tools that are broken or malfunction.
  • knives that are no longer sharp (unless you know how to sharpen them and they are worth sharpening in the first place).
  • old toiletries.
  • printer cartridges for an old printer you  no longer have.
  • socks without a partner.
  • old takeaway menus.
  • the remote for the tv that died.
  • pens that don’t work.
  • craft supplies that have dried up or are damaged.
  • craft supplies for crafts you no longer do.
  • usb charging cables you no longer need (those things breed like crazy).
  • recipe books you never use.
  • vases that stay in the cupboard.
  • disposable food containers that breed under the sink (think Chinese containers, or ice cream containers)
  • old drink bottles – those just apparate in around here.
  • old swim goggles and hats you’re keeping ‘just in case’.
  • anything on your walls that you don’t love.
  • old mobile phones (apparently Australians are hopeless at recycling phones. You can send them away in an envelope that you can get from post offices. The envelopes usually come in the new phone box too.).

Some of these things are easy to chuck in the bin, while others can be bagged up and donated. Either way, get them out of your house and out of your life, and I bet your home will start to feel less cluttered and more relaxing.

What else would you add to this list?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie Writes Stuff says

    January 23, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    Old magazines! I keep holding on to them because I’m convinced I’ll either read the articles again or knit a pattern but I never do, so they’re all going out to the op shops.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 23, 2016 at 5:03 pm

      Do it!!!!

      Reply
  2. Nina Mills says

    January 22, 2016 at 3:39 pm

    Love this – I just need to actually DO it.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      January 22, 2016 at 8:11 pm

      Choose one to start with 🙂

      Reply
  3. jan2132 says

    January 22, 2016 at 9:50 am

    Teaching supplies and uni notes? Bingo! Two birds with one stone. I kept my uni Latin and French notes for years, convinced I would use them. Did I? No. After about 20 years I ditched them and haven’t noticed they were gone.

    I have not yet been able to ditch a theology assignment from BTh finished in 1998. Marked with a High Distinction and very favourable comments from an exceptionally hard marker who was very hard to impress.

    Bread tags from loaves of bread. Husband used to keep these as they would be handy. I threw out several dozen, much to his disgust. His mother was worse. When we went through her house she had literally dozens of yoghurt and also fruit containers from Meals on Wheels. A spare (!) microwave was packed full. A chest of drawers had every drawer full of folded bits of alfoil, manyof them greasy and used.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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