Food gifts that did not hit the spot--jams, jellies mustards, etc, some open, some not. New stuff will be past on, the rest tossed.

Get rid of tired xmas ornaments or house decorations so you don't have to store them.

I have a friend who hosts an annual clothing (and other stuff) swap every January. It makes it a little easier to keep a bag in the closet full of things we really don't need. Sometimes we pull stuff back out on swap day, but mostly after a year in the bag it can go.

We're in the process of packing up our whole house in preparation for getting hardwood flooring install (yeah!) and we're taking the opportunity to get rid of tons of junk.

Big things to ditch for us:

Mismatched dishes that we never use (and are ugly - not cute cow mugs anyone?).

Clothes that are old, outgrown or out of style.

Old/broken furniture that isn't good quality (pressboard nightmares).

Knick-knacks that don't have a place and no real sentimental attachment.

Broken things that we never got around to fixing.

Crafting projects and materials that never were started and no longer fit our style.

Toys. The hubby and I both have a ton of action figures and silly things that we don't ever display and are just taking up space in closets. Okay, maybe not all of them, but 90% are going on to a better place. Either other more interested nerds or actual kids can get some enjoyment out of them.

Board games that we never play.

Holiday decorations that we haven't used in years. (might as well pull some of that stuff out as we're packing everything away)

Paperwork. Shredding a TON of stuff.

I agree with the article - for years I held onto gifts that I wasn't wild about or things I never used simply because it was from someone I care about. This year I decided to turn over a new leaf. I just got rid of 3 large garbage-sized bags of clothes and 2 bags of kitchenware items and a variety of books. Took them all to Goodwill, as they were in good shape.
There were also a handful of gifts that I received this year that just didn't do it for me. Receipt or no receipt, I returned them all and got things I wanted or just got gift cards to use for when I do think of something to get from that particular store.
The whole clean-out made me feel SO much better at the beginning of this new year.

Trying to get rid off old paperback books that will never be read again.

Did this last year in preparation for a remodel. Instead of just tossing or donating to Goodwill, we found places that could REALLY use things. InnVision, or the like (for formerly homeless folks setting up housekeeping again) takes those still-useable kitchen items, linens, even partial bottles of shampoo and cleaning supplies. Picture frames, calendars, candles, etc. that aren't our style all add a touch of home to a place when someone's starting from scratch.

If you're getting rid of old towels or blankets, consider donating them to an animal shelter. They can use towels and blankets to pad the pad of cages or for washing the animals.

If you get rid of old linens, keep in mind that animal shelters will be happy to take them off of your hands even if they're too ratty to donate to goodwill.

Tossed a box and a half of veggie burgers; don't like the taste or texture. Also four eggs that were getting close to expiration time.

Cleaned out the fridge and freezer. Collected sample and travel size toiletries, extra shampoo and the like and donated to a women's shelter.

i would love to let go of things, but we just moved 2000 km back home a year and a half ago, downsized to a very small place, got rid of stuff with that move, then a move to a townhome, i think a priority should be setting up shelves, getting stuff organized so i dont go buy the stuff i let go of again. But some great suggestions on what to let go of, its just i keep doing that, and now, i need some order first.

Also check the spice rack... I used to always buy tons of spices for cooking and sometimes they were used only once or twice. When I last looked at everything many of the less used bottles and canisters were well beyond their best before date...
Otherwise, I'm still hesitant about my old university class papers and binders though. They're stocked in boxes under the bed Although I haven't looked at them in almost 10 years, I still hang on to them but when I think of the work they meant back then...

This is the year of letting go for me. Cleaning out clothes that I have not worn in a season. Making an effort to clean out at least 1 or 2 file folders in filing cabinet daily from my office. Old books that I "thought" I would read...gone! I have been sorting pictures of the family into memory boxes for the kids and grandkids...all the rest will go away. The biggest offender is the medicine cabinet and high on priority list. Old nail polish, makeup, ointments long past dated, vitamins or herbal pills no longer in use...GOING, going, gone!

Anything you haven't used or worn in a year.

i'm guilty for hanging onto magazines for years. i started ripping out the pages of things i liked and started a bit of a scrapbook with all my favourite pages. it was a good way to not feel as guilty when parting with your magazines.

I just went through the kids' art supply cabinet and tossed out dry markers, gunky paint and glue, etc. Added in some new items to freshen things up further. Planning to do this every January/June from now on!

I had an unusual opportunity to get rid of something last week -- my fireplace hearth. My bedroom is undergoing a complete gutting, and my two construction-savvy friends and I discovered that the hearth doesn't have any real support other than the hardwood floor that was buckling and swaying. When I was faced with the choice to keep it or let it go, I embraced the latter -- if nothing else, it'll be great to have two more cubic feet in my bedroom. One of the friends is bringing a construction-grade impact drill from work next weekend to break it into pieces so we can move it outside (it weighs around 600 lbs).

Regifted anything I got for Christmas already and now pulling books together to swap at the book exchange. I don't have excess or surplus anything anymore so currently contemplating what I can completely let go of.

This is such a coincidence; I've started weeding a 2-foot stack of Sunset and BH&G today. Like Joli, I tear out recipes and specific articles I want to save. I'm also tossing the jewelry I've kept since the '80s and several moves. (Why??) Next come books (I donate them to Friends of the Library) and baby toys. I like to use Freecycle to get rid of larger items, so I don't have to haul them myself.

i'm guilty for hanging onto magazines for years. i started ripping out the pages of things i liked and started a bit of a scrapbook with all my favourite pages. it was a good way to not feel as guilty when parting with your magazines.

If only I could find where I've stored my cookie cutters away I would have used them!
If you're throwing out towels and sheets etc, think of your local animal rescue place - ours is always looking for stuff like that for their animals, cleaning etc.

I want to check two cabinets with stuff I simply throw in during the year if there is anything I would like to keep and toss everything else in the litter box. The magazine collection is something else I need to check today... And getting rid of that almost empty Korres hand soap...

Any more I refuse to donate to Goodwill since they do a huge mark up on things they get for free. Lately I've been donating to a local place run for people on disabilities (it has a small shop, a small kitchen to provide food for a very low price, a small gym, etc). Anything given if they can't actually use it there, they sell it in their shop for less than $1 apiece and shoes are given away.

I have every playbill from every show I've seen since I was a kid (and believe me, I see hundreds a year). Except for particularly meaningful ones (friends'), I can't decide if I should toss, donate (where? to whom?) or sell (anyone want to buy? lots of starry shows).

I'm getting rid of the trifle bowl and etching supplies- I tried to do an etching project for a Christmas present, but got too complicated for a first-timer and screwed it up. All the supplies are sitting on my table mocking me. They are going away, along with the guilt.

My spare room is currently half full of things we're getting rid of (clothes, books, magazines, appliances, electronics). We're making a move this year to a new city and a smaller home, so my plan is to get rid of anything we haven't used in more than a year. It's liberating!

My house is littered with post wedding stuff. I am devoted to selling as much as I can and donating the rest. There is no reason to fill my house with things I will never use again.

I have re-gifted numerous shower and wedding gifts this year. I feel a little guilty but it is better than holding onto things that never get used.

On the playbills ... maybe just keep the cover? I like the idea of putting magazine clippings in a photo album so maybe you could put your playbill covers in one and then you could flip through and look at them periodically.

I'm going through my crafting supplies and culling out old novelty yarn and other things that I'll never use up and giving to my city's Re-Use Centre. Some teacher can use it in her art class, and I'll have more space in my craft drawer for stuff I'll actually use!

such great tips for a fresh new start to the year! i recommend utilizing Freecycle or a similar site, especially for the magazines. lots of people jump at the chance to take them off my hand, regardless of how old they are! makes 'em take on another life before they hit the recycling bin.

I'm holding onto the last printed year's worth of Domino Magazine editions. So hard to part with.

Great advice! I have a pile of Cooking Light magazines that need to go, especially since I get their annual recipe book every year. I also have quite a few cookbooks that I never, ever use. I may have to check out Freecycle this weekend!

On magazines, think about taking them to nursing homes or hospitals. Think of all the years-old ones that are usually there...

remember to offer servicable, reusable items FREE on NeighborGoods or CraigsList, just not in the trash to end up in landfills.

"Any more I refuse to donate to Goodwill since they do a huge mark up on things they get for free. "

There are corrupt Goodwill stores just like anything else, but overall the "markups" on their donated items pay salaries for disabled people to work, cover rent and utilities for their stores, pay haulage fees for crap nobody should have donated in the first place, etc.

I donate books to my library (which are sold to pay for things like museum passes and programs), I keep a bag on hand to hold things I decide I can live without and then take them to Goodwill or Savers, and I deliberately evaluate and purge my wardrobe twice a year. (It's time. sigh.)

I take things to Value Village on a regular basis (the downsize is that once there, I purchase something else). :-)
I have tons of "injured" stuffed toys that my dogs tore up, chewed off the ears, eyes, etc. I had the intention of "fixing them up" - not that it bothers me they are ripped, but once that happens, the dogs love to pull out all the stuffing and leave it all over the living room - but finally I realized that after 5 years of storing them in the basement and in the garage, it is time to toss them into garbage for good.

I've decided to let go of two decade's worth of unread books that I am ready to admit I will probably never make the time to read. Also resolved to start reading only new releases and only old books if I am absolutely insatiably intrigued and no new releases interest me a the moment.

smellykelly - have every edition of domino magazine and won't part with them. i've even packed them up and moved them to the east coast and back to the west coast because i refuse to give them up. however i've finally cleaned out a stoarge unit i had for over a year and donated a ton of stuff to goodwill.

smellykelly - have every edition of domino magazine and won't part with them. i've even packed them up and moved them to the east coast and back to the west coast because i refuse to give them up. however i've finally cleaned out a stoarge unit i had for over a year and donated a ton of stuff to goodwill.

@bluesky22 - thanks for the tip on magazines "nursing homes or hospitals". I have 3 years worth of a great Sunday newspaper
fashion mag that need a home, and can't bear to throw them away.

LOVE #5. more more more more(!) please, more of these people please! Hate clutter-bugs.

A useful post, nicely written. Glad I clicked on the link. I follow these ideas routinely but Point 5 adds a new perspective to my problem with sentimentality much more than guilt. Applying the logic may still prove difficult.