• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Happy Simple Mom Logo

Happy Simple Mom

Simple, Clutter-Free Living

  • Start Here
  • Decluttering
    • How to Declutter
    • Areas to Declutter
    • Cleaning
    • Organization
  • Simple Living
    • The Simple Life
    • Minimalism with Kids
    • Minimalist Lifestyle
    • Simple Gifts

The Best Strategies For Getting Rid of Your Stuff After Decluttering

April 18

Sharing is caring!

8165 shares
  • Share4883

You finally decided enough is enough and you are ready to declutter your home. 

However, you are not quite sure what to do with the stuff you have been saving and collecting for so long.  I mean, you paid good money for this stuff.  You can’t just get rid of it, can you?

Is it trash? Do you sell it, donate it, or give it away?

I remember standing in my living room, with bags full of items after decluttering, and I was absolutely overwhelmed with what to do with it next. 

Some things even had price tags on them, or they had only been used a couple of times.  It was heartbreaking to even part with the things, knowing I had wasted the money and the guilt associated with it. 

What was I supposed to do with the stuff I decided to declutter? How could I deal with the guilt associated with it? 

I want to share with you the things I learned when we decluttered our home, and how I dealt with getting rid of things after decluttering with as little guilt as possible.

What to do with all the stuff after decluttering?

Trash

First, throw away the obvious.  Go through your home with a trash bag and throw away anything that is truly trash. 

  • Receipts
  • Broken appliances beyond repair
  • Clothes beyond giving away, selling, or upcycling/recycling
  • Broken toys
  • Old cords that don’t match up with anything
  • Anything expired

There is no reason to hold on to trash, and once you start to recognize it, you will be better about managing it as soon as it comes into your home or even preventing it from ever entering your home.

Ask yourself these questions when deciding if it is trash:

  • Is it broken?
  • If it’s broken, why are you keeping it?
  • Do you plan on fixing the item?
  • When do you plan on fixing it?
  • If you do fix it, will you use it once it’s fixed?

Guilt associated with items that really are trash

Sometimes we hold on to things because we feel guilty for not fixing them.

I can sew pretty well.  For years, I had a bag of clothes that needed quick repairs.  I finally got rid of them all. (There are clothing recycling options available.)  

Say goodbye to the guilt for not repairing something that’s been hanging over you.

If you really will fix something that’s broken, commit to doing it this week (next week at the latest).  If it’s not fixed in two weeks, let it go.  

One of two things will happen: You will let go of guilt for not fixing something or you will finally have an item back in use you’ve been meaning to fix for a really long time.

Send my FREE Decluttering Checklist!

Recycle or upcycle

Declutter and recycle your paper

When going through any trash when you declutter your home, look for items that can be recycled as well.  More often than not, that was paper for our family.  

We had paper stored in outrageous amounts.  Recycling the paper made it a little less painful.  

When going through papers I wanted to save, I snapped a quick photo of them with my phone, and I saved them to an online storage cloud. 

We use Shutterfly for most of our pictures.   You can also scan them and save them to an online storage cloud like Dropbox.

We had at least five large plastic storage containers packed to the rim with saved school papers. 

This would be one thing if it was a master thesis or something monumental, but I’m talking about preschool worksheets completed with a smiley face sticker. 

We looked at them, smiled, and then recycled them.  There were a couple of newspaper articles from high school. 

I snapped a picture and saved them all to a digital folder to archive for another day.  It was slightly painful, but the space gained was amazing!

Related Post: A Simple Method to Organizing Your Paper Clutter

Declutter and recycle the plastic junk

When we decluttered our home, there were also a lot of plastic toys and other “junk” items that could be recycled. 

You know those toys that come home in goodie bags from every child’s birthday party or toys found in fast food meals? Time to toss them if they are not actually played with regularly!

My children NEVER played with this plastic junk.  They provided a thrill the moment they received them, and then they ended up in a basket of toys to never be touched again. 

If this is the case in your home, time to toss the plastic junk in the recycle bin.  No one at a donation center wants your free toys that are really nothing more than junk.  It is ok to let them go. 

Feel guilty over the impact of tossing them? Learn a lesson, try to prevent them from entering your home going forward, and let it go!

Related Post: Get Rid Of Toys (With Your Kids Help!)

Get rid of plastic junk

Upcycle what you can to prevent from buying more “useful” stuff

When you are decluttering your home, you can look for items that can be upcycled.  

For example, you can use mason jars you empty from your fridge as cute storage solutions for pens and markers in a craft room or office space.  I found baskets that worked as great toy storage solutions in the playroom and kids’ rooms.  

Get creative.  Just don’t fall into the trap of keeping things you can’t use right now after decluttering.  You don’t want to create more clutter for items you will upcycle “one day.”  

If you plan another use for an item, complete that project this week if additional work is required. 

However, if you are just saving something for “one day,” let it go today.  The free space you create after decluttering will thank you!

After decluttering, give unwanted but useful items to a friend

One of my favorite things to do after decluttering my home was to give no longer used items that were still in good shape to a friend that would love it!

I gave old DVDs to friends that loved romantic comedies, a brand-new comforter we used only once to a friend who couldn’t afford one for her daughter and a rice cooker to a new couple who wanted one for their kitchen.  

Giving is so much fun when you give useful things to the people you care about!  Don’t just pass on junk from one place to another, but if you have something truly valuable, share it with those you love.

box of items to donate or sell or give away after decluttering

Donate

After decluttering my home, I took six full minivan loads to the local Goodwill over the course of three months.

There was a little bit of panic each time. What if I need this item again? What if my kids are not really done playing with this toy? 

Trust me from my experience, it is not worth the panic!

I believe in the two years since we decluttered our home, I have regretted letting go of two things.  Two things out of multiple van loads of excess stuff.

And you know what? Those items were easily replaced.  However, I didn’t replace them.

You see, when you learn to live with less stuff, you get a lot more creative with the items you still have in your home.  You make do with what is left, and you learn, you really don’t need as much as you thought.  Less stuff can make you happier!

Plan a day for your donations.

Track your donations!

There are some amazing donation centers out there. 

We took most of our items to Goodwill, as it was the closest.  Know you are helping people by donating your items, and you are also doing yourself a benefit by getting back space in your home!

My biggest piece of advice for donated items is to track them. 

We donated everything from a crib and mattress to unused clothes.  Download the ItsDeductible app today.  It is so easy to use, and it will save you a bundle at tax time if you do a big cleanout when decluttering your home. 

I was so impressed with our tax deductions just from a year of getting rid of some good stuff that we really did not use.

Do you sell your stuff after decluttering?

This one is tricky. 

In your mind, everything you are getting rid of is valuable, or why else would you have saved it for so long?  

When touching items in your home and deciding whether or not to keep them, ask yourself if an item is really valuable.  If it is, then sell it! 

You can use a number of venues for selling your stuff.  My favorites are the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, and Thredup.  I also used local consignment shops after I decluttered my closet.

When deciding to sell your items, weigh the benefit of what you would get from the item to the time you will need to invest in actually selling it. 

Sometimes, it is absolutely worth the effort.  Other times, it is best to donate or give something away and move on with the possible tax deduction you will get out of it.

After decluttering

Decluttering your home is hard enough.  Knowing what to do with all the stuff after decluttering your home can be just as hard as the decision process when clearing the clutter.   

In summary, you can trash, recycle, upcycle, give away, donate or sell your items.

Whatever you choose for your items after decluttering, do it with confidence and do it without the guilt! You deserve to enjoy the space you live in, and you deserve to get rid of the clutter overwhelm that is stressing you out. 

Being a mama should be fun.  Stop spending your days cleaning up stuff no one really loves.  Start enjoying your home and spending your time where it matters.

Related Posts:

Why Is Decluttering So Hard?

Help With Going Through Sentimental Items

Declutter To Drastically Reduce Anxiety and Stress

13 Genius Ideas for Getting Rid of Clutter During a Shutdown

Send my FREE Decluttering Checklist!

Day 7: Happy Clutter-Free Home Series

This post is part of the Happy Clutter-Free Home series.  You can achieve a decluttered home once and for all.  You don’t have to settle for cleaning all day, stress, and general clutter overwhelm.  Being a mom is hard already. 

Don’t let clutter make it feel impossible.  Get back time and reclaim the joy in your home.

This is the last post in the Happy Clutter-Free Home Series.

If you missed any, here are the previous posts.  Please check them out!

Decluttering Checklist to Get You Started: 100 Items to Get Rid of Today

The Flat Surface Clutter Rule – How to Clear Clutter From Flat Surfaces in Your Home

How to Create a Minimalist Bathroom with These Simple Steps

How to Create a Minimalist Bedroom (That’s Not Boring) in 10 Easy Steps

How to Manage Toy Clutter in 9 Simple Steps (Guilt-Free)

Declutter Your Kitchen: Simple, Actionable Steps

Sharing is caring!

8165 shares
  • Share4883
Category: Decluttering, How to DeclutterTag: Happy Clutter-Free Home
Previous Post:Surviving Virtual Schooling: When you just can’t…
Next Post:9 Ways Your Bedroom Setup Could Be Ruining Your Sleep

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Victoria

    August 15 at 1:52 pm

    Loved this post! I have been on a de-cluttering binge lately, and although I’m not ready to part with a lot, it’s been great to at least control the clutter. I did notice that you said to throw away clothes that are old or need repairs, which I agree with, other than that they can be recycled! I have been looking for places to recycle old clothes/fabrics because I used to sew as well and had so much crap that I wasn’t going to wear/use, but H&M has a box in store that you can bring your old textiles and they’ll recycle them for you. I do this with fabric scraps, old and gross clothes that can’t be re-worn, and household items like towels! Might as well recycle if you can to avoid throwing it into the landfill!
    xx Victoria
    http://www.strungingold.com

    Reply
    • Brooke

      August 15 at 1:55 pm

      LOVE!!!! I didn’t know that about H&M. I’ve avoided the mall like the plague since purging. It seems there are some really good recycling options out there. I used to save old clothes for sewing scraps but I found I was just adding to my sewing hobby clutter. Thank you for sharing!!!

      Reply
  2. Pam

    May 15 at 8:36 pm

    You mentioned that there have only been two things you’ve gotten rid of that you regretted. Just curious, what were they?

    Reply
    • Brooke

      May 16 at 3:41 pm

      Pam, I honestly don’t remember! I more remember my husband saying “Did you get rid of this in The Big Purge?” He’s less into decluttering than me!!

      If I had to guess, based on memory, it was a cord (that one I’m almost sure of) and a movie.

      After your comment, I asked my husband if he could remember and he surprised me. He said, “No”! So I feel like I win since he doesn’t remember. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jan Cooper

    September 9 at 3:25 am

    I’ve read SO much about decluttering over the years. It was refreshing to find your suggestions that gave me a different outlook on where I should go in this battle with my “stuff”. I am bookmarking your website so that I can refer to your helpful articles. Many thanks from a desperate Brit !!

    Reply
  4. Couetney

    October 7 at 11:11 am

    Local animal shelters and rescues are always in need of blankets, towels, sheets, old clean t-shirts, etc. for their animals. I donate a lot of those items to them.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

Join the Happy Simple Mom community:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Happy Simple Mom profile image - welcome to the page!

Hello, I’m Brooke! My goal is to share lessons I’ve learned to live simply and clutter-free with a family. Don’t let excess stuff and too many obligations weigh you down. Reduce your stress, and live a happy life!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Recent Posts

mom cleaning her floors with a vacuum

Dear Sweet Friend… Don’t Clean Your House For Me

Blue front door with a package in front of it

7 Easy Practices to Stop Clutter from Ever Entering Your Home

Mom meditating while kids play with toys around her

9 Easy Ways to Get Your Kids Interested in a More Minimalist Lifestyle

A minimalist family hiking and sitting on a mountain side.

Minimalism May be the Secret Ingredient Your Family NEEDS

  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Happy Simple Mom™ · All Rights Reserved

Exclusive Member of Mediavine Home

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...