I would think most would agree we have…too…much…stuff. Clothes, books, movies, gadgets, paper clutter, the list goes on and on. The typical American home is just swimming in stuff we don’t need, don’t use, and could easily get rid of without ever missing it.
This week, you’re going to start purging. See, preps not only require investments of time and money, they require space. We’d all likely agree having a year’s worth of food on hand would be wonderful, but none of us probably want all of it sitting in boxes in our living rooms, right?
This is one of those assignments you won’t likely be able to accomplish in just one week. You’d quickly become overwhelmed trying to do that. Instead, make this an ongoing project and work on it a little at a time.
Start with your coat closet. My own rule of thumb when it comes to clothing and outerwear is if I’ve not worn in in the last year, away it goes. Naturally, you may have some specialized gear and you don’t need to get rid of that. But, you don’t really need six different winter parkas, five light jackets, and four pair of boots. That vacuum cleaner that stopped working three years ago? Either fix it this week or get rid of it. The bags for the vacuum cleaner you owned ten years ago and don’t fit what you have now? Bye, bye.
From there, move through the rest of the closets in your home. If the clothes don’t fit right now, toss them in a box. The only exception should be if you have kids and you plan to pass down clothes from one child to another. Otherwise, it goes away.
Eventually, you need to go through every closet, every drawer, every shelf in your home. Think about it like this — if you get rid of something, you no longer need to dust it, store it, or deal with it anymore.
Supplies for a hobby you gave up years ago? See ya later!
Movies you’ve seen and realistically don’t plan to watch again? That’s precious shelf space right there! This goes double for those of you who still have VHS movies but don’t have a working VCR!
Books? Ok, this is the one I personally struggle with the most. I have tons of books I’ve not read yet. I have boxes of books I’ve read and hope to read again someday. I also have shelves and shelves of books that I should get rid of. And I’m doing so, albeit slower than I should. And, um, should any of my faithful readers be looking for a home for any books featuring some sort of end of the world plot, please drop me a line.
Ok, so what do you do with all this stuff you want to go away? Well, movies, books, and other things that are still in decent shape you might consider selling on ebay or Craigslist. If you go that route, take whatever money you make and put it towards preps.
Stuff that isn’t quite as good you might think about unloading at a rummage sale in a couple months. But, promise yourself that anything that doesn’t sell still has to go, one way or another.
Things that might not be worth much money but still have a lot of use could go to someone in a local Freecycle group.
Whatever is left can go to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Or the trash, as much of it probably should.
So, to make it formal, here is your assignment this week.
1) Begin wherever you like in your home and start purging. Get rid of the stuff you don’t need to make room for the stuff you do. Be vicious and cutthroat.
2) Sell what you can and put the money toward prepping. If it won’t sell, it goes to Freecycle, thrift stores, or the trash.
This assignment is perpetual until your home is fully clutter and junk free.
