New Years Apartment Purge
In the spirit of new beginnings, set a New Years resolution to de-clutter your space and finally get rid of any lingering "junk" you've been hauling around for years. Renters especially should be ready to embrace de-cluttering because your space is limited and eventually you'll be moving and packing up anything that hasn't been purged.
Apartment Therapy outlined a great de-cluttering strategy in "5 Ruthless Questions to Ask Yourself When Decluttering" that will help you approach the mental hurdle of ditching your belongings. After you've purged everything you need to get rid of, you can take things a step further by organizing what you're going to keep.
Remember: Set a strategy on what you are going to do with everything your purging. Don't attempt to tackle your entire space in a day. Have fun and try not to get overwhelmed or defeated.
The Rules
If the answer to all of these questions is "no," get rid of it.
1. Have I used this item in the past year?
This one's easy. Try to remember a time when you used the thing you're weighing on. If it hasn't been worn, used, or appreciated since last fall, let it go.
2. Will I use it in the year ahead?
Try to resist any thoughts about how you "might" use it, and find something more concrete: Will you use it? If you don't have a real need or plan to do something with it, the answer is "no."
3. If I was shopping right now, would I buy this again?
Does it work? Does it fit? Do you have another thing that does the same job? Do you even like it anymore? Try to be present and mindful about your current tastes, habits and priorities.
4. If it is broken, is it worth fixing?
Consider whether you would use the broken item if it were in good shape (see question #3 above). And weigh the cost of fixing the thing against the cost of replacing it. And will you actually get it done? Soon?
5. Would I keep this if I moved?
Would it be worth packing up, moving and unpacking in a new space? We tend to be a little more ruthless and honest with ourselves about what stays and what goes when we're moving from one home to another.
