Erin Rooney Doland once had so many things that she literally couldn’t move.
Here are her best clutter cures.
We had 850 square feet, and every inch of it was packed with my belongings.
Photo:Beo88/Getty Images
So how do you jettison unnecessary possessions and kick your pack-rat ways for good?
The trick is to change the way you think about your stuff.
Tear Down the Museum
In my youth, I was fearless.
I forged strong friendships and created a history for myself that seemed worth remembering.
So I held on to every trinket from my past.
I wanted to throw parties and have friends to visit in a home where they could actually sit down.
Assess True Value
A hefty chunk of what I moved into our home was obsolete computer equipment.
When I looked at it, I saw dollar signs.
Then my economist friend, Stephen, reminded me of the fallacy of sunk costs.
The treadmill, the boxes of books, and somekitchen gadgetsall found new homes.
Heels or straps had come off, and I was convinced I would someday have them repaired.
and “If you say yes, how much would you pay for them?”
In all but one case, I admitted that I wouldn’t buy the shoes again.
And those red kitten heels with the broken sole?
The amount I was willing to pay was less than the cost of having them fixed.
Yet I had hoarded these and other unattractive presents because I thought that was the decent thing to do.
I also wasn’t sure what I would say if someone noticed his gift missing and asked why.
Well, you know what?
Not even the bestower of scary clowns.
This was the easiest clutter to set free.
Know What You Really Need
Often what we need is only related to the thing we have.
I also had thousands of documents in bulky filing cabinets.
But I needed the information on the pages, not the paper itself.
I kept all these items for more than a decade.
I hate throwing out potentially useful things.
