50 Ways to Leave Your Clutter

50 Ways to Leave Your Clutter

“Your clutter problem’s in your head she said to me…

The answer’s easy if you purge regularly…

I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free…

There must be 50 ways to leave your clutter.

Throw out a sack, Jack,

Have a purge plan, Stan,

Live light and enjoy, Roy.

Just listen to me.

Having less is a plus, Gus,

It’s less fuss with less stuff.

But don’t give it to me, Lee,

Just get yourself free!”

To purchase the totally awesome original song “50 Ways to Leave your Lover,” by Grammy award winning artist Paul Simon, click here.

If you need a shovel to clear a path to the front door and you’re ready to embark on your decluttering journey, here are 50 ways you can get started. Consider selling or donating whatever is in good, clean condition and you can make some extra cash — or possibly write off the value of your donation when tax time rolls around. Just check with a tax professional regarding what is required to qualify for a deduction. Use your proceeds for your emergency fund, retirement savings or to pay down debt.

50 Ways to Leave Your Clutter

1. Have a TV trash-o-thon while you binge watch your favorite series.

2. Do a weekly podcast purge.

3. Donate your DVD collection gathering dust to a nursing home (PG only, please).

4. Whittle down while you work — look for clothes to purge while folding and putting away laundry.

5. Request consumable gifts (wine, a favorite perfume, home made cookies) or experiential (movie or concert tickets, car wash vouchers) for birthdays and holidays — or a donation to a favorite charity.

6. Have a clutter clearing competition — whoever fills their clutter box first picks dinner, game, movie or other fun activity for everyone to participate in.

7. Follow the 1 in 2 out rule (or 1 in 3 out if you’re really packed in).

8. Sell your stuff to support a cause you care about — Save the Manatee, The Red Cross or Keep America Beautiful  and minimize while making the world a little better.

9. Do some clutterbusting during commercials and turn the table on advertisers — there’s some poetic justice to this approach. 

10. Donate sports equipment to a children’s after school program in your community.

11. Make it a habit — spend just 10 minutes a day decluttering and that’ll add up to over 60 HOURS a year!

12. ‘Tis the Season: cull your collection of decorations after every holiday season. 

13. Discard dupes whenever and wherever you find them.

14. Host a mega yard sale with your neighbors — have fun with friends and attract more shoppers with your combined inventory. 

15. Craigslist your clutter: channel your inner ad man with pretty pix and persuasively penned prose to attract buyers.

16. Donate old clothing, accessories and furniture to a community theater group to use for costumes and props. 

17. When you go into a drawer or cupboard, get rid of one thing in it.

18. Dedicate “Minimalist Mondays” to shedding some of your excess stuff.

19. Speedy send off: set a timer and see how many items you can reduce in just 5 minutes.

20. Delete emails off your phone while you’re waiting in line at the bank or grocery.

21. Digitize old photo albums to more easily share with friends/family and clear some extra room in your closet.

22. Re-gift new unused items (just be sure to keep track of who gave you what).

23. Have an annual spring cleaning routine to lighten up ahead of the warmer weather.

24. New rule: If you don’t use it in a year, it’s time to toss it (except for emergency supplies).

25. Calling all fashionistas! Consign your clothing for extra coin.

26. Reward your purging progress with a bubble bath, some “me time,” or other guilty pleasure that doesn’t require a product purchase.

27. Donate toys and kids’ clothes to a shelter that takes in families in need.

28. Keep a donation bin in your trunk — when it’s full, just drive to your local Goodwill for an easy drop off.

29. Take a 30-Day Challenge: Discard 3 things a day and you’ll be down almost 100 unneeded items by this time next month. 

30. Minimize to music — discard as much as you can during your favorite song, like Too Much Stuff, by Delbert McClinton.

31. Freecycle and feel good by helping others out.

32. Cut clutter while cooking — ditch dishes, utensils, and food storage containers you no longer need while waiting for that water to boil.

33. Do a pre-party purge and impress your guests with your new minimalist style. 

34. Have a pitching party — make a night of family fun by setting out snacks, playing music and giving out prizes (for first 25 things pitch, whoever fills a box first, most total items discarded by the end of the nigh, etc.).

35. Be afraid, be very afraid — declutter while watching episodes of Hoarders to maintain your motivation to minimize. 

36.  Pack and purge before a trip or vacation for a more welcoming home when you return.

37. Donate old books, magazines or CDs to your local library to benefit the community.

38. Digitize and destroy paper piles.

39. Be neighborly by offering items to friends who might need them.

40. Use the reverse hanger technique: clothes get hung on up a backward hanger which you reverse after you wear an item — any garments still backward after a year get donated. 

41. Offer suits, ties, dress shirts and other professional attire suitable for a job interview to shelters and help residents get back on their feet.

42. Clean with a theme: focus on minimizing one category of items each week (Tupperware, shoes, magazines etc.).

43. Pitch it if it doesn’t fit.

44. Offer blankets, towels and extra pet supplies to an animal shelter. 

45. Donate your goods for the greater good: give clothing and household items to a church rummage sale.

46. Have a seasonal sell off (garden tools in spring, coats and jackets in winter).

47. Sort mail over your recycle bin to prevent junk mail and catalogs from piling up.

48. Create a clutter clearing calendar: Magazine Mondays, Wardrobe Wednesday’s, etc.).

49. Clean house and donate appliances, building supplies and lightly used furniture to Habitat for Humanity.

50. Use the 3 Box Method: Label them Donate, Trash and Sell — make a goal of filling them each week.