I recently moved to a smaller place and I found out that I have lots of excess and duplicate items. I know I need to change my buying habits and not stock up on items more than one spare per item. I just let my big box store membership expire. My lifestyle no longer supports buying 24 rolls of paper towels at once or 10 years worth of chia seeds. And now with delivery services that can bring things to your door in just a short amount of time, there is no reason to stock pile items.
This project is so important and rewarding to me. I know I will have so much more closet and cupboard space when I use up spare items that have been buried in a closet, drawer or cupboard.
I found that putting all the little toiletry items on a flat tray in my bathroom very helpful and I feel a huge victory every time something is finally empty and I can throw away the container! This is a good way to keep all these items visible and handy and more likely to be used up. The tray is easy to remove if need be for cleaning the counter or stashing it away when guests are expected.
These are just some of the items I will be working on using up:
Dental floss
toothpaste (this includes the tiny ones I get at the dentist office)
lotions
chapsticks
makeup
teabags
supplements
pens and pencils
office supplies
batteries
hair products
laundry products
cleaning products
kitchen staples
spices
greeting cards
sticky notes
wax paper and aluminum foil
paper products
food packages like dressings and mixes
Just to name a few! Sometimes I just donate items when I realize it will take to long to use up the excess I find when I am decluttering.
I know it will be rewarding to just have items in my home that I will be using in the near future not two years from now! I also know it will be rewarding to have more space freed up and make things that I use frequently easy to find. It will also be much easier to move the next time!
So it may be time to take a tour of your home and make a plan to use up excess items. I have a feeling you will feel as good about this as I do!
Final thought:
Our homes should be living spaces not storage spaces!