We are a culture of excess, and while I can't explain my obsession with vintage silverware (does anyone else sit and lovingly clean their silver on a Saturday night?) I have no hesitation throwing out that last piece of Tupperware that has no lid.
Being attached to our stuff seems to be part of our DNA, and while some pieces harmlessly serve to feed our soul, others just zap our energy by taking up unnecessary time and space.
As I push back at the influx of technology (slightly disturbed that my television is now smarter than I am) I have found that there are some things that we will always need, and some that we just have to get rid of. Here are six things that all of us should throw away right now.
That pile of old cables, routers, chargers and remotes that you are keeping just in case. Let's be honest, your old equipment is not coming back, and your neighbor is probably not going to be drilling a hole and snaking the coaxial cable down through a hole in your ceiling anytime soon.
Vases, dishes, pots and pans that you have never used. Will you ever turn into Martha Stewart and spend days arranging flowers and cooking beef bourguignon? If not, keep your most beloved, but donate the rest, or make food in the pots and fill the vases with flowers to give to your friends as gifts.
Reusable Shopping Bags. How many do you really need? Five at the most? True story - for some reason, a person (who I won't name) gave someone in my family a reusable shopping bag that was covered in advertising from a funeral parlor. Some are simply not worth keeping, and others should never have been made in the first place.
Fancy soaps, body lotions, scrubbies and matching toiletry sets that you got as gifts or stole from a hotel over five years ago. I love this stuff, but some people don't, and it can go off quite quickly, which is such a waste. Either pop the soaps in your undie drawer, or, if the toiletries are in nice, new condition, donate to a local organization that will appreciate them.
Chairs and sofas that are uncomfortable, or damaged. Whatever the reason, frightening guests, or making it impossible for them to stand back up after a cup of tea isn't a good idea. Fix it, or send it to the curb.
Pens that don't work, pencils that you will never, ever sharpen, and promotional pens, notepads and post-its from your local bank. Why do they do this? Do they really think it makes up for the hours we waste on the phone, and teller number seven who was absent on the day they taught them how to smile?
I was going to mention plastic containers without their lid, but it kind of goes without saying, and, as I am never planning on getting rid of my lovely old silverware, you are more than welcome to keep your mismatched pieces of Tupperware :-)
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