Keep or throw? What you need to know to save space

Ten things everyone has in their home and whether to keep or throw them.

1. Clothing and shoes
Of course I’m a girl, so this will be top of the list. Obviously we need clothes and shoes: they’re an essential part of our everyday life, for without them we would be house bound. But, there is a limit. Speaking from experience, most people are lucky to wear half of their wardrobe. Keep half, throw half. Start with the essential items you need, accessorise and throw anything that doesn’t belong to your essentials.

2. Food
Definitely we need to keep food, it is essential to keep us alive. However, we can make better choices on the kinds of food we eat, how much we purchase and where we purchase it from. According to website Foodwise, Australians discard up to 20% of the food they purchase. This equates to 1 out of every 5 bags purchased. Keep the food, but minimise the amount purchased and plan ahead to avoid spending too much money, eating unhealthy and throwing away.

3. Bed sheets and towels
Yes we need to keep. Most households have linen cupboards full of bed sheets to last many weeks without washing. The rule of thumb is 1 set of sheets on the bed, 1 in the cupboard. It’s also better to keep the spare set in the room to which they belong. I would suggest most households would have a large excess of unused bed sheets they could throw away.

4. Cleaning products
Yes to keep, but what and how much we need is a different question. There are many different products coming on the market weekly to make our lives easier and save time on cleaning. They cost a fortune. We buy them to make our lives easier, use the product a few times, buy the next new product and end up with the cupboard full of half used products. Food for thought – Vinegar, bicarbonate soda and scrubbing!

5. Grooming products
Yes to keep. The quantity is another question. This is the same as cleaning products for me. Find the grooming products you need, have tried and like. Don’t worry about the latest product. There will always be something better. I would suggest having a clean out. I bet you end up keeping half and throwing out half.

6. Books
Yes to keep. Give yourself a rule. You have 1 bookshelf in the house. Once the bookshelf is full and you bring in a new book, throw an old book away. This limits the amount of books you have in your house to the size of the bookshelf. You will throw out books in this process. Obviously there is technology now such as kindles where you don’t have to have the hard cover book. But there will always be those that love to flip the real book pages – like me!

7. Cutlery
The boxed set you received for a wedding, housewarming or anniversary present that comes out on special occasions. Yes to keep. Throw out your current “day to day” set. Why not live with your best stuff?

8. Organising products
Yes to keep if they serve a purpose. We buy them with the intention to use them, but really only have use for half of them. Realistically you end up throwing out 1 in every 2 products you buy because it seems like a great idea, but doesn’t fit your style.

9. Television
Yes to keep. You could throw out the time you spend watching too much? Maybe you could try not subscribing to the paid channels for a month and see how you go. Money in the pocket, quality time spent with your loved ones.

10. Your bed
KEEP. One of the most important pieces of furniture in the house. We use every day and spend up to 56 hours a week on. I say this is one item I would always splurge on.

The general pattern here is most of us live with excess. Think about the money you could save on essential items and what you could do with that extra money. Trips away, dinners, movies, activities with the family, new car.
Throwing away doesn’t mean put into the bin. You can give away to a new home, donate or sell.

Do you give away or donate items from your house? What are your tips for organising and saving money in the home? Tell us in the comments!