How to Decide Whether to Sell or Save Items in the Home

To be, or not to be…on display around the home? That is the question for many of us as the new year gets underway and we start thinking of ways to freshen things up.

However, whether it’s a souvenir from that magical holiday, a family heirloom, or an armchair, deciding whether to give away or keep items can be tricky. If you’re trying to decide what to do with the kitchen stool you re-purposed 10 years ago, fear not: here is how to make your decision.

Visualise Your Decluttered Space

Taking the time to envisage how the room or storage space will look after the clear out can be helpful. Starting by writing down the end goal and how to get there helps you remain focussed on the task at hand and aids the avoidance of becoming overwhelmed.

A visual aid could be a useful tool for achieving this, too. Why not make a mood board or poster centred on how the space will look once it’s completed?

Remember the Long-Term Benefits

A good tidying session is not just good for the house; it can also help to rejuvenate the mind. After decluttering each room, you could plan a redesign that transforms not just the home, but also your appreciation of it.

In addition, by clearing out the things that have been cluttering up space for a while, you may come across items that you had totally forgotten about. Whether you can now cross off something on the shopping list because you’ve just found the spare picnic blanket, or you’re indulging in taking a trip down memory lane upon finding photo albums, this type of clear out can free up space in your mind and lift your mood.

Identify Your Clutter (and De-Clutter) Habits

Very often, the ornaments, furniture and adornments we collect reflect certain aspects of our personalities. Are you a worrier? Or are you someone who doesn’t know where to begin when it comes to sorting through everything? The camp you fall into can indicate how you decide what needs to stay and the items that need to go.

If you know that you are a worrier and inclined to keep hold of everything or that you’re more likely to be unsure about getting started so you leave it for another day, you can think twice before you start putting things in the ‘maybe’ pile and instead start to make some definitive decisions.

Once you have sorted through everything and decided what needs to stay and what needs to go, you can then think about adding in replacements. You may have sold your old sideboard and have your heart set on a new one or you might want to invest in something especially practical, such as a new sofa. In these instances, you can work out what you can afford and use your newly de-cluttered space in a fresh way.