I Spent Good Money On That

My 32 day decluttering challenge is kicking off next week and before it starts, I want to talk about mindset. Often, what holds us back when it comes to decluttering is a mental block. To help you get in the right frame of mind to crush the challenge, this week I’m sharing three common reasons that we have trouble getting rid of stuff.

First up: I spent good money on that.

I get it—when you go to get rid of something that you spent a lot of money on, it can be hard to let it go. It’s so easy to remember how much it cost, and feel like you are throwing those dollars straight in the trash. And no one wants to throw money away.

The money is already spent.

However, no matter what you paid for something, the money is already gone. You spent it. If you aren’t using the thing—whatever it is—not only did you spend money on it, but now it’s taking up space in your home.

Maybe you have a closet stuffed full of clothes that still have the tags on them—impulse buys or deals too good to pass up. But when you got the clothes home, you realized they didn’t fit quite right, weren’t actually your style, or you didn’t have anywhere to wear them. And now they are crowding your closet, hiding the clothes you actually do want to wear.

Get rid of them. There’s no reason to keep holding on. Clean that closet out.

Your goal is to empty up space.

Remember that the money you’ve already spent is gone. And even if you try to sell them, you probably won’t make that amount back on any of these items. There are some great options out there for giving your items a second life, but don’t get stuck on making back what you paid. Your goal is to empty up space, not recoup all of your money. And remember that selling your items takes time—you have to photograph, write descriptions, and post if you plan to sell online, hang, tag, and organize if you want to sell at a consignment sale, or make an appointment to take them into a consignment store.

Strategies:

One strategy to keep yourself from spending hours of your time to only end up making a few dollars is to set a “worth it” amount. What amount of money is worth the time it takes for you to sell the item? If it would sell for less than that amount, add it to your donate pile instead.

Another strategy to keep “to sell” clutter from building up in your home is to give yourself a timeline: anything that hasn’t sold by the end of the week (or month) gets donated.

Moving forward:

Remember—your goal is to get stuff out of your way. The money has already been spent and you can’t do anything about that now. Don’t keep clutter because of what it has already cost you. Instead, focus on reclaiming your space and shopping more intentionally in the future.

32 days of declutter starts Monday, January 8th—follow along on Instagram to get the daily challenges!

Read more in my decluttering series:

What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need