8 Excuses We Make For Clutter

We all make excuses in life, whether we like to admit it or not. Even an excuse for the clutter we have.

I made excuses for too many years. It was when I realized that it was time to stop making excuses, that I started to come to grips with the clutter we had. The excess.

If you find yourself saying “that is me…” to one of the excuses listed below, think about ways you can combat those excuses. Time to get a grip on the clutter and start anew!

Excuses for Clutter

1. Guilt. “I can’t get rid of it because (insert name) might be hurt if I do.” Let’s be real. Are they ever going to KNOW you got rid of that item? You don’t want to come across as ungrateful, but who is going to remember or even ask?

2. Brings back memories. The memories might be good or bad. If they are bad, you MUST get rid of the item(s). If good, ask “is there another way to ‘remember’ without having to keep it?” Sometimes a picture will do or even just the memory of it.

3. But it was free! How often do our money-saving, deal-seeking selves get the best of us? Yes, you got a good deal on it. But did you really need it? Is it worth the space it takes up? Do you ever use it? Or is the only thought you have of it, was that it was free? If so, get rid of it.

4. Saving it for someone. Who are you saving it for and why? You may be saving some things to pass onto your children someday. That is not a bad thing. But are you saving it more for yourself than for them? Are they going to appreciate it or wish you had gotten rid of it? Don’t expect others to have the same feelings about something as you do – talk to the person you want to give an item to and see if they share that same love for it.

5. It will be worth something someday. This might be true, but unless you know 100% for sure that it will gain value, don’t let this excuse be the reason you keep something. Look on ebay, Craigslist, etc. to see if that item has any value at all, before assuming it does.

6. It was expensive. It’s hard to part with something you know you paid a good penny for. Often though, the guilt attached to that item, is far more damaging than the money value itself. If you got rid of it, there are no more reminders as to how expensive it was and it’s the “out of sight out of mind” that will eventually diminish the guilt factor too.

7. I don’t have time to declutter. Time comes up over and over again when it comes to dealing with clutter. It does take time, but finding and creating time to go through everything, is key. With anything in life, if you want to do it bad enough, you will find the time. Think about all the things you enjoy in life – do you make time for those? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t, but whatever the case, you make time for the things you care about. Make time to declutter.

8. You may need it someday. Has that day ever come? I think there have been one or two times where I had thought of something I had gotten rid of, that I maybe could have used it. On the flip side, I had something else that worked JUST FINE instead. No, it may not have been the exact item, but that is the joy of simplicity – you make what you have work. The thought that you might need it someday is a barrier you have to move past when it comes to decluttering.

Don’t let excuses get the best of you. Conquer those excuses and start the process one small space at a time. Maybe it’s a drawer. A bookshelf. A cupboard. Don’t get overwhelmed by decluttering your whole house. Start somewhere and start small!