There are many reasons why people hold onto items and find them hard to declutter & not all items have the same reason either!
Some of the reasons we hold onto items:
Sentimental Value
We think 'What if'
They belong to someone else
Thinking about the money spent on the item
Cultural/ Trauma/ How we grew up
Poverty
Illness/ Mental illness
On today's blog I am going to chat about 'Thinking about the money we spent on the item'. Over the next few weeks I will cover the different areas too!
This one comes up a lot for many different people.
To get straight to it - the money you spent on that item is gone the minute you purchased it. Keeping the item in your home will not give you the money back, and if you do not love/need this item it will cost you a lot more than the original price tag.
If the item was very expensive you can sell it!
Ask yourself the essential decluttering questions (See Fig 1.) & if it is clear the item needs to be decluttered, you need to let it go. Donate to a friend or charity - Give it a good home where it will be loved and used. Clear it out of your space to make room for the items you love and serve a purpose in your home.
The money is gone, the value of the item has more than likely depreciated, keeping this item will cost you more time, and mental load than the price tag.
The important part of this is to not continue this onto your other items you bring into your home. We want to make sure the items we are purchasing are thought about and will add value to your life.
'The easiest way to declutter your stuff is to avoid bringing it into your home in the first place' The Minimalist
You need to question every purchase you make. Ask yourself the essential questions when buying anything (See Fig 2.)
Also ask yourself can I afford 3 of these items? If I lost that money today how would I feel?
If you are OK with the questions above and you have be honest with yourself then the purchase is more than likely a good one.
Remember not all items need to last forever. What we used & served a purpose in your life last year may not be needed today.
We change, our homes change and so do our items. It is OK, in fact, it is good to be honest with yourself & declutter any items that no longer serve a purpose or add value.
You will thank yourself!
Do you struggle with letting go? I work with everyone. If you want help but find it hard to make decision when decluttering send me a message and we can chat about how I can help you.
Follow my socials for more tips and tricks on Decluttering & Organising! https://www.instagram.com/revitaliseyourhome/
Thank you for reading.
Chloe x
Fig 1.
Fig 2
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