Five Things You Should Throw Away to Start the Year

"New year, new life", the popular saying goes. There's no better way to start the year than getting rid of all the stuff you don't need. Don't you agree?
Five Things You Should Throw Away to Start the Year

Last update: 22 January, 2021

Reflecting on what last year is leaving behind and what it has brought you will help you enter a new, happier stage and, as part of this reflection, it’s also a matter of looking at all that you’ve been storing and deciding what you want to do with these things. So, take a look at the items that you should throw away to start the year off on the right foot.

Keeping things for the sake of it has never been a good idea, it gives you mental chaos, takes up space at home, makes your rooms look messy, not to mention it affects your mood. Therefore, don’t you think it’s time to say goodbye to some of these objects?

The reasons you should throw away certain things

A woman throwing clothes up in the air.

Throwing away, donating, recycling… everything has an end, so it’s time to declutter your home. Furthermore, hoarding takes away space and energy, and you know this is the first rule that Marie Kondo gives if you want to be a tidy person and, according to her, spark joy.

If you think about the amount of stuff you keep and never use, you’ll end up with a big list: wrapping paper, old cell phones, cosmetic samples… So, if you haven’t needed them for years, you can probably do without them forever.

Let’s give you a challenge – get rid of everything you haven’t used in a long time to make way for new things. Furthermore, this year is just starting and in order to fill your home with new good things, you’ll have to make some room, don’t you think?

Say goodbye to the things you should throw away

Start with what has the least sentimental value for you. This will give you practice and help you let go – it’s time to say goodbye to that horrific vase sitting in the closet that your best friend gave you. Don’t worry, it’s ok.

1. Use wrapping paper

If you hate throwing things away, it might seem like a great idea to save that beautiful wrapping paper your birthday present was wrapped in. But, in the end, it’ll just end up in a drawer, crumpling up even more. The worst thing is that when the day comes for you to wrap something, you probably won’t remember it’s there and buy a new roll that’ll end up keeping it company.

To avoid this from happening, just throw it away in the corresponding recycling container and look at the nice way Japanese wrap things up.

2. Instruction manuals

When you bought your washing machine, you kept the instruction manual in a “trash” drawer in the kitchen, didn’t you? Also, the funny thing is that you’ll probably never check what’s in there again and if you do, chances are that your grandmother’s refrigerator manuals will show up. Say goodbye to them!

A pile of trash from Christmas gifts.

3. Things you should throw away – clothes

Old socks, frayed underwear, those shoes you bought and never wore because they were too tight? Take a look at these original socks from Happy Socks and get new ones.

Donate what’s in good condition and throw away what you no longer use. You’ll see that your closet breathes again and that you can organize the rest of your clothes and accessories much better.

4. Music and movies in outdated formats

You may have been proud of your CD and VHS collection years ago. However, have you watched or listened to them recently? Do you even own a CD or VHS player? So, you know what to do – throw them out!

5. Broken plates and glasses

As you know, one of the basic principles of Feng Shui is to not have anything broken in your home. Furthermore, this philosophy states that the old energy can hinder your Chi or flow of life energy.

These are just 5 things you should throw away. However, keep in mind there are dozens of objects that you can also get rid of.

Don’t forget that here lies one of the most valuable keys that organized people have. Also, your stress level will drop considerably and your happiness will increase.