Stop Storing These Items in the Bin
Even the most organized people like Marie Kondo still have a junk drawer – a place where tangled headphones, clipping tape, Costa Rican coins and one random golf ball coexist simply because we lead busy lives and we have no time to think. put everything back in place. But while the trash bin is understandable—no, it’s necessary to function—it has to be more than a frontier trash can.
Which means (moan with me now) clean it periodically. While it is tempting to turn it into a no-compromise exit-organization-free zone, if left unattended, it will become a headache later on. Carry out periodic checks to bring small items together, install separators and clean. Because yes, the bin is full of random stuff, but it should be stuff you use a lot or need quick access to in case of an emergency. Here are some items you can remove today.
Tools: You may need easy access to this screwdriver, but long sharp objects in the rusting process should not be stored near spare chopsticks and condiment packs. The same goes for scissors and batteries in various stages of wear and corrosion.
Packets of sauce: We know it’s wasteful to just throw them away. But do you really need (and will you ever use) 46 packs of ketchup, duck sauce and mustard? If your eco-conscious heart can’t refuse them, consider passing them on to a friend who uses them often, leaving them in your work kitchen, or hiding them in a separate closet for later use. No need to spend valuable real estate to create a warehouse of condiments in one small box.
Takeaway Menus: Some say you no longer need printed takeaway menus due to the ubiquity of digital menus online. What am I saying, have you ever tried to take a group booking with grandparents? Save the takeaway menu you use often, and throw the rest away. And you don’t need five, even if it’s from your favorite place. (Remember, you’ll get another one on your next order, which will likely be next week.)
Old rubber bands and ties. Not all elastic bands and ties, but only those that are rotten, tangled beyond recognition, old, brown or worn out. You don’t need them.
Broken Objects: If you look at a random little piece of plastic or chipped ceramic and think, “I know this is going to lead to something,” no, it is not. I mean, it was in a past life, but those days are gone. Stop fooling yourself into thinking you’re going to “take wood glue and fix it.” If you can’t commit to fixing an item this week , throw away broken parts and larger items they were once attached to.
Random Cords : Here’s the deal. If you haven’t used either of these cords for a year (or four), you’re no longer using the device they once charged and it’s time for them to head to the nearest trash can. If you have to keep them on the laundry shelf for another year to be 100% sure you won’t need them, great. Label the bag with a friendly reminder: “Throw away these gases by date X.”
(Junk) Mail: Some argue that it’s better to hide the day’s mail in a desk drawer than to let it clutter up the countertop. I would say that you will never see this mail again in any readable format. Let me share a rule that I yearn for with all my heart but can’t for the life of me master: follow the “touch once” rule on mail and other papers. Open it, sort it, file it, add it to the fridge, and throw it away the first time you touch it, instead of letting it collect and multiply. This is a good target. Even a great goal.
Old receipts: Do you need to know how much you spent on those grilled cheese sandwiches that your offspring licked, ripped, stabbed and threw on the restaurant floor? No. If you don’t plan on getting a refund, holding on to gas, Dunkin, haircuts, and restaurant checks is a losing game.
Coupons: Coupons are more likely to be used if they are visible; pinned to the refrigerator door, kept in a mailbox or wallet. Sending them to the bin is a surefire way to not experience those savings.
Important Documents: Whether or not you actually read the instruction manuals, it’s a good idea to keep them all in one place where they can’t get wet, torn, or crushed by a giant flashlight. The same goes for anything related to your taxes, bills, pay stubs, insurance, investments, or bank accounts.
Souvenirs: key chains, rubber bracelets, kuzi, magnets, postcards, and the like should not clog the trash bin. ( But they’re junk, you say.) Yes, but if you can’t even open a junk drawer, its existence is useless. If it’s not something you plan to use or flaunt, toss those trinkets, or at least move them to a “memory box” that lives somewhere outside of your kitchen.