I won’t lie. I’m in my 40s now, but during my 20s and 30s, for some reason, I found myself hoarding almost everything. Whether it was cups, bags, blankets, towels, batteries, you name it, I was hoarding it.
In reality, I thought that keeping everything meant I was being prepared. But in reality, it just meant that I was stressing myself and crowding all my little spaces.
And so clearing things out brought such a sign of relief. It was such a level of relief. And I’m so thankful I did it.
So here’s a list of things I finally stopped hoarding. And if you’re hoarding these things, you might want to clean out your spaces too.
1. The Plastic Bag Full of Plastic Bags
I know I’m not the only adult on the planet that does this. And thankfully, living in Colorado now, I don’t have to, because we passed a law that stopped plastic bags at grocery stores. However, I still have hoarded throughout the years tons and tons and hundreds of bags.
And so, finally, just throwing them away literally helped clear under my kitchen counter. I actually had a couple of bags full of bags in my garage and everything else. So all I did was get rid of all of them, and then I went to Amazon and I bought a 5 pack of little tiny bags that I use for my bathroom trash cans now. And it’s just amazing.
2. Glass Jars and Takeout Containers
Hoarding salsa jars and sour cream tubs. I don’t know why I’ve done it. Maybe I learned it from my mother or my grandmother, but I’ve really never even used them. So once I realized that I was holding onto these things for absolutely no reason, I recycled them. And let me tell you how much space opened up.
3. Cardboard Boxes I Was Saving to Ship Things
I don’t know why I like to ship things to people. I do. And I was hoarding boxes because of it. I don’t know why, but finally, I just broke them down for recycling, and I freed up an entire shelf in my bedroom. It was great.
4. Gift Bags and Crumpled Tissue Paper
Okay. I’m still iffy on these. And yes, I have kept a few to reuse, but only if they’re really cute or they’re really special or they looked like somebody spent a lot of money on them. So I stopped cramming my drawer with wrinkled bags and tissue that I really have never really used. I kept a few decent ones, but I let the rest go without a second thought.
5. Old Greeting Cards and Birthday Cards
I kept every card out of guilt. I never reread a single one. I held onto a few that genuinely meant something, especially if they were from somebody special like my grandma who has passed away. But other than that, the memory stayed, even though the paper product was gone, and I’m very thankful that I just got rid of it.
6. Sentimental Clothes That Have Not Fit in Years
I won’t lie. I have clothes that I no longer fit in, that I just love, and I was holding on to them for reasons unknown. But I finally got my act together, and I began piling them up and donating them to people who could really use them. And that left more room for new clothes.
7. The Skinny Jeans I Was Saving for Someday
This goes into the last paragraph I was talking about. At first I was using them as a motivational tool. Like, one day I’m going to fit into these again. But I’m not gonna lie. I have been demotivated almost every time I open the drawer, and letting them go is one of the most liberating things I would ever do.
8. Books I Bought and Will Never Actually Read
I love to buy books. I love to read. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I have actually invested in a lot of books that I haven’t read. Like, why do I do that? So I’ve passed a few down to my son, who I think would enjoy them, and he has, but the rest of them, I just donated to the library and to the thrift store.
9. Craft Supplies for Projects I Will Never Finish
I love doing little crafts, whether it’s knitting or calligraphy or creating jewelry, but basically, I’m just storing broken promises. I’d never actually done any of these as a hobby. And so when I realized that, I donated them to a school art program.
10. The Drawer of Mystery Cables and Chargers
Ah, yes, you know you’ve made it as a real adult if you have a box or a bag or a drawer full of tangled cords for devices that you either no longer own, or you no longer use, because you’re keeping them for just in case. If you can’t tell what it charges, toss it out.
11. Old Phones and Broken Electronics
I had a broken tablet, 2 broken phones, and a toaster I swore I would fix. And they were all sitting in a drawer collecting guilt. Like, I stopped pretending that I’d fix anything, and I finally recycled them and opened up more drawer space.
12. Spare Buttons, Screws, and Random Keys
Listen, don’t judge me. I don’t know why, but I have always kept mystery hardware and keys to locks that are no longer owned. I’ve just saved them. I just like the little trinkets. I like to be crafty. I’ve thought that maybe one day I would use them in some amazing craft to give away as a present.
And the truth is, I’m not doing any of that. And I don’t really think I ever will. So I tossed them out and cleared one of my junk drawers with a clear conscience.
13. The Hoard of Free Hotel Toiletries
Listen, I love going on trips, and I love staying in hotels, and for a while there, I was taking home the little shampoos and conditioners and soaps, kind of like a memory. But in reality, I was never using them. So finally, after a while, I donated a bunch of them to a shelter where I know they will get used.
14. Beauty Samples and Expired Makeup
Crusty mascara, and a drawer full of samples, saved for some fancy day. I’m over it. As I’ve gotten older, old makeup just irritates my skin. And so I finally got fed up and I threw out any of the expired stuff, but kept what I actually used.
15. Magazines and Catalogs I Meant to Read
I subscribed to National Geographic one year, and I got 12 magazines delivered to me. And for a very, very, very long time, the stack sat on the back of my toilet for reading material. However, now that I have a phone, and it’s 2026, I’m not usually reading those magazines. So I went ahead and donated them.
16. Warranty Papers, Manuals, and Old Receipts
There is a rule that if you save some of this stuff, or if you spend money on certain things throughout the year, you should keep the receipts for tax purposes, which I do. However, you’re only supposed to keep those for about seven years, before they become irrelevant. I don’t know why I kept them all. I finally shredded all of the sensitive stuff, recycled the booklets and emptied the drawer.
17. Worn-Out Towels I Was Saving for Rags
Listen, I have enough rags to last a decade, all from the towels I was too sad to see go. I’ve cut them up, I’ve used them. They’re great. They’ve been great, but in reality, they’re old and dirty and dingy. And so now that I feel like I’m a real adult and I can afford new stuff, I finally just gave in and gave them to an animal shelter who I know appreciates them.
18. Single Socks Waiting for Their Match
This is a problem that I passed on to my son. And now I’m not only trying to teach myself, but I’m trying to teach him that, listen, if we lose a sock, that’s fine. You’re still growing. Let’s throw the other one away. There’s no reason to keep it. The reunion will never come.
19. Wire Hangers From the Dry Cleaner
If you’ve ever dry cleaned your clothes, you know that they come back to you on those fancy wire hangers under the plastic. However, the wire hangers just aren’t good, and they warp clothes. So instead of using them, I invested in plastic hangers for my house, and anytime I get a wire hanger back from the dry cleaner, I just recycle it.
20. Free Tote Bags and Conference Swag
If you’ve ever attended a conference, you get pens, lanyards, totes. And guess what? It’s surprisingly easy to release these things. I mean, I kept a couple of useful totes that I still use, but the rest of it, especially if the pen no longer works, just get rid of it.
21. Dusty Knickknacks and Souvenirs
I love figurines. I love little dust collectors, as I’ve always called them. However, these days, dusting has become more of a chore than scrubbing my bathroom. And so, do you really need those figurines? If you do, cool. If you don’t, get rid of them and stop dusting so much. They’re just collecting dust and yeah, they could be cute, but they really don’t get noticed too much anymore.
22. Half-Used Candles and Toiletry Bottles
Nearly empty lotion bottles and burned down candles. Why am I keeping these? I don’t know. I don’t know, but I finally just got rid of them. Threw them out, and opened up some space on my bathroom shelf.
23. Duplicate Kitchen Gadgets
Why does one need to own three can openers? Why do I have eight separate spatulas? Why do I have gourmet gadgets for one recipe? These are the questions I’ve literally been asking myself lately. And so I’ve chosen my favorites, maybe one, maybe 2 of each, and I just donated the rest. And you’d be surprised at how much my utensil drawer opens and shuts without a fight. LOL.
24. Old Makeup Brushes and Nail Polish
Thickened polish in colors I’ve stopped loving, brushes shedding bristles. Why do I hang on to these old things when the store is right down the road and I can go get brand new stuff? It’s not doing my routine any favors, keeping these old things. So I get a few new good ones and I recycled the rest.
25. Expired Pantry Food and Spices
I love to cook. I love to cook so much that I have developed quite the spice and seasoning cabinet. But I know that I shouldn’t, and I don’t use all of these. And so a few years ago, I decided that I was going to go through every single seasoning I had, and when I ended up throwing away 50% of them because they were expired, I knew I needed to make better choices.
Anyways, I hope that this helps you. These are just 25 actual things that I know you can get rid of and just cleanse your mind and simplify your life.
