You’ve discovered your unique rules for what stays and what goes in your home, you’ve used one of last week’s techniques to jump-start your decluttering, and now you have a big pile of things to get rid of! But unless you have a plan for what to do with them, you’ll either have a junk pile that hangs around, or send things to the landfill. 

Trash is always a last resort for unwanted objects. Before you toss things in the garbage, see if your clutter falls into any of these categories. 

Sell

Why not? One woman made more than $30,000 selling things she no longer wanted on her minimalist journey! I don’t expect you to sell everything you own, but if you’re not going to use that ice cream maker anymore, sell it. Listing something on eBay or Facebook Marketplace doesn’t take more than a few minutes, and can get your item to someone who needs it (while adding a few bucks to your bank account). 

Donate

The Buy Nothing Project encourages its members to give freely, whether that’s tangible objects, creative works, or expertise. It has its own app or is accessible by Facebook. It’s a great way to get rid of clutter in an eco-friendly way. 

You can also look up local charities to see if they’re in need of items you don’t use anymore. It’s always important to let them know what you’re donating before you donate. Charities don’t need everything all the time, and if they’re stocked up on winter coats, donating them three more will be more of a burden than a help. 

Give to family and friends

When you declutter, ask yourself, “Do I know anyone who could use this?” If you do, great! You just came up with an impromptu gift AND decluttered your home. Make sure that what you give isn’t something that will become clutter in the gift recipient’s home—you don’t want to continue the clutter cycle! 

Do right by the planet, and put items you don’t use back into circulation so they live out their useful lives. Not only does it keep your home clutter-free, it can brighten someone else’s life, too. 

It always helps to have a plan! Have you sold, donated, or given away anything recently? Tell me in the comments what it was, and how it felt to let it go!