What is it about free stuff that’s so irresistible? Sure, you don’t pay actual dollars for the little tchotchkes, doo-dads, nick-knacks, swag and whatever you want to call these items. Yet you really do in terms of space in your own home and office for the items you truly do value.

So how do stop yourself from not looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth?

Start by removing the free stuff from your home and see how much of a difference it actually makes. If you need a place to start, start with these items:

T-shirts from kids’ sports teams, road races and fundraisers, camp, etc. – Go through your drawers and that of your children, if they will let you. Set a target number as to how many t-shirts you can reasonably fit in a drawer—two levels high, tops. Then donate the rest. With seven days a week, you and your children probably don’t need more than 10 t-shirts.

Water bottles – How many water bottles does one household need? And how many of the bottles in your cabinet are missing the lid? Limit the number of bottles to two per person. Put the others in the recycle bin or donate.

Reusable bags – It sounded like a great idea, right? Instead of the paper or plastic at the grocery store, bring your own bags. Now, you have more of those than you could possibly ever use on the biggest grocery shop. So, factor a number of bags that represents a typical shopping trip, maybe save one or two more than that for some other possible uses, and donate the rest.

Corporate swag – You are proud to work for your company. We get it. Yet how many items do you need to show that pride? And does that swag really need to be in your home? Limit your corporate swag to stuff you can actually use at the office.

Trade show swag – Again, how much of this stuff do you really need? Sure, it’s free. Some of it may be nice. You may even need some extra pens or highlighters? Yet how many pads, post-its, mugs—the list can go on and on—do you really need? When visiting a trade show, just say no to free stuff.

Does this mean never accept any of the tchotchkes? Never is a long time. You can make an exception occasionally if you have a specific use of a free item in mind—e.g. maybe your children never have enough pens or pencils. Other than that, fill your home with items you deem to have value—both personal and financial. And when that gift horse looks your way, don’t look back.

If you need help in this area or any other kind of decluttering project, please give me a call at 508-246-6120 or drop a line.