I've worked with many people and most of the time, purging is the hardest part of the process. People have trouble letting go for many reasons. Most of the time they hold on to things out of a fear that they will need that item the second they throw it away. Now for this I have a justification scale that I use to balance the monetary value of an object with your need for said object. I feel like it is very fair and non aggressive but if followed, can keep your life from becoming overwhelmed with things. Sentimental items are not measured using the justification scale, I will give you some suggestions to handle your treasures in another article.
You can see from the chart below that the more expensive the item, the longer of a period you can hold onto it without using it. Of course if you have an expensive item that you already know you will not be using again, feel free to purge ahead of schedule! Also if any item currently has a place in your home and you do not frequently use it, you can hold onto it as long as everything else in your home has a place already as well. If not, well it might be time to get rid of that food dehydrator and just come to terms with that fact that you are simply never going to like kale chips.
Now keep in mind that purging does not necessarily mean throw away. It just means you are ridding your environment of something unnecessary. If the condition of something has completely deteriorated and it is not a collectible you should simply throw it away. If the product still functions but is perhaps outdated or not considered desirable any more you should donate these products. If a product is still widely used by the population and in good working condition you should sell these items. You can do this by having a garage/yard sale or by doing so online. If you aren't sure between what should be donated and sold you can always just try to sell it all and donate whatever is left.
One easy way to calm your fears about purging a product is to guarantee yourself the ability to repurchase said item if absolutely necessary. How can I make such a promise to myself, you ask? Easy! You are going to set aside any money you make from purging, every time you purge into an account that you do not currently use. This will be you emergency..."OMG why did I throw that away?" fund.
Now that you have money...lets say you encounter a time you need that thing you purged. Now is a GREAT time to ask yourself, is this something I can rent vs. buy? For example, lets say you purged a circular saw. You did not use it for more than 3 years but suddenly a piece of siding needs repaired on your house. While it is time to dip into that purge account, do you want to really spend $150 on a new saw or will a $15 tool rental charge be a better solution considering you will probably not need this saw for another 3 years. We don't want to pay full price for something just to have to consider purging it again,, all the while it is taking up space and losing value. For $150 you can afford a $15 tool rental charge every 3 years for the next 30 years. Assuming you would even need it that often, and since you have already purged this item once you probably will not.
As humans we place so much emphasis on ownership. But where is the value in owning a bunch of crap you don't use and nobody else wants? So unless you just love dusting and having to go a on treasure hunt every time you set something down....be vigilant in your purging efforts my friends.
-Meredith Warren- Designate A Space
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