As we enter into the last month of Spring, there’s no better time to complete your ‘Spring Cleaning‘ routine than right now. Most likely, you’ve probably already dusted and cleaned your ceiling fans. You’ve wiped down the baseboards and scrubbed the oven. Now comes the hard part, discarding household items you know are clutter and taking up space.

Woman separating items into donation and trash boxes

There are a number of TV shows and books on the subject of downsizing and freeing yourself of unneeded items such as ‘Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way To A Richer, Happier Life‘ by author Peter Walsh. Walsh has been featured on the Rachael Ray show and Living Room TV. Oprah Winfrey reportedly dubbed him the ‘get your whole life organized’ guy.

Deciding what stays and what goes should be a simple chore yet many of us struggle with letting go of some belongings because of their sentimental value. The stool with the wobbly leg, the baby stroller in the garage that hasn’t been used in two years, or that old flat basketball you swear you’re going to fill-up with air soon.

The goal here is to bring attention to those things you don’t necessarily see everyday out in the open or items you haven’t thought about in years.

We are all guilty of holding on to things we no longer need. Admittedly, there are a few items on this list that even I can’t bring myself to throw out. I am far from a hoarder but I can’t seem to let go of a few boxes and storage containers that hold memories so don’t feel bad if you can’t accomplish all ten of these.

The first item on the list is ‘Old Magazines‘ so I went out to my garage to see how guilty I was of this one. My reaction was a mixture of laughter and embarrassment as I uncovered a box of magazines that turn 20 years old this year. Yes, those Maxim magazines with Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera on the covers are from 2003.

If I were taking my own advice, I should immediately throw these in the recycling bin… maybe next year.