Put your garage on a diet

For many of us, cleaning the garage is a painful exercise. Not everyone finds it easy to dispose of the myriad of items put away in boxes, let alone furniture, trinkets and other odds and ends.

The reason most often cited for not giving or throwing away the stuff that clutters a garage are the following:

Reason 1: “It’s a family heirloom” – The old wooden toolbox that belonged to Grandpa, your mother’s china, the complete collection of mismatched screws and nails bequeathed by one of your uncles are just some of the items and objects that you should depart with in order to clear your garage and get it more organized and more in line with your family’s needs today.

Reason 2: “It was a gift” – How many times have you received a useless gift? The kind of gift that no one really knows what to do with. Although the intention from the one who gave it to you is more than honorable, you really don’t need such a gift. It is wrong to believe that you should absolutely keep this gift for fear of offending the person. It’s a gift. It’s yours. Dispose of it as you see fit. Benefit from a garage sale or a donation to make someone happy and pass it along. You’ll be surprised how good it feels.

Reason 3: “It might be useful one day”- Many of you buy the same tool, product or item repeatedly because you cannot find the one you originally purchased. Or you bought a completely useless gadget pretending that it could always serve you one day. The compulsive tool shopper who is not particularly handy is a good example. He has tons of tools but no longer knows what to do with them, let alone where to store them. If you have not used a tool, an item or a product in recent years, reconsider its usefulness and why you’re keeping it. It is the same for all those loose screws and nails that you never remember to use. Keep only the bare necessities and create storage space in your garage for the tools, items and products that your household really needs.

Reason 4: “I paid dearly for this thing.” – The price you paid for a tool, item or product does not justify its usefulness. Everyone can make a mistake, admit it. Do not hang on to something just for monetary considerations. The principle is simple: either this tool, product or item is useful, or it is not. It is useless to hold on and allow storage space to be taken up unnecessarily. Get rid of it. Give it to someone who will use it. To err is human. Make use of this opportunity to better plan your purchases and ensure that these compulsive shopping habits do not happen again. Your garage deserves better than to serve as a cemetery for these errors.