I am not a minimalist.

I admit that I have hoarding-like tendencies. But every time I use some random object that I’ve saved (like that scrap of ribbon that makes the perfect accent for the gift I’m wrapping. Or the grubby old T-shirt that becomes the perfect painting shirt. Or that random fake flower that becomes the perfect finishing touch in a new decor arrangement…), I feel justified.

But I also know that part of stewarding my household well means getting rid of clutter, and not being overly attached to the things that fill my life.

So, I have one super-simple technique that has helped me to be able to get rid of unnecessary items, while not feeling overwhelmed with the process:

Keep a running Goodwill box at all times.

That’s it.

Often I hear of people doing a mass overhaul of their belongings, going through everything within a few days and getting rid of boxes upon boxes of stuff. I have tried to do that, and I just can’t. I hit a wall, get stuck, give up.

But what I realized over time is that I often, on a day to day basis, will see something that I haven’t used in a while, and think, “I should get rid of that.” And in that moment, I’m ready to part with it. But I often wasn’t prepared logistically to deal with unwanted items. So, I used to just keep a sort of mental list of these items, and then collect them at some point when I was organizing or had decided to purge.

However, I have figured out a better way! Now I keep what I call my “running Goodwill box”. I say Goodwill, but really it is for whatever place you intend to donate it. I just keep a large box in an out-of-the-way storage area in our house. Whenever I see something I no longer need, I put it in the box. When the box is full, I take it to a donation location. Then find a new box, and repeat.

I find that I fill up a box every couple months. I honestly think I get rid of far more stuff with this method, than I would if I tried to do a once-a-year purge.

Additionally, I now keep a separate box of items that I want to sell, with things like kids clothes, household items, etc. As I have time, I post them on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

It’s a Win-Win

An added bonus of continuously removing unneeded stuff, rather than waiting for some magical moment of organizational motivation, is that the clutter never builds up. This is huge. It keeps the spaces in our house tidier. It opens up the prime storage real estate in our home for items we actually use on a regular basis. And it means that I’m not wading through unnecessary stuff in the midst of cabinets and closets.

What is your method for how to declutter your home?