keep or toss?

Every day, we have countless decisions to make about comes into our home and what leaves. It can easily be confusing to know what to do. In general, asking one or more of these questions will help you to make the decisions that you need to make.

1. Do I absolutely love it? If you cannot honestly say you absolutely love the item, you don't need to keep it.
   
   
2. Does it serve a useful purpose? If the answer is no, or not really, let it go!
   
   
3. Will it be out-of-date before I need it again? Too often books and other printed information are out of date before we need it again. And now-days, it’s so easy to find the most up-to-date information on the web.
   
   
4. Am I hanging on to it out of obligation? Let's face it; we all feel a twinge of guilt when we think about not keeping a gift. Remember that a gift is given without strings or obligations, and the receiver is free to do as they wish with the gift.
   
   
5. Will it affect me financially if I toss or shred it? When it comes to paperwork, it seems that we hang on to it--fearing financial repercussions if we toss or shred. The majority of the time, you will not need to keep the paper document, but if you are unsure, click here for some helpful guidelines.
   
   
6. Do I have a place for it? We often make impulse purchases and then have to deal with where to put it. So, make a conscious decision to stop and think before you buy, and decide based on knowing exactly where it will go in your home.
   
   
7. Do I really need to buy it, or can I rent it? Specialized tools, yard equipment, and entertaining items are things you might want to consider rending. The charge to rent isn't usually anywhere near the cost to purchase and you don't end up with clutter that you have to store!
   
   
8. Do I need to keep a hard copy? Rather than printing from your computer, save a copy to your computer a copy of whatever you might ordinarily print off just to file.
   
   
9. Do I use it? If you don't use it, lose it! If you don't wear it, donate it! If you don't eat it, get rid of it! Think how much less work there will be around the house if we don't spend all our time maintaining stuff we never use, wear or eat!
   
   
10. What's the worst thing that could happen if I get rid of it? By trying to figure out the worst `what-if' we can be assured that in all likelihood, it won't ever be an unrecoverable act to get rid of something.

Keep theses questions in mind the next time you decide whether to keep or toss!