Many times in working with clients I find that they save stuff with the idea that they will reuse it. Great idea, right?! Unfortunately though, I find even with the best of intentions, the items, instead of getting reused, actually create clutter in the client’s living spaces.

Some of the most common items I find clients keep with the idea to reuse include: grocery bags or sacks, extra napkins, straws, or plastic silverware from fast food restaurants, and boxes. I have seen multiple closets, garages, and basements filled with bags of bags and boxes of boxes. So what good is this really, even though it started with the best of intentions and felt like the “right thing to do”?

In working with clients that this seems to be the case, I have a couple of suggestions:

1. The first is to be sure and put the items you intend to reuse in a place that they will actually get used and that makes the most sense for you. An example is to place the extra napkins to be reused over where you pack lunches or have your paper towels. Another example comes from a client of mine that collected tons of small pads of paper. Yet overtime she left me a note that she wrote on a small corner of a ripped out magazine page! Instead, she needed to keep the paper pads where she would naturally go to grab a piece of paper to write a note to someone.

2. The second suggestion is to ask yourself, “Are the items to be reused coming in faster than you can use them up?” If so, the better idea might be to donate or recycle them. If you donate the items, others are usually happy to use them and then you aren’t just throwing things into the trash.

Reusing items is definitely an earth friendly and smart alternative, but it can also have a negative impact on your life if you aren’t able to carry through with your idea. When items begin causing you stress because you have a cluttered house, it’s probably time to make a new plan. It’s never too late to re-evaluate your good intentions!