Spare Buttons
They seem useless… until you need one. Toss them, and the day your favorite shirt loses a button, you’ll kick yourself for not saving it.
Important Paperwork
Tax forms, deeds, insurance policies, and birth certificates may not exactly spark joy, but you’ll thank yourself later for keeping them. Replacing them is expensive and stressful.
Childhood Toys
That worn teddy bear isn’t just old fabric - it’s a piece of your childhood. Have you never seen Toy Story 3? Don’t do that to your toys!
Vintage Gaming Consoles
What feels outdated now might be tomorrow’s collectible. Plus, how else are you going to play beloved old games from the past?
Musical Instruments
Even if you’re not playing anymore, instruments should never be thrown. One day, you - or someone in your family - might pick it back up and create music again.
Books
Even if you’re more of a tablet reader now, books give your house personality. A shelf of your favorites says more about you than any electronic device ever will.
Family Heirlooms
Even if you secretly hate them, heirlooms carry family history you can’t buy back. Keep them safe and pass them down to the next generation.
Vintage Furniture
Never get rid of good craftsmanship! Even if it’s scratched, vintage furniture can be refinished and loved for decades. IKEA flat-packs could never.
Classic Clothing Pieces
A well-made leather jacket or little black dress never really goes out of style. If something isn’t trendy, just wait – in a few years it might be fashionable again.
Souvenir Trinkets
A cartoony fridge magnet or a yellowing snowglobe may seem silly to keep, but they hold the memory of that trip in a way nothing else does.
High-Quality Kitchen Tools
Never throw these away, even if they’re old! A sharp chef’s knife or sturdy cast-iron pan is something you want to hang onto.
Old Cameras
Even if you’ve switched to digital, you shouldn’t throw your classic cameras away. They look fantastic on living room shelves.
Cookbooks
Beyond recipes, they’re full of family memories and sometimes notes in the margins. Hold onto them even if you don’t like to cook.
Vintage Cookware
Cast iron and Pyrex last forever, and you’ll regret letting them go once they’re gone.
Collections
Many collections grow in value over time even if people say they’re worthless. Plus, you already spent money collecting them and you don’t want to flush all that down the drain.
Wedding Dresses
People agonize over what to do with their wedding dresses if they have no children. Just keep them – they’re full of special memories.
Wedding Keepsakes
In a similar vein… never throw away your wedding keepsakes. You’ll look back at that cake topper one day and smile.
Family Photos
Even blurry snapshots hold priceless memories. You’ll regret tossing them, even if you have more boxes of photos than you can count.
Heirloom Jewelry
Even if it’s out of style, family jewelry carries history. And you could still wear it at a fancy shindig.
Yearbooks
Sure, you probably don’t flip through your yearbook every day, but they capture a chapter of your life you can’t redo.
Childhood Artwork
Okay, it’s impossible to keep every single drawing your kid does, but you should at least keep some.
Tools
Even if you rarely use them, one emergency project makes you glad you kept that hammer or wrench. Bonus points if they were passed down from Grandpa!
Quilts and Blankets
Handmade ones especially carry warmth, comfort, and history that no store-bought blanket can replace.
Vinyl Records
Even if you don’t own a turntable, these are a cool bit of nostalgia you shouldn't let go of.
DVDs
A lot of stuff has moved to streaming now, true, but not everything. You’ll be glad you kept your DVDs when your fave movie stops being available on Netflix.
Holiday Decorations
Tossing these often feels like tossing the memories tied to them. Plus, older holiday decorations were much better made than the current ones.
Scrapbooks
These aren’t clutter; they’re curated treasures of your life’s milestones and adventures. Never, ever throw them.
Homemade VHS Tapes
If you have memories of a family holiday on a VHS, don’t throw that away, even if you can’t play the tape anymore. Many places will digitize the tape for you.
Military Memorabilia
Uniforms and medals are priceless family history you can’t get back. At the very least, consider giving them to a museum if you want them to live on with the family name attached.
Baby Shoes
Tiny shoes carry big memories. Keep at least one or two in order to remember those precious baby years.
Craft Supplies
Decluttering experts tell you to throw these if you haven’t used them in years, but creative inspiration always sneaks back in. Having supplies ready saves you buying it all again.
Journals
Journalling is good for mental health and once you’re done you have a great record. Keep your journals for yourself or future generations.
Maps
Old road maps spark memories of trips and show how the world has changed. Keep them as a reminder of that one great roadtrip holiday.
Handmade Gifts
They’re one-of-a-kind. Tossing them can feel like tossing the person’s effort and love.
Board Games
Even outdated ones can bring laughter and nostalgia during family gatherings, and some of them could end up being collector’s pieces.
