Would I buy this today?

We have a terrible time at our house getting rid of unneeded items that take up space and clutter up the house. Both my husband and I are descendants of keepers. If we didn't have a determination to live differently, we too would be piled under with items that we wouldn't be able to find when we finally needed it someday. To help stem the tide of clutter, we had a garage sale yesterday. It was a lot of work, but it gave me the motivation to sort through some cupboards and figure out what we didn't really need. I didn't have enough time to clean everything as completely as I would have liked, but quite a few boxes and bags made it out of the house.

The sale went well. Many customers came by and went away with something they could use. All the while though I wondered what I would do with the things they didn't buy. I was concerned that the remains would make their way back to the house.

I was tired when things were done, but knew I'd better get things cleaned up right away. I started putting things in boxes wondering if I should keep items or not. Then the perfect question came to mind to help me. If I were shopping at a garage sale myself and saw this item (and I didn't have one already), would I buy it today? I was so excited because I could say no on almost every item. It helped me to know that I did not need those items! I felt freed. And I think this simple question is going to help me de-clutter even more around the house.

Almost everything left from the sale is going to be donated to a second hand store, where the right person will be sure to find it, although they will have to pay much more then they would have had to pay at my garage sale.