You guys I am telling you, 2023 is my year! I don’t know what it is about me but I have a fire that LIT UP like nobody’s business at the beginning and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon! I have discovered some minimalist podcasts and YouTubers that I just love and I have gotten rid of probably 40% of all the stuff in my house I wasn’t using!! Isn’t that nuts? And I cannot even begin to describe to you how amazing that feels. My brain is so much happier and more clear with less to-do’s on my mind because I am not keeping my brain busy with the guilt or “I should be doing this….” with every item that I see.

One of my favorite rooms I have done the most decluttering is in my kitchen. I have cleared out probably close to half the items in my cupboards and my family and I are loving the new vibe. It is so easy to find what we are looking for and everything has a place. It’s wonderful! Here are 7 things you can purge RIGHT NOW in your kitchen and feel so much better that you did! We are going to be pretty ruthless here, but I promise you won’t miss these items at all!

1. Mismatched “Tupperware”

We all have a bunch of the clear containers from lunch meats, large yogurt containers, or reusable takeout boxes we’ve gotten from Chinese takeout that we have stored to store leftovers in, but this is the easiest thing to purge first. If it doesn’t have a lid--toss it! Or rather, in most cases you can recycle it! And only save how many you realistically think you will use. I saved only 4 and have a few smaller reusable containers that my kids use for cold lunches so they aren’t using plastic baggies every day. This instantly clears out a lot of room and is very mindless!

2. Extra Spatulas

If you really asked yourself how many wooden spoons or spatulas you would use for one meal you could possibly need, it really would only be a couple. Realistically, even if you are making a Thanksgiving feast, you can easily take 30 seconds and wash a spatula as you switch from cranberry sauce to green bean casserole. Get rid of all your extra spatulas and wooden spoons--just keep your very favorites. Really anything along these lines--you just need one set of salad tongs, one set of tongs for your grill, etc. Do you really use that cheese slicer or specialty avocado cutter tool or could you just use a knife?

I found that I had a plastic lettuce knife that I probably had for 5 years and never used once for lettuce because I completely forgot I had it. That’s not doing anybody any good--so that was any easy one to toss and never have to manage or think about again!

3. Old Wedding Gifts You Never Used

I’ve been married 14 years and literally just pulled out a few wedding gifts that were still in the boxes we never opened. If I wasn’t going to open it in 14 years, I never will, so I happily sent these on their way for someone else to use and love! I even had two beautiful (real) silver fruit bowls that I passed on for someone else to love because I never really loved them. They didn’t really go with my aesthetic, so even though I knew they were nice and expensive gifts, they sat in my cupboard, taking up precious space and collecting dust--so I love the thought of someone finding these treasures at the thrift store and being so excited they did!

4. Holiday Entertaining Platters

I had a few big Christmas bowls and cookie plates for Santa that were buried at the back of my cupboard. Once again, when Christmas time comes around and we leave cookies out for Santa, I honestly forget every year that we have them, or I have no clue where they are so we just use a regular plate and Santa loves them just as much, or so it seems! :) I have found that I just love to keep my basic, pure white serving dishes and trays that go beautifully for any occasion I will be hosting or having a big party, and the specialty stuff can go!

5. Extra Pots and Pans from a Set that Go Unused

Lastly, you have permission to get rid of any extra pots or pans that came from a set that you really don’t use and that just take up space. This one might go a little against your nature because we naturally don’t want to give away items that are perfectly good. But I got rid of a couple pots and pans that were part of a recent set of pans I got from Costco, I feel great about the ones I kept and I can easily find and store the ones I use and love, and have plenty of extra room to easily find them and put them away. Someone else gets to have a shiny new pot and I feel good about that!

I had a big pot that had a fancy lid that drained pasta right on top--but I really didn’t need this big bulky specialty pot. I have my own methods for draining pasta, so one big pot is plenty for me. That’s an easy, obvious item that can go!

I hope these tips were helpful and that you can find some easy items in your kitchen to purge and give you a little extra room and love in your kitchen so you can easily find and store the things you use often. Do you have any other purging/decluttering tips for items in the kitchen that have helped you get rid of things you don’t use? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.