Second Cup: It's OK to throw it away

really want. Maybe it is misplaced gifts like gingerbread scented sugar scrub that smells great but is not so pleasant on your sensitive skin. Maybe it's small pieces of wrapping paper or holiday decorations that you are tired of or that don't work anymore. If there is stuff that you know you won't enjoy, give it away or toss it. If there is stuff that you feel a nagging sense of obligation to use but you know you never will use,

go ahead and get rid of it. Ideally, you would be able to give any unwonted items away to a friend or relative or neighbor, or perhaps to a charity that might be interested. Maybe some elements could be recycled. But if you are holding on to something because of the guilt of wanting to keep it out of a landfill, know this, it is going to wind up there eventually. The question is when if you opened that bacon jam from the gift set and tried it and hated it, you are not going to be able to give it

to a food bank. In a partially consumed condition, it might sit in your fridge for a year or more, taking up space. It can sit there for two years and then get thrown away when you move or get a new fridge, or it can get thrown away today. I know we all want to do our part in reducing waste, but once an object is created and procured, its life cycle is going to end somewhere. We can reduce demand for certain things by being careful with gift giving.

That is one reason to ask for and give experiences instead of things, or perhaps to give hard to shop for people cash. If you are the hard to shop for person, perhaps you could drop hints about a charity

that what you would love. If you are the hard to shop for person, you can drop hints about a charity that you would love for people to support in lieu of giving you presents, But once the present exists and is in your house, it will eventually wind up in the landfill or maybe, in the best case scenario, having its components recycled. Ideally it will be used in the meantime, but whether it is or it isn't doesn't

change that final outcome. If you can find someone who can use the item, that is awesome, But if no one is going to use it, then giving it an intermediate life as clutter isn't helping the environment. Now I know this is really hard for me personally to accept. I am a very thrifty person, and sometimes I have extended the life of things for quite a while. I put a little water in my makeup tubes and in my shampoo bottles and so forth to squeeze out every

little bit of product. My four year old is wearing a coat that was worn by my brother's children before it was worn by my child's older siblings. My ability to use up leftovers is top notch, if I say so myself. But if I am never going to use a tube of lipstick because I don't like the color, it does nothing for anybody sitting in my drawer. I can't really give it to anyone else after I have used it, and it's just going to get grosser over time as it's sitting there. The time to act and

consider was in the buying. Once that is done, it's ok to throw it away. Nothing lasts forever, and once it's gone you will probably stop thinking about it. We all have more stuff than we need, which is a good reason to pause and think about things before heading by. But once something is bought, if it is not going to be put to use, it is okay to proceed to the final stage. That will free up space in your home and in your mind. In the meantime, this

is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.