Here are five ways to conquer the clutter so your family or friends won’t have to deal with it later:

1. Determine the items’ actual usage. Think honestly about whether you use inherited or collected items. If they’re packed away, they really aren’t part of your life

2. Have the conversation. Don’t assume your kids will want an item just because your plan was to pass it down. Have an honest discussion with the intended recipients, and don’t be offended if your kind offer is politely declined

3. Stop buying. Tidy up instead. Chances are you already have what you’re about to buy, you just don’t know where it is!

4. Purge periodically. Often, we keep things thinking we’ll use some day. Craft items are the worst for this! Are you really going to recover that chair or re-frame that nice picture of the rose you grew in 2005? Will decoupage ever come back into fashion? If the answer is no, the op shop will be happy to take them off your hands. If you’re not sure, then pack them away and you can reassess. If you haven’t used saved items within a few year, you’re not likely to.

5. Think practically about loved ones’ lifestyles. When saving items for family members, think: Will they want this? Do they have room for it? Is the item valuable only to me? The answers help with decisions to save or let go.