8 Things to Throw Away and Forget About

"the books I have to read" by conejoazul is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Forget about spring cleaning - winter is the time to go through things and clean. You’re stuck inside, you may have extra days off around the holidays and you need to make room for all the things you received as holiday gifts. If you hate to throw things away, these items (courtesy of Apartment Therapy) are things you can get rid of and never look back!

Coffee Mugs: Many people mindlessly collect mugs, much like business cards or matchbooks. There are instant, affordable souvenirs to mindlessly reach for and/or to accept as gifts. Harmless enough gestures at the time, there’s no denying their tendency to linger without true purpose. You’ll always reach first for your favorite morning mug, and ignore the rest of the porcelain in the back of your kitchen cabinet.

Travel Size Toiletries: Are you one of those people who just grab the hotel shampoo and soap, and stuff it in your luggage, even if you don’t need it? If you have a huge stash that you’ve squirreled away somewhere, think about paring down the collection.

Old Medication: It feels weird to get rid of something that requires a medical license procure. Yet most pills in your medicine cabinet are woefully out of date, or you have no idea what they were originally prescribed for. I’m all for pushing the expiration dates beyond what’s recommended, but do toss the ones that are dated from 2005 or that you have no idea what they are.

Vases: These breed faster than rabbits, especially those generic FTD-type vessels that lack personality. If you’ve ever been gifted flowers, you know these are unwelcome interlopers amongst actual useful glassware.

Food Storage Containers: These are the refrigerator gifts that keep on giving. They are cheap to acquire, yet just precious enough to cling to — without realizing that you really, really don’t need as many as you have. Take a moment to get rid of extra lids, super stained plastic ones, and the ones you never ever use. (I’m just realizing that I have “favorite” Tupperware. Kill me now.)

Party Supplies: Paper plates, napkins, and candles hold such promise and are hard to resist - of a perfect evening with friends and convivial conversation, decorated just so. Host enough events and you find yourself overflowing with extras and odd men out.

Craft Supplies: Every DIYer and crafter's Achilles heel is that fabric stash, that beautiful yarn waiting for the perfect project, and your fifty types of glue. You have enough stuff to make until the Apocalypse at this rate, so time to cull the collection, use what you have, or get rid of it.

Books: Don’t worry about the classics, go for the cheap thrillers in paperback you have lying around — the ones clogging your nightstand and needlessly crowding your shelves. Most likely you won’t pick up these same books twice, especially in today’s digital age. Let go of that visual notch in your literary bedpost, and free yourself from housing an entire library.

Should You Get Rid of Your Furniture?

"Repurposed trunk" by Paris on Ponce & Le Maison Rouge is licensed
under CC BY 2.0

Furniture can be an expensive investment, depending on the quality of the pieces. Because it can be so costly, throwing furniture away should be a last resort. After evaluating these steps from Apartment Therapy, consider donating it or giving it to a friend in need and, then, if all else fails, toss it.

1. Can it be used for in another room, maybe for a different purpose?

Consider the other rooms of your house, and consider your household needs. Something that you don't want in one room, might serve a different purpose in another. I had been using a small dresser as my daughter's changing table in the nursery for the past couple of years, but now that she is a toddler, she doesn't need it and the dresser was just taking up space. At the same time, I had been needing a bed side table. After deliberating about its fate, I realized the dresser might work as a nightstand. I packed up the contents of the changing table dresser and moved it into our room next to our bed. Voila! It turned out to be the perfect height for a bed side table and so it will stay.

2. Can it be updated?

There are several ways that you can give your old furniture new life with a couple of simple updates. If you are tired of your coffee table that you've had since college, take a good look at it and determine if you can give it a new coat of paint and a different style of table legs. Maybe your old dresser can be spruced up with some beautiful hardware and that might inspire a whole new life out of it. If you know how to reupholster chairs, try a whole other color or pattern to change it up.

3. Can you take it apart to use its various parts?

I've determined that our coffee table needs to go, but recently I've been eyeballing it again to see if I could use its parts of other purposes. For example, I can take the legs off and then paint the table top with chalkboard paint, and stand it up in my daughter's room as a chalkboard. Or maybe I could replace the skinny legs with sturdier ones, add some cushions and turn it into a bench for our foyer area. Maybe you have a dresser that is falling apart but each of the drawers are still in good shape; paint the drawers, add a couple of table legs, and turn that into a side table.

4. Can you sell it?

It is always worth trying to see if you can sell the item through a service like Craigslist. Check your local listings, see what similar items are being priced at and put it up for sale with a couple of good pictures. You can take the money your earn from that sale and put it towards that new replacement item you are saving up for.

5. Do you have room to store it?

If you have room to store it, consider putting it away in that attic or basement. Especially if the item has good bones, it might be worth keeping around. You might end up needing it, liking it again or gifting it to a friend or family member who needs it in a few years. Even if you don't recognize a need for it in the present moment, the item might meet a need in the future.

If you have gone through these factors and determine that you have no more use for it, and the item is still in working condition, make sure to donate it to your local thrift stores. Give someone else a chance to squeeze more life out of it!

Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

Photo courtesy Faith Durand, The Kitchn

The snow is falling and it’s beginning to feel like holiday season. We still have a couple of weeks to go until Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge a little today! One of the things we look forward to most is the home-made pumpkin pie. This is a great recipe from The Kitchn to use if either cannot wait for Thanksgiving, or to file away for the rest of winter when you need a comforting dessert!

Pumpkin Pie Mug Cake

Makes 1

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

14 grams gingersnaps (2 small cookies), crushed into 2 tablespoons of crumbs

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk or cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Place the butter in a microwave-safe mug that holds at least 10 ounces, and microwave on LOW until melted. Stir in the crushed gingersnaps and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the mug.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, egg, milk or cream, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into mug with the gingersnap "crust."

Place the mug on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on full power for 2 to 5 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the mug pie comes out clean. The top may look slightly damp but it will set as it cools. (Cooking time will vary greatly depending on your microwave and the width and depth of the mug. Start with 2 minutes and continue cooking in 30-second increments until it is done.)

Use a hot pad or oven mitt to carefully remove the mug from the microwave. Let it stand for a couple minutes to cool, then top, if desired, with whipped cream and crushed nuts before eating.

Recipe Notes

Doubling the recipe: You can double this recipe, but only cook one mug pie in the microwave at a time.

Downsize Your Kitchen Before the Holidays

"Kitchen" by Patrick Morgan is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The holiday season is almost upon us! Of course, this time of the year can be hectic, especially if you plan on hosting gatherings or dinners in your apartment. Space in your kitchen may already be hard to come by, but if you’re having a large gathering, it is even trickier to maneuver. To downsize your kitchen before the holidays come, follow these steps from Apartment Therapy:

1. Get rid of multiples, but keep the best.

Certain things add up over the course of a lifetime spent cooking: mixing bowls, roasting trays, serving platters, salad tossers. Think about how many of each you really need, and keep the best quality/most useful of the bunch. Donate or toss the ones that don't make the cut.

2. Forget about "everyday" vs. "good."

When it comes to china, or cutlery, do you really need two 12-person sets? For the three times a year your fancy china comes out to play, it's probably not worth the storage space. A simple white set of dishes works for every occasion, or just choose the set you like best, and get rid of the other(s).

3. Consider your single-use gadgets.

There's a lot of hate out there for kitchen equipment designed to just do one thing, and sure, those egg-poachers and garlic-peelers might be a tad silly in a world where a pan of boiling water or the blade of a knife does the job just fine. But I wouldn't write off every single-use gadget in your home. My aforementioned mother, for example, has both a European tomato press and a fancy-schmancy citrus juicer in her kitchen. Seems excessive, but you know what? The woman makes 500+ jars of various preserves every year, so those things will probably make the cut. Maybe you use that ice-cream maker every week in the summer, and maybe you don't, but either way— really think about it and be honest about what you need, and what you can get rid of.

4. Add more multi-use ones.

Downsizing isn't just about getting rid of things; you'll have to invest in some new space-saving pieces to replace those you're culling. Four different kinds of glasses for four different beverages, really? It seems that the oh-so-trendy stemless wine glasses work equally well for water and juice. Same goes for pasta bowls, soup bowls and ramen bowls: just choose one in-between size and be done with it.

5. Cut down on appliances.

If you're moving or making structural changes to your kitchen, you might want to carefully consider which large appliances you choose. In many North American homes, a full-height (and sometimes double-width) fridge/freezer is the norm, but in big cities and elsewhere around the world, people get by just fine with under-counter versions. Dishwashers, too, are another possibly-expendable luxury. It may not be for everyone, but depending on your priorities and lifestyle (more space in exchange for a bit more time spent), it's worth thinking about.

6. Same goes for small appliances.

Do you need a coffee maker? Blender and immersion blender? Stand mixer plus hand-held electric beaters? Toast can be easily made under the grill! Think about all these things, and keep the pieces that work for your cooking style best. If you haven't used it in months, chances are you can do without it always.

7. Use smart storage.

In a smaller space, you've got to be intentional about where you keep things. Think of a pegboard wall, a foldable stepladder which makes storing things on the upper cabinets feasible, maybe open shelving or wall-hung rails for those items you use frequently. Whether it's adding these options to your current home or building them into a new one, think about the way you cook and use space, and make your kitchen behave accordingly.

8. Don't neglect the pantry. 

Those large pantries and deep drawers can easily lead to a certain kind of "but I might need this for a recipe one day" food hoarding. Five different types of flour? Four varieties of artisanal chili flakes? Maybe you regularly use all of these things, in which case, carry on! But if those spices or nuts or whatever have been sitting in that drawer for three years, they're likely stale anyway, so clear them out and make way for more of what you will use. (Consider donating that which is unopened and still in date to a local shelter.)

5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs

"home office closeup" by megan ann is licensed under CC BY 2.0

While it’s wonderful to live in an age with so much technology at our fingertips, these devices also use a lot of energy. Not only does this have a potentially negative impact on the environment, but it costs us more money on our electric bills each month, too. So how can we conserve energy and save money without feeling like we’re sacrificing our dependency on technology? Try these tips from Apartment Guide:

1. Unplug

It goes without saying that turning off the lights when you don’t need them can reduce the cost of your electric bill–but did you know that simply unplugging your appliances can help reduce costs, too? Of course, you don’t want to unplug things that need to stay plugged in like the refrigerator.

However, unplugging phone chargers, toasters, hair dryers, and other small appliances when they’re not in use can shave dollars off your electric bill every time. Consider getting timed surge protectors or outlet additions that can turn off and on things that you don’t need to use while you’re not home, like television cable boxes, modems, routers and the microwave.

2. Cool Naturally

One of the biggest uses of electricity in a home, particularly during the summer, is the air conditioning. Nearly all air conditioners–whether they are window units that can be turned on and off, or they are controlled centrally by a thermostat–use electric power to run.

While some hot days are unbearable and it’s impossible to go without a/c, on more temperate days, try to cool your home naturally. Open windows, block sun from streaming in windows, and use fans. Try opening two windows; then place a fan backward in one open window to draw hot air out. This will allow the cool air from the other open window to flow in freely.

3. Go Green

If you use a lot of lights in your apartment, one way to reduce your electric bill is to use eco-friendly light bulbs. There are lots of eco-friendly light bulbs available, and they’re much more durable, long lasting, and environmentally-conscious.

Fluorescent light bulbs are not only better for the environment, they’re also better for your bank account. Switch your regular bulbs out for fluorescent ones; then reduce their usage as much as possible. Consider trying different fluorescent bulbs to find just the right color for your home (some can be very bright).

4. Upgrade and Update

New appliances are much more energy efficient and responsible than older appliances. You may not be able to upgrade major appliances in an apartment, but that doesn’t you don’t have any control. Some minor appliances whose newer models tend to be much more eco-conscious include computers, televisions, hair dryers, hair straighteners, toasters and blenders.

5. Clean Your Filters

Your air conditioner has a filter in it that keeps things like dust and dirt from blowing into the air. However, it needs to be changed regularly, and some people try to save money by not replacing the filter. In reality, a dirty filter is not only bad for your lungs, but it can also drive your electricity bill way up.

Full filters make air conditioners inefficient, causing them to work harder (or you to turn them on a higher setting) in order to make your space cool. If your “change filter” light is on, or if you haven’t changed yours in a while, check with your landlord to see if he has a replacement filter for you (or, if the air conditioner belongs to you, head to a hardware store to get a new one). You’ll spend much more on cooling your space with a dirty filter than you will on the one time expense of buying a brand new one.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Just because you live in an apartment, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to know your neighbors. You never know when you might need someone to look in on your pet or join you at an apartment community event! Plus, it will make the inevitable elevator and hallway encounters much less awkward if you know who you’re saying hello to. Here are some tips from Apartment Guide on being an ideal neighbor.

1. Communicate

One of the keys to any relationship—but particularly the neighborly kind—is communication. It may be tempting to leave your neighbor be and stick to yourself, but if you want to be a good neighbor, it’s important to communicate from the get-go.

Introduce yourself right after you move in; then continue to say “hello” when you run into one another. Some other important things to communicate about are problems with the building, times you’ll be away from your home, or any other problems you might have with them.

By communicating with neighbors, you not only show them that you are a nice person who can be trusted, you also create an ally in your living space. Maybe you’ll even make a new friend.

2. Be Social

Another great way to establish communication (and also establish yourself as friendly person) is to be a social person. Organize a potluck or picnic for everyone that lives in your building or neighborhood. You can show your neighbors that not only do you want to know them, but you also want them to know each other, and that you’re interested in fostering a community where you live.

3. Be on the Lookout

One of the best parts about a neighbor is that they can be around your home to help you out when needed, so you should be there for your neighbor, too. Always keep watch and be protective of your neighbors’ homes, as well as your own.

This means that should something bad happen, you’ll be able to stop it or fix it so they won’t have to. Showing that you care about their space as well as yours is an excellent way to endear yourself to neighbors and to ensure you have someone looking out for your place and belongings as well.

4. Be Respectful

Everyone wants to live their own life, but it’s important to be respectful of other peoples’ time and space, particularly when you’re sharing a living area like an apartment complex. That means don’t have loud parties late at night and warn people who will be affected by noise from your home if you are planning to have a loud gathering.

Also, being respectful entails being mindful of shared walls, keeping your outdoor/shared space clean, and not using your space for anything dangerous or unpleasant.

5. Do Favors

It doesn’t have to be an everyday thing, but every once in a while you should do a generous favor for your neighbor. Putting out a little energy to do something nice will show that you’re a generous and considerate person, and it may just end up in favors being done for you.

6. Train Your Pets

Pets can be great additions to life, but they can also be a nuisance to other people. So, for your neighbors’ sake, train your dog. Your pets shouldn’t be noisy, and they should know only to go to the bathroom in designated spots. This is a good way to ensure your neighbor loves your pet and doesn’t resent him.

Turn Your Bathroom Into a Spa

After a long day at work, sometimes coming home and collapsing onto the couch just doesn’t help you to de-stress. But imagine if you had your own mini-spa right in your apartment bathroom! Some simple re-decorating is all it takes to turn your bathroom into your oasis. Use these tips from Apartment Therapy to get started.

"giant bathtub" by Erica Nicol is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

1. Enclose it

Part of the joy of a spa is that ability to take a break from life — to step away from the stresses and just focus on you. So consider a way to create a barrier between you, your bathroom and the rest of the world. It could be an extra lovely/dramatic shower curtain. It could be a curtain that you place over the door for an extra barrier. It could be big plants that partially obscure the rest of your bathroom from say, your tub. Get creative to think of a way you can enclose yourself to feel protected and a little bit transported.

2. Consider the presentation

As you can imagine, bath salts, yummy-smelling soaps and other treats for your body are a great way to treat yourself to a spa day. But don't just line them up unceremoniously on your bathroom counter. Think about the presentation. Put products in lovely containers you like handling. If you have a tub, consider splurging on a lovely-to-you bathtub caddy that you can slip into a warm bath under.

3. Add something surprising

Maybe it's a piece of art in your shower (or something more practical). Maybe it's a giant mirror in a weird spot. Perhaps it's just a bouquet of flowers on the edge of your tub. Just add something that will surprise you and perhaps transport you to a feeling of relaxation.

4. Consider all your senses

Start with neutralizing the things that might stress you out first. Loud noises from construction down the street or neighbors? Include white noise or soothing music to cover up sounds you don't want. Hate the overhead light in your windowless bathroom? Bring in candles.

5. Surround yourself with softness

When you're ready to leave your spa-like bathroom, take that relaxation with you by surrounding yourself with softness. Make sure you step onto a plush bath mat or into fluffy slippers. Towel off from a bath or shower with an extra cozy towel. Wrap yourself in a robe.

What would you put in your spa bathroom?