What to Throw Away, Donate or Sell Before 2026

Some of the things in your house, and your life, should not be following you into another year.

A new year doesn’t always need a dramatic reset. Sometimes, you just need to declutter. Before you start writing goals and resolutions for 2026, it helps to look around and ask an honest question: What am I still holding onto out of habit, guilt, or convenience? 

As 2025 winds down, we need to decide what we’re not carrying into another year. Whether we admit it or not, we drag a lot of things along simply because we’ve had them for a long time. Not because they still serve us.

So before 2026 arrives with its fresh energy and big expectations, here’s an honest check-in on what needs to go, what can be passed on, and what might actually put money back in your pocket.

1. Expired items

Expired items are the easiest place to start. Old makeup, skincare products you stopped using because they irritated your skin, medications that expired two years ago, food items hiding at the back of the cupboard that you know you will never cook. Keeping them doesn’t make you resourceful; it just delays the inevitable.

2. Damaged items: 

Then there are broken things you’ve been “meaning to fix.” The charger that only works at a specific angle, the bag with the broken zip, the shoe sole that flaps when you walk. If it’s been broken all year and you haven’t fixed it by now, be honest with yourself. You’re not fixing it in 2026.

3. Old items:

Also worth throwing away are items tied to versions of yourself you’ve clearly outgrown. Old notebooks filled with plans you no longer care about, random papers from jobs or schools that no longer matter, souvenirs that don’t spark any memory beyond guilt for wanting to throw them out. 

Things that deserve a new home

Not everything you no longer need is useless. Some things are just no longer yours.

• Old clothes:

Clothes are a big one here. If you haven’t worn it all year, because it no longer fits your body, your lifestyle, or your taste, someone else might genuinely need it.

• Books:

Books you’re never going to reread, extra kitchen items you don’t use, bags sitting empty in the wardrobe, shoes you keep “just in case.” Donation is not about forcing yourself to be minimal. It’s about letting useful things continue their life somewhere else instead of collecting dust in your space.

Things you should consider selling

Now, let’s talk about money, because times are not funny.

If you have items that still hold value but are idle, selling them makes sense. Old phones in good condition, laptops you no longer use, cameras, home appliances you replaced but never sold, furniture taking up space because you moved. These items can be used for rent support or savings

Clothes with tags still on them, quality shoes you barely wore, bags you bought during a phase that has clearly passed. If it still looks good and works well, someone will buy it.

Selling them forces you to stop romanticising things just because they were expensive. If it’s not serving you, let it serve your bank account instead.

Digital clutter counts too

Physical clutter isn’t the only thing weighing you down.

Your phone is probably full of screenshots you don’t remember taking, conversations you no longer need, apps you haven’t opened in months. Your email inbox might be carrying newsletters you never read, promotions from 2023, and unread messages that quietly stress you out.

Clearing digital space doesn’t just free storage; it clears mental noise. Starting a new year with fewer digital distractions makes more of a difference than we like to admit.

Old messages you reread when you’re lonely. Gifts from people you no longer talk to that bring more confusion than warmth. Items you keep because throwing them away feels like admitting something ended.

You don’t have to rush this. But it’s okay to acknowledge that some things belong to an old chapter. Keeping them doesn’t preserve the memory. It just keeps you emotionally tied to a version of life that has already moved on.

Letting go before a new year is a deliberate act.

Every item you keep should earn its place in your life, either by being useful, meaningful, or genuinely joyful. Everything else is optional.

As 2026 approaches, you don’t need to reinvent yourself. You just need to stop carrying things that make the journey heavier than it needs to be.

Clear space. Release what’s done. Keep what matters.
That alone is a great way to start again.