Say you had to uproot and relocate. What would you take with you? You don't actually have to pack anything up — just set aside the few things that you love and use and see what's left over. "Chances are, you use only 20 percent of your stuff regularly," says Sally Allen, owner of A Place for Everything, an organizing service in Golden, Colorado. Try this with your cookbooks: Pull out the ones that are tenderly tattered due to years of use, then look at the ones still on the shelf. Ask yourself if you would pay someone to haul away those you've been keeping because they were gifts or because you felt ambitious when you bought them (From now on, Thai food every Tuesday night!). If not, sell them to a used-book store or donate them.

Toss-It Tips

Envision your home as a prospective buyer might: Uncluttered spaces make the best first impression. They're also a lot easier to keep clean and dust-free.

Imagine the potential buyer (or worse, a relative) going through your closets or drawers. What would you not want him or her to see?

Buy containers and baskets only after you've decided what to keep. This way you'll have a much better sense of the kind of storage you need.

Why It Works

You don't have to get rid of things you love or need — you just have to determine what those things are.

If you've ever packed and paid for a move, the motivation for paring down your possessions will be all too clear.