I thought the title for this article might be fun since it’s so close to Halloween. The word purgatory sounds kind of spooky, maybe even ominous. What is a Purgatory Bag, and why do I recommend you have one? It isn’t a specialized item you need to buy (in fact, I highly recommend you don’t buy anything for this purpose), and it doesn’t have to be a bag per se, it could be a box. It’s just some sort of container to hold things, and the less fancy the better, because you’ll most likely be giving it or throwing it away. So why on earth would you want to have a bag or box that you won’t be keeping? Read on!
When I’m considering decluttering an item from my home but feel conflicted or uncertain about letting it go, I place it in the Purgatory Bag. I most often use a plastic shopping bag for this purpose, sometimes a 13-gallon trash bag if I have larger items, or a cardboard box if one is handy. Whatever you have on hand and prefer to use is fine. The bag (or box) keeps the items in a centralized “limbo” where they aren’t cluttering my immediate physical and visual space. I keep my Purgatory Bag in a corner of my closet, but you may choose to keep yours elsewhere, such as in an attic, garage, or spare room. You want it to be accessible enough to easily add items, yet out of your way so you’re not seeing it every day and can truly experience how it feels to live without those items in your daily life.
The distance and space this creates allows me to truly see whether my life is lacking without the items in it. (Spoiler: I usually don’t notice any difference, except for less stress.) Sometimes I need to emotionally detach from an item before I’m ready to finally release it; other times I think I might have a future use for it and don’t want to part with it just yet. Often these are items that I feel “eh” about - not particularly positive or negative, just sort of ho-hum. They may have at one time been useful and/or cherished, yet as life evolved they no longer fit. Or it could be something I thought would fix a problem - skincare products come to mind - yet didn’t live up to its claims.
The length of time items remain in the Purgatory Bag varies, though not for more than one year. I live in upstate New York where we experience all four seasons, so if I haven’t needed or used an item during any season of a calendar year, it’s clearly not something that has earned the right to take up space in my life. Usually items are donated to a local charity, or I may gift a particular item to a friend or family member who would enjoy it. Unfortunately some items end up in the trash, such as those previously mentioned partially-used skincare products. On the rare occasion that something has some significant financial value, like an electronic device or piece of furniture, I take the time to sell it on Craigslist.
It is seldom I retrieve an item from the Purgatory Bag that I decide I want to keep; the overwhelming majority of the items that find their way there end up leaving my home for good. This process highlights how much of our sense of security and well-being we place upon our possessions, and the discomfort and even fear we feel about letting things go. Yet once we realize that our daily life goes along just fine (and often even better) when we don’t have unneeded stuff taking up room in our physical, mental, and emotional spaces, we discover that feeling secure and having peace of mind doesn’t come from material things beyond basic necessities.
Join me in filling a Purgatory Bag for all the iffy items that are taking up valuable room in your home, and see how it feels to have them removed for awhile. If your life is just as good without those things, wish them well and let them go. You’ll feel lighter, freer, and unburdened from clutter that isn’t benefiting you in any way. And instead of thinking you need a bigger home, organizational solutions, or a storage unit for all your stuff, you may just realize you already have more than enough space right where you are.
Bonus Tip: While you’re at it, throw your worries into the Purgatory Bag as well. Better yet, just toss them directly in the Go To Hell Bag, because believe me, they certainly don’t belong in your life.
I’d love to hear if you have or plan to start using a Purgatory Bag. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Best wishes!
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