Feeling like your kitchen is a little cramped? The quickest way to make room doesn’t have anything to do with an expensive or time-consuming remodeling project. All you have to do is eliminate some of the clutter that’s in your way! Let’s face it, do we really need mountains of plastic Tupperware and a magnet with the number of every pizza place in town? Probably not. To make some much-needed room in our cluttered kitchens, try tossing out these 15 household items that are taking up space.
1. Expired Canned Goods

Take a look at the expiration dates on your canned goods and make sure to toss any that are past their sell-by date. It will save you an incredible amount of pantry space.
2. Barely Used Cookbooks

Where will you find your week night recipes? Pinterest is your new best friend.
If you genuinely love your cookbooks, don’t get rid of them! Try storing them in your bedroom, office, or living room so you’re not taking up too much room in the kitchen.
3. Knife Blocks

4. Specialized Appliances
You know that apple peeler or margarita maker or garlic press that you swore you’d use? But then you stored it away in your cabinet and haven’t seen it since? Yeah, those can leave your kitchen, stat.
If you’re willing to get rid of those one-off appliances, we suggest selling them online! Whether it’s eBay or your town’s online yard sale page, you can get some great money for those random and seemingly useless appliances.
5. Plastic Grocery Bags

Otherwise, we definitely suggest finding a store, like Walmart or Target, that takes and recycles plastic bags. You can search for your nearest plastic bag recycling store here.
6. Reusable Grocery Bags

So what are you to do? It’s simple! Move your reusable bags to the back seat or trunk of your car. Let’s face it, this will help you actually remember to USE these bags when you go shopping.
7. Refrigerator Magnets

8. Random Mugs

If you have a similar issue, go through your mug collection. Any mugs that are stained or chipped, toss. Any mugs that you’ve never used, sell or store them somewhere else.
9. Fast Food Menus

Otherwise, we highly suggest just using the internet to look up the menus of local restaurants! It’s time to bring your cluttered kitchen into 2016, people.
10. Last Year’s Holiday Cards
There are definitely some holiday cards that are worth holding onto for a few months; that one of your niece doing something adorable or your friends’ dog are admittedly too cute to toss out right away. But as holiday season begins to approach yet again, you have to reevaluate holding onto year-old holiday cards.
If the cards are that important to you, we highly suggest scrap booking them or putting them in a photo album or memory box. However, if you’ve just been too lazy to take them off your fridge and put them into the trash, you’re out of excuses.
11. Spare Kitchen Knives

Luckily, knives that are in good shape sell very well online; you can easily get $4 – $99 dollars for a well-maintained kitchen knife.
12. Random Utensils
Like those random appliances you bought and never opened, your drawer or crock is most likely overflowing with utensils you don’t use. This is a pretty easy one to take care of, though!
Go through your utensils, putting to the side things you use regularly. When you’re left with those random bits and pieces, sort them into three piles: specialized utensils that you need to keep (like a baster for Thanksgiving), utensils you don’t need and can donate/sell, and utensils you don’t need and can throw away.
13. Expired Spices

14. Flower Vases

15. Plastic Containers

Go through the plastic containers you have and start by tossing out any that are stained or smelly. This will probably eliminate some right off the bat. Sort through what you have left and organized the containers you intend on keeping; if you have some containers that you almost never use, put them off to the side to donate them.
It may seem impossible, but with a little motivation, you can tame the Tupperware avalanche.
What do you think of this de-cluttering technique? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.