Permission: The 5 Things You Can Let Go Of Series, Dining Room

Have you ever thought, "I just need someone to give me permission to throw this out"? That's what this Permission series is all about. We'll walk through room by room, list 5 items per room, and why the items can be easy to get out of your house.

As always, it's your house and your stuff. You may actually need and use the things I suggest you toss. But if you don't, give yourself a little more freedom to find a little more peace in your house by tossing things that you don't need.

Today we'll be in the dining room. When I was growing up this is where we had special meals. We might have a birthday dinner or host the family Thanksgiving. Other than that, the dining room was empty. There was always a table lace and center piece but we didn't even walk into that room unless we were setting the table. Right away some of you are thinking, "No, not my sacred dumping ground!" while others of you are thinking, "There is a dining table, chairs, and a buffet in there. What could I possibly get rid of?" I've said it before and I'll say it again: every house is different; every household is different. Let's see what things we can free up from this special eating room.

1. Napkin Rings

For those of you who are younger than 30 or don't come from a formal household, these are just for decoration. It's a beautiful little piece of metal or plastic or glass that a napkin is threaded through when a table is set. Seconds after everyone has been seated they relinquish their job of napkin holder and are useful no more. If there are sets upon sets at your house, it's time to think about letting someone else use these little fellas.

ACTION - have a napkin ring gathering, pick your favorite set or two and re-home the others outside of your home.

2. Candle Sticks

These make beautiful accents or centerpieces when hosting company or serving a nice meal. They are tall and slender and fragile. That is unless they have been used. If they are used they can certainly serve a function but it might be for a power outage instead of a formal dinner.

ACTION - keep all the usable candles together ready to be put in a pretty little holder, move the others to an emergency kit with matches, or toss them.

3. Center Pieces

Anything from a flower arrangement to a bowl with fruit. Through the years these beautiful items get faded, dusty, and rumply making them less than beautiful and a distraction instead of an accent.

ACTION - choose the ones you like and are still in good standing, toss the rest.

4. Placemats

Let's add chargers, table cloths, lace, and cloth napkins to this bunch while we're at it. The majority of these items are used to help protect the table which means they themselves get the wear and tear and stains. It also means they are meant to be updated from time to time as well.

ACTION - take a look at your table linens and decide which ones are appropriate to keep using and which ones need to be tossed.

5. Vases

The older you get the more vases that collect somewhere in your home. They come free with flowers that are sent to you; you saw one a decade ago that was perfect for your magnolia arrangement but you don't enjoy it anymore. Unless you frequently use fresh flowers in vases around your home, you can probably edit your collection down to a few.

ACTION - gather all the vases and choose the ones that you are most likely to use, getting the rest out of the house.

*you may feel as if you can't just toss these things, if so, just put them in a give away bag or box and give them away.

I'll put a list of areas posted here with their link when they are live. You can also click on "Permission Series" category to see them as well.
Home Office
Kitchen
Kids' Rooms
Laundry
Garage
Dining Room