Dear Heather: I was pulling out my winter clothes and it seemed like a great time to do some throwing out, have you got any suggestions? — Too Much Stuff

Dear Too Much Stuff: This is a great time to do some sorting out before the Christmas frenzy kicks into gear. But my advice is more about repurposing than purging.

The general rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in over a year, chances are you probably won’t use it again. Better-quality items can be donated to charity shops or, you can hold a house sale and make a few dollars. There are a few things however, that are worth hanging on to.

• 1. Bread ties and clips. They are wildly versatile and can help to organise electric cords, save the ends on tape rolls, train climbing plants and much more.

• 2. Broken crayons. Melt them down and cool them in candy moulds for fun stocking stuffers, gift decor, and more. If DIY isn’t your thing you can even donate them to organisations that will reuse them.

• 3. Rubber bands. Use them to organise art supplies or even aid in packing a carry-on like never before! Lay your clothes out on a pillow case, fold it over, then roll it up in a tight burrito and secure it with a thick rubber band.

• 4. Dryer lint. Believe it or not, dryer lint makes great fire kindling, so collect yours and put it in your fireplace.

• 5. Wine corks. Corks are pretty and they can make simple things a bit more creative, such as coasters, placemats, birdhouses, cork boards and ornaments.

• 6. Toilet paper rolls. They can make fun toys, mini gift packages (seriously!), and are great for putting cables in to stop them getting muddled. It’s a free supply you won’t want to waste.

• 7. Candy tins. Mint, gum, and other candy tins are fun toys for children (who doesn’t love a secret hiding place?!) and make useful craft, art, beauty, etc storage. They are also easy to glam up, so get to saving.

• 8. Paint swatch cards. I definitely don’t advocate taking cards for craft use, but if you happen to have some you can find lots of fun ideas to use them up on Pinterest.

• 9. Plastic bottles. Medicine and supplement bottles are very useful for all sorts of things. If you don’t like the look you can paint them, colour on them, etc. Large plastic containers such as laundry detergent can make great scoops.

• 10. Buttons. Put them in a jar and use them when you pop one or make fun crafts or even artwork. Remember back in the day when we used to have a button tin?

• 11. Jars. Food jars can be saved and reused as dry food storage or refrigerated storage for leftovers, for crafts, toys, small tools. They’re also great in the tool shed to hold screws, nails, etc.

• 12. Egg cartons. Egg cartons can make paint palettes, small craft supply, storage, etc or donate them to a local nursery school for their arts and crafts.

• 13. Coffee grounds. Coffee grounds make great compost; you can throw them right on the garden.

• 14. Packing materials. Foam peanuts and other packing materials can come in handy — especially during the holidays. If you truly have no need for them, consider finding a shipping centre that will take them. You wouldn’t want all of that plastic and styrofoam to end up in a landfill.

• 15. Pumpkin seeds. Oh the ooey-gooey insides of the pumpkin. They may not be fun to sift through, but roasted and raw pumpkin seeds are delicious! Add them to the top of your banana bread for a less overwhelming flavour than nuts, but with all of the texture.

• 18. Old shirts. Old shirts can be turned into produce bags, cleaning rags, and so much more. It’s not only economic to recycle things in this way, it is good for the environment.

• 19. Plastic bags. If you forget your “green” bag and manage to collect a few plastic bags, use them as bin liners or donate to a local thrift shop in the interest of recycling.

• Heather Chilvers is among Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty’s leading sales representatives. She has been working in real estate for over 26 years. If you have a question for Heather, please contact her at hchilvers@brcl.bm or 332 1793.All questions will be treated confidentially