Do you know how much money is sitting in your pantry, bathroom cabinet, clothes closet, craft cabinet, cleaning closet, or gift shelf?

Not money you have tucked away for a rainy day. Money you have already spent on things that are still sitting there, waiting to be used.

I suspect we all have them spread throughout our homes. 

This printable is a fun adaptation of the famous saying “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.” It encourages you to not only “use it up” but also to “make it do” while having fun in the process!

Most people have many perfectly good items in their home that they simply don’t use. There are particular areas where this is especially true. So let’s see what we can do about all of this hidden value right in our home at this moment.

Use It Up

When we’ve gone through some especially lean times, I became much more intentional about using up what I already had. This included products I did not particularly love after I bought them. I worked through makeup I was not excited about, half-used grooming products, neglected pantry food, and other items that were perfectly fine but got shoved aside for the sake of something “better” that I liked more. We wore clothes until they were worn out and not good enough to even donate, not just until we were tired of them. 

Those items took up space and replacing them would cost more money. Using them up was the sensible choice, especially when money is tight.

If we are not going to use something, we need to get rid of it. But before we throw it away, we should ask ourselves:

Could I use this up first?

I created the free Use It Up printable to help you do this.

It is a simple household inventory that helps you:

• find items you can use up
• estimate the monetary value of those items
• see how much money you already have right in front of you
• avoid buying replacements

There is nothing to buy and nothing complicated to follow. Print the pages, walk through your home, and start discovering what you already have.

You may discover that you have a great deal more money spread throughout your home than you realized.

A Simple Way to Find Hidden Household Wealth

The printable includes sections for:

• the bathroom
• the kitchen and pantry
• hobbies and crafts
• three additional room or category lists

For each item, write down what it is and the estimated value.

A half-full bottle of shampoo might be worth $8. A gift you meant to give might be worth $25. Unopened but forgotten food might be worth $12. 

Once we add up all those small amounts, the total can be surprisingly motivating.

After all, $8 in unused shampoo is $8 we do not have to spend on another bottle. (And once we finish using that shampoo, it is no longer clutter taking up shelf space.)

The printable contains two versions of the list so you can use whichever layout works better for the way you think and organize your home.

Start With the Pantry

We have a specific way of dealing with food in the pantry which I discuss in the printable.

The pantry is a good place to begin if you are not sure where to start.

Look in your pantry for:

• open packages that should be used soon
• dry goods approaching their best-by dates
• baking ingredients hiding in the back
• canned goods that have been there since before you can remember
• perfectly good food going to waste in the freezer

Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to use up everything at once. 

Instead, gather a small group of “use soon” items. Put them where you can see them. Choose the easiest ones first. Make them part of ordinary meals rather than treating them like a separate project.

Look Beyond the Pantry

Once you have practiced with food, try the same principle elsewhere.

The Bathroom

Look for half-used bottles of hair products, nail polish, cosmetics, and other toiletries that are still perfectly good.

Hobbies and Crafts

Gather unused supplies and consider what you have. Is there enough yarn for a gift project? Enough paper for several handmade birthday cards?

The Cleaning Closet

Half-full bottles of cleaners and laundry products can be used up. 

Use the Monetary Value Column to Make Better Decisions

Recording the monetary value of each item should motivate you to see the value already in your home. The value column can also help you resist the temptation of buying something else because the original is not what you would choose today.

More often than not, using up an imperfect thing is worthwhile financially.

But, let’s be honest, sometimes it is not. The point is not to force yourself to use every last drop of every product out of guilt. The point is to make a conscious decision that makes your dollars stretch farther.

As you work through the printable, make the deliberate choice to either throw things out or actively commit to using them now. 

Why Counting the Money Matters

I value the practice of decluttering because it makes my home more peaceful. It also helps me keep track of what I have.

But the money aspect matters too.

A cluttered home contains things purchased with real money that we traded our life energy and time for. Using something up preserves some portion of that original purchase. It may not give us back the exact dollar amount, but it is certainly better than leaving the product unused.

The total on the your printable list can also serve as a modest household savings goal. Instead of spending $25 on something new that you think you will like better, save that $25 because you already have something perfectly good enough in the cabinet in front of you.

How to Use the Free Printable

Don’t try to complete every room in one day because it will be easy to become overwhelmed or discouraged and quit. A pantry or a bathroom cabinet is enough for one sitting.

The important thing is to begin looking with fresh eyes.

You may be surprised by what you find. You may discover that your home is full of useful things waiting for a purpose. (You may also find that some of it needs to leave.)

Either way, you will know what you have and what you no longer need to buy.

And be gracious with yourself. Buying stuff and not using it is a battle all of us fight from time to time. 

Need a place to start? Print the first page, open the cabinet under your bathroom sink, and write down five things you could finish before buying anything new.