I have a theory that somewhere in America there is a warehouse containing the nation's entire supply of clutter.

Every few months, workers box it up and redistribute it among our homes. That's the only explanation I have for how quickly stuff multiplies.

One day the hall closet is reasonably civilized. The next time you open the door, three tote bags, a vacuum attachment you've never seen before, and what appears to be an extension cord from 1987 fall on your head.

Naturally, we know what to do. We buy storage bins. Clear ones. Stackable ones. Under-the-bed ones. Decorative baskets. Drawer organizers. Shoe organizers. Containers with little chalkboard labels so we can identify the stuff we apparently cannot identify by looking through the clear plastic.

I love organizing products as much as anyone. There is something truly satisfying about walking through the storage aisle and imagining the person I could become if only I owned 14 matching containers.

She knows where everything is. Her linen closet is color-coordinated. She has never stuffed a fitted sheet into a pillowcase and called it folded.

Unfortunately, buying containers doesn't make us organized. Sometimes it just gives our clutter better housing.

Before you buy another storage bin, try something radical: Figure out what you're planning to put in it.

Take everything out of the drawer, closet, cabinet or corner you're attempting to tame. Yes, everything. This is the unpleasant stage. For approximately 20 minutes, your house will look worse than it did before you started. Stay strong.

Next, get rid of the obvious stuff. Broken things. Expired things. Things missing essential parts. Clothes nobody wears. Mystery cords for electronics you no longer own. Instruction manuals for appliances that left the premises during the previous administration.

Then come the duplicates. How many reusable water bottles does one household need? How many promotional tote bags? How many spatulas? I'm not going to give you a number, because someone will write to inform me that she owns 23 spatulas and uses every single one. Fine. Keep your spatulas.

The question isn't whether you own too much according to somebody else's rules. It's whether the things you own are useful, wanted and worth the space they're occupying.

That's where organizing can get tricky. We keep things because they cost money. "I can't get rid of that. I paid $75 for it."

I understand the feeling, but the $75 is gone. Keeping the item for another decade will not cause the money to return. If you don't use it, need it or particularly like it, you're simply paying for it a second time — with space.

We keep things because somebody gave them to us.

We keep things because someday we might need them.

And we keep things because getting rid of them requires a decision, while putting them in a bin requires only a lid. That's why decluttering has to come before organizing.

Once you've decided what deserves to stay, look at the space again. You may discover you don't need another container after all.

If you do, great. Now you know exactly what the container needs to hold, where it needs to fit, and approximately how large it should be.

Measure before you shop. I cannot emphasize this enough. Storage bins possess a strange optical property in stores. They appear perfectly sized while sitting on the shelf and become three inches too wide the moment you carry them into your house.

Ask me how I know.

And don't overlook containers you already own. Shoe boxes, sturdy baskets, glass jars and perfectly good bins emptied during your decluttering project may solve the problem without costing anything. There is a bigger payoff here than a tidy closet.

When you know what you own and where it is, you stop buying things you already have. You waste less time looking for things. You stop feeling mildly irritated every time you open a certain cabinet.

Organization isn't about owning enough containers to conceal everything. It's about making what you choose to keep easy to find, easy to use, and easy to put away.

So the next time you feel the urge to organize your house by heading straight for the storage aisle, stop. You may already own all the storage space you need. It's just full of stuff you don't.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, "Ask Mary." This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book "Debt-Proof Living."

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