I love these easy ones because the answer is so clear, so simple, so...duh! that it only takes a New York second to answer:

​NONE. 

OMG, what is all that gasping and ruffling of feathers and is that crying coming from over there? What the. Clearly there’s been a misunderstanding. Just to make sure we’re all simpatico here: we’re not talking about the wedding gifts you know and love and use, we’re talking about the never-used-yet, probably-never-will-be-used, not-even sure-where-they-are, don’t-even-like gifts. Unused and unloved, I’m saying. Not being used and/or don’t even like, in other words. 

Wait, what? Oh my. Let me make sure I’m getting this. You say you can’t get rid of those wedding gifts because:

THEY WERE WEDDING GIFTS! and 
THEY WERE EXPENSIVE! and you 
MIGHT NEED THEM LATER! and your 
GRANDMOTHER GAVE YOU THOSE AND NOW SHE’S DEAD!

Look, I’m sorry about your grandmother but grandmas die. And so will you. And when you die you will leave a bunch of stuff for others to wade through, sort out, box up, and get rid of. And whoever’s sweeping up after your whirlwind existence on this earth will be oh so grateful if you lighten their load by getting rid of the things that have no meaning or use to you now. There’s a Swedish word for this: dostadning, which is a hybrid of the words death and cleaning. But more on that in another post. 

If the reason you’re hanging on to unused/unloved wedding gifts is one of the four above, practice saying these words out loud: SO WHAT? Say them again, louder: SO WHAT?  

So what if they were wedding gifts? What? No one can ever get rid of things that were wedding gifts, just because they were wedding gifts? As if this would be bad luck for your marriage? Really?  If you’re not using/loving something, pass it on to someone who will.  

So what if they were expensive? If it’s about money, then just sell the damn things online or take them to a consignment shop. It wasn’t your money anyway, just saying.

So what if you might need them later? You haven’t used those 12 china egg cups yet, why on earth would you need them next year? There are people in this world who would actually use them now. So pass them on. 

So what if grandma gave you those and now she’s dead? Again, sorry about your loss but if you don’t love that painting of a lonely sheep in the field on a dark rainy night, and if you know none of your kids love it, then why hold on to it? Grandma would love for that poor sheep to go to someone who appreciates it. 

Well, THAT took a lot longer than I thought it would. Who knew that wedding gifts could cause so much ruckus? Can't wait till we get to Great Aunt's collection of "nun-sized hankies", which do, I assure you, exist. 

​It’s the word need that makes decluttering downright complicated. But I’m assuming you’re reading this because you really and truly I-mean-it-this-time want to pare down your home, your life, your stuff. I mention this because you may feel attached to those 25 coffee mugs you’ve collected over the years, but you don’t need them, unless you’re a church meeting room, in which case you probably need more. 
 
1. Gather up all your coffee cup and mugs and take a good look at them. Spend a few minutes in silence with any fond memories you might have.
 
2. Add up how many people in your household drink coffee, or tea if you use the same mug, although my British mother would be horrified because teacups and coffee cups are not the same. Shudder. For now, count only the family members who drink hot beverages on a regular basis; we’ll do guests later.
 
3. Multiply the number of coffee drinkers by two: one cup to use throughout the day, and one in the cabinet or waiting to be washed or left upstairs on your nightstand. 
 
4. Choose two favorite mugs for yourself and move them into the cabinet. Then either choose mugs for the rest of the household or let them choose their own. Move those into the cabinet.
 
5. Guests. How many guests do you typically have at one time during the average month? Whatever your answer is, choose one cup per guest and add these to the cabinet.
 
6. Larger gatherings: About five or six times a year my friend Betsy has 25 to 50 to 100 people at her house because she’s into cooking and entertaining and she likes people, which is pretty much the exact opposite of me. So Betsy needs (uses) all her coffee cups. And maybe you do too. If so, gather those puppies up and put them way up high, way down low, or way over there so they don't overcrowd and clutter your everyday coffee cup shelf. 

7. Gather up all the cups that didn’t make the cut and take them to your favorite charity shop. If there are one or two mugs that you don't use because of cracks or broken handles, but the idea of getting rid of is breaking your heart, then find a use for them; to hold pens, or flowers, or bubblegum.
 
8. Step back and admire that shelf! It’s peaceful and uncluttered and...happy. Peaceful, uncluttered, .happy shelves are good because they'll make you feel peaceful, uncluttered, and happy every time you look at that shelf.

One.
Unless you're an avid baker and you need a special size for ...what?...tartlets? And if you are in fact an avid baker then please, please, oh please would you bake me a lemon meringue pie or some proper British scones or anything made with marzipan or almond paste (I'm thinking there is a difference?) and I'll come pick them up. Thank you in advance. 

My friend Tina always has flowers in her home, so she needs a vase or two or maybe even three. I, on the other hand, am too cheap to buy flowers although I have to admit they do add a sense of luxury and glamour, not to mention color, to a room and I have decided to follow Tina's example and start buying flowers each week. Although I refuse to spend more than $7 tops. No need to be extravagant. We'll see how it goes.

But back to you. Now, if you entertain a lot and really do use 18 vases at a time, then have at it if you have the storage. But most of us probably don't need more than one, maybe two vases at a time and if you fit in that category then that's how many you should keep. One or two. Depending on your flower predilection (had to look up the spelling on that one), maybe keep one for smaller bunches and one for medium bunches. I myself have one vase, which I found at MOMA and was smitten as soon as I saw it because it folds up when not in use and how cool and sensible it that? 

If you want to pare down even more, use tall drinking glasses or canning jars or anything really instead of having a separate "vase" because using the same item item for multiple functions is the height of uncluttered living.  And we all aspire to the heights, right?

Are there pizza menus sticking out of your junk drawer? Chinese menus stuck to your fridge? Menus you grabbed from various restaurants you keep meaning to try filed away somewhere never to be seen again except by your heirs? 

Pitch them and lighten up the junk drawer because everything's online now and you can store numbers in your phone. So, how many menus do you need? Zip. 

This will be a quick project. Won't take any time at all. Couldn't be easier. You'll be out of here in five minutes or so because there is just one question and one simple reference back to the times tables.

Ready? 
 
How many people are in your household? (We'll take care of guest glasses later.) Now multiply that number by two. Tada! There's your answer! One glass is in use for the day and the other one is either in the cupboard or waiting to be washed. Done and done. See, wasn't that easy? You're welcome.

Wait, what?

You say that people in your home want a clean glass every time they get a drink?

But, um. doesn't that mean your sink and/or dishwasher and/or countertops are constantly filled with dirty cups? Doesn't that require - correct me if I'm wrong - a mass assortment of drinking implements meaning that your cabinet is overflowing with big cups, little cups, travel cups, travel cups without lids, plastic, glass, BPA-free cups, not to mention God knows how many of those plastic cups with logos? All so your little loved ones can use however many cups their little hearts desire?

And you're OK with this?

Because there is another way to live and it's fairly easy to get to. 

First, teach the kids how to rinse out their cup. Keep a step stool by the sink.  A half decent rinse works just fine; the cups will be fully washed at some point, besides a few germs never hurt anybody. Rinsing your own cup is the foundation of reducing kitchen clutter and mess, 

Then choose a place where the kids can put their rinsed cups until the next time they need them: in the drainer maybe, or on the counter next to the water perhaps.

It will take about 21 days of enforcing this for it to click and for the kids to rinse on their own. Don't give up. Stick with it. Don't get angry. You can do it rah rah! After all, you have years of cups ahead of you. Years and years and years. Set the precedent now. 

Here's how:

1. Gather up all your drinking glasses - not bar, wine, or martini glasses - unless you're going to imbibe while you work - and not water bottles, travel mugs, or thermoses. Just ordinary every day water/milk/juice/whatever drinking glasses. Grab them from the dishwasher, the sink, under beds, wherever they are, dirty or clean. Spend a minute alone with them. Take a pic if you want to share. 

2. If you have a baby or toddler, pull out the top two cups you like/use the most. Put those cups in the cup cabinet and push the remaining baby/toddler cups to the side.You are not discarding anything at this moment. I mention this because you look pale and the shallow breathing and racing heart that occur with panic is not healthy. Relax. For now, the cups aren't going anywhere. 

3. For the rest of the family, decide if matching is important. If so, pull out all the matching that you have. Are there 2 per family member? Move these to the cupboard. If you don't have enough matching, decide if you want to get some. (They're $1 each at Goodwill, and I've found super high quality ones there.) If matching isn't important, grab two glasses for each family member and move these to the cabinet. Push all the rest over to your These-Aren't-Going-Anywhere (TAGA for short) pile. 

4. Now for those plastic logo cups. I'm not even going to get into microplastics though I will mention that many smart people believe plastic around our food and drink can be harmful. Just saying. That said, I have four plastic logo cups for taking to the neighbor's pool, up on the roof patio, or just hanging outside. I chose our favorite logo cups, the ones that have special memories. Well, as special as plastic logo cup memories can be. Let your spouse and each child choose their own two logo cups and let everyone agree that if they bring home a new one, they'll have to get rid of one. Add these to the cabinet. Move the rest to the TAGA pile.

5. Now for the guests, including kids' friends. Only you can decide how many extra drinking glasses you'll need on hand for guests. How many people do you typically have at a time? How many kids needing drinks? Do the kids need unbreakable? Take the time to think this through because it is sooooo tempting to just give up and jam everything back into the cabinet. Figure out your numbers. Would 12 guest drinking glasses work for 75% of the gatherings you hold? 24? Pick the number, then put these glasses on a higher shelf or in the next cabinet because of this universally-acknowledged  truth: If guest glasses are in the rotation of available glasses, family members will use them. They can't help it bless their souls. And boom! you'll be right back to clutter and dirty dishes.

Repeat the process for whatever cups your kids' friends will use. Put them up high or in the next cabinet. Then when kids come over, you can move the cups down or the kids can use a step stool.  

6. What's left on the counter? Are there one or two cups or glasses so filled with meaning that you would lay down and die rather than get rid of? Can you find another use for them? I have colored pencils, markers, pens, etc in an assortment of favorite chipped/unusable/extra cups. Repurpose if you can't let them go. 

7. Get rid of the extra: 
Option 7a:. Get 'er done 
Box everything up right now before the kids and spouse get home and put in your car. 
   
Option 7b: Better safe than sorry 
Box everything up and store the box somewhere out of reach, then wait. If no one cries or whines or complains over the next two weeks, then sell or donate items.

Be strong. Don't be tempted to keep a bunch of cups just in case. That's exactly how cups start multiplying. It's dark in that cabinet, and boring. There's probably lots of cup hanky panky going on because how else do we end up with so many $@!%& cups?