Decluttering
Maybe it’s because there was a time I lived with a family of 5 in a 1200 square foot house or maybe it’s just what’s left of my Type A personality, but decluttering is one of my very favorite things to do! Working through a space and finding things to donate or toss just makes me happy. My mom thinks my lack of sentimental attachment makes me kind of cold but living in a cluttered space just makes me feel trapped.
Now, let me tell you the fact is clutter happens. No matter how much you stay on top of things we are just bombarded with clutter daily. There is the endless junk mail or receipts from weekly grocery trips, magazines, schoolwork and all the other things we seem to accrue over the course of the day. I don’t know about you, but I seriously may sweep it all away into a drawer or a closet just to have it hidden for a bit until I can deal with it.
So where do you start to declutter? Here are a few tips that work for me.
Minimize as much of the junk mail as possible. I found this link with some information on opting of junk mail. We do not receive nearly as much as in the past. Set up online billing for your primary bills and receive your statements via email. I do not receive any of our bills via regular mail; not our bank statements, car payments, insurance, credit cards, etc. Everything we currently pay monthly comes to me via email which really helped to cut down the clutter.
Set a timer and get busy! This can be a fun little family challenge as well. I definitely have Carly Jo trained really well and she is so good about filling a trash bag with empty containers, used paper, broken crayons, etc. I love to clean out the “junk” drawer when I have an extra five minutes. Keeping trash cans around the house that are easily accessible for chunking actual trash is also helpful.
Focus! One of my biggest issues is working in one space, finding something that belongs elsewhere and heading immediately to put it in its place. Great right? Not! Next thing I know I’ve started something new in that space and end up moving from room to room putting all things in their place but never finishing a thing!
Be realistic. Yes, I’m totally a believer in upcycling items such as these precious DIY decorative jars the girls at Pumps and Pushups showed off last week. These are the kinds of ideas I love and next thing you know I have a cabinet full of jars and lids. Guess what? I’m the least crafty person I know so I’m not being very realistic. Saving all these extras only serve to stress me out and take up cabinet or counter space! Know your limits and be realistic when saving items to be recycled for a new purpose.
Closet clutter seems to always be an issue. I keep a shopping bag in my closet and every time I wear something and do not feel good wearing it throughout the day, I drop it in the bag when I get home. If I did not feel joy wearing it once there is no reason to keep it until I lose 10lbs. I also love the tip of turning all my hangars around backwards twice a year; once in the fall and once in spring. If the hangars never move then I know I did not wear the item and it is no longer worth keeping. If you realize there is a stain or defect in an item, handle it immediately. No reason to save something which cannot be fixed.
If you don’t know about the Amazon Trade_In program you should definitely check into it. My friend Holly told me about it and while I have not found it to be a huge win for movies, I was able to box up an old game system and games along with a handheld gaming system for trade dollars. I always hated getting rid of things for barely anything when we paid so much but honestly the peace of mind it buys not having so much stuff laying around unused is totally worth it! Plus it was super simple and done from the comfort of home.
Some people just have a really hard time letting go of items when they believe there is still some life. I am guilty of this myself. Here are some ideas for those items you are not really ready to part with but no longer use.
- Old towels and blankest; check with your local animal shelter and/or homeless shelter to see they are taking donations
- Toys and Books can be donated to a church nursery or a local preschool.
- Extra art supplies and crafts can be donated to the art teacher at your child’s school
- Host a garage sale and decide as a family something fun to spend the proceeds on
- Donate furniture and household items to a local habitat for humanity.
I love this article, What Not To Do When Decluttering Your Home. I’ve definitely been guilty in the past of buying containers and such to pretty up a space before I really understood what I needed.
Above all else, just know this is a battle every household faces; some just have more space to hide it! Stay calm and find the ways that work best for you to manage the clutter. Sometimes being able to manage the clutter in my brain is the first step so making a plan for how to tackle our space on paper helps.
What are your favorite tips for managing the clutter?
I’m linking up with The Blended Blog for Nuggets in the New Year so head back next Monday when the prompt is all about Keeping the Keepsakes! This really goes go hand in hand with decluttering because keepsakes can become overwhelming in a hurry. Be sure to stop back by to see my tips and share your own at The Blended Blog.
I am exactly the same way when it comes to decluttering. In fact, sometimes I declutter TOO much and then later regret that I got rid of something. I keep a laundry basket in my closet for items for donation, and frequently make the rounds in the house with a garbage bag for junk/paper/trash. I will admit though that my spaces are not super organized, even though they are not cluttered!
I have some that are great and some that definitely need some help! Baby steps right? I really just need one more room at my house and I'm positive I could get it all straight. 🙂
I am not a clutter person either! I believe that everything has a place and should go in that place immediately. I know things will get more difficult once we have children, but I thrive in a clutter-free environment and it makes me happy to have everything put away!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
I had this written down to link up and the weekend got the best of me and I forgot! Decluttering is one of my favorite things to do ! Have a great week Shelly!!!
Focus is the key. I like everything in its place but if I see lots of things out, my brain gets all fuzzy, lol. Well, what happens is I get off track and start doing other things than the task at hand. OH to have smooth dressers and countertops…LOVE it so much and Love you!!! Have a great Monday sweets!!
I also think it's so important to declutter and clean often. I think if you do it just once a year, you'll going to feel so overwhelmed. I clean each season and sometimes in between if something is annoying me with it's disorder.
As I have gotten older, I am not in the camp of less is more. Clutter doesn't just effect our homes, it can bog us down mentally too. I've also learned it's okay to have some "blank" space rather than filling every nook and cranny.
Girl..my kids probably hear "there is a place for every thing and every thing is in it's place" in their dreams at night! haha
Seriously…counter tops being free and clear make me happy! Unfortunately I typically remedy that by just throwing everything in the "junk" drawer until I can deal!
I am such a "thrower-awayer". Hahaha! I just toss and then realize that "oops! we might have needed that!". My poor husband has had to search through the trash on more than one occasion for papers that we needed that I had thrown away. He now has a hiding spot because if I see it on the counter in a pile of junk mail, I am going to just toss it. I should probably sort through it. I loved all of your tips and tricks!
Girl…last September I threw away my wedding ring!! Swept it right off the cabinet when I was cleaning up the counters. I was so thankful when I found it after digging through the trash!!
So hard not to run to Target and buy more containers to store it all in! Then once I get it all neatly boxed up, I am too lazy to open the boxes to find whatever I might need. So I just buy the stuff all over again. Ugh. Great article. Saving your links and pinning your suggestions. Thanks for joining us at TBB. Big hugs!
This is a GREAT post, Shelly. I decluttered our entire house last year and it felt absolutely amazing. I want to do it again this year! And I really need to check out the Amazon trade-in program! I've heard of it, but know nothing about it. I'm sure we have some things that we could trade in right now!
Love this post so much! I feel like I am in a constant state of decluttering and it always seems to come back two fold with having little ones. SO. MANY. TOYS… One of my goals this year is to buy a bunch of bins/containers to at least get more of it organized. I hope you had a great weekend!
I am reading a book about Decluttering and it does feel good to get rid of waste. I find myself getting anxious when there's too much stuff!
Thanks for linking up with us! That last tip about buying stuff before you understand what you have, so true! I've been guilty of that and this time around I am breaking the cycle and finding what I have in order to figure out what I need!
Oh my word! Perfect timing for this post! My husband thinks we need to save every receipt, card we have been given, etc just in case we might need it later. Ugh! It is a daily battle with him but I have learned to go thru mail, toss and then not look back. I keep my pantry cleaned out and everything lined up perfectly. I am ANAL and OCD. I like order and I like being able to see everything when I open my fridge. Maybe I got off topic. Anyway, good post and I am with you- I love to purge and declutter!!
Great post! I totally identify with you. I am not very sentimental and love to clean everything out. That being said I have tossed stuff I shouldn't have! Loved reading!
Declutter on Shelly!!! Love having some extra space here and there. Have a great week!
I totally agree there is something so calming of organizing and decluttering our spaces. Great post!
I love to have everything neat and tidy – it always makes me feel more calm. Unfortunately, I have too many places to stash the clutter away! I'm slowly working on getting rid of stuff. Great post!
I have a few places that are definitely being used to stash things but not as many hiding places as some so I do try to stay on top of things! It could be much better though and that's what I'm working towards. If my older son will stop bringing more crap back home every single time he leaves for spring training..ugh.
It makes me so happy Deena! I really think if I could just have one week alone in my house I could get it all done!!
I have rarely tossed something and looked back later to realize I "missed" it. My momma is a pack rat so I just have extra motivation not to be. haha
Girl…I bet my momma has every bank statement and receipt for the past 15 years! The kicker is she doesn't ever even look at them OR reconcile her account. WHY??!! I love getting everything electronically.
Girl…so guilty of that right here! I've gotten much better in my old age. haha
Which book are you reading mam?
I promise, Karen, when the kids get a little older it gets much easier to manage!!
I so feel if I could just have a week alone at home I could knock it out Lindsay!! I just need some time but I keep wanting to go have fun instead. haha
One of my fave things to do is have a garage sale once I've cleaned everything out….I commit to not look back and anything at the end of the garage sale gets packed up and hauled straight to goodwill. I use to be so bad at talking myself back into keeping it. 🙂
I totally agree Lauren! The mental part is where I'm at right now…there are just areas I need to tackle and can't see to find the time to get to it and it makes my brain all crazy.
I totally do the kids rooms typically each season. I use to do it more and it was overwhelming to me and it was annoying to them. Now I just shut their doors and they know they have to pick up before the housecleaner comes each week or their room does not get cleaned. haha
My mom is too ughhh!
I had NO idea that opting out of junk mail was even possible! Thank you SO much.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – by Marie Kondo. It is great!
Great minds! I do the same thing. Going to continue the great declutter this weekend with the drawers in my nightstand and the shelves at the top of my closet. Might even throw in the linen closet for kicks!