Sometimes the start of a new school year brings that organizing and decluttering bug – at least it does for me! It’s a GREAT time to start decluttering again and it’s a great motivator! If you suffer from letting go of clutter – or really letting go of ANYTHING – here are five EASY steps to help you out!
1. Purge Often.
To be good at organizing, you have to be good at purging – and doing it a LOT. I go through stuff weekly. Not a full on, pull everything out, all over the floor purge every week – but I look at stuff around me weekly to check and make sure I’m actually using it. If I’m not, I get rid of it. I’ve got TEN Causes and Cures for Clutter that can also motivate you.
2. Assign homes.
We often find we want to declutter but when you go to put back the stuff you actually use, you have no place for it. Or, a family member uses something but doesn’t know where it “belongs”. Everything needs a home. Label it, color code it, or do whatever you need to remember where it belongs.
3. Get rid of duplicates
If you have two of something, you likely have too many! Unless you’ve got twins, two of something means it’s time to toss it!
4. Someday items need to go.
The “someday I may need it” item needs to go. Storing it now for someday isn’t always the best choice and just causes more clutter. Give it to a friend to borrow who needs it now, and give it back when your “someday” has arrived. Or, just get it someday when that day has come. Don’t hang on to it – that includes those clothes that “someday” you’ll fit into again. If that day comes, you’re going to want to get all new clothes anyway! If you want to paint this or fix up that someday and it’s not happening, get rid of it.
5. It’s not really needed.
If you hang on to things because you feel bad, don’t. Get rid of it. That present Aunt Martha gave you five years ago that you never liked, give it away. It happens. That garage sale you can’t resist, don’t stop if you truly don’t have a need. It will only cause you to be tempted to want to buy things you don’t really need.
Letting go of that clutter is SO freeing! Do it! You won’t regret it! Things are just things. Having a home that is clutter free sets the mood for you and your family. Having a home that is clutter free helps keep you less stressed and calm! Are you going to get rid of the clutter?
My biggest problem is what to do with it. I feel like I should do a yard sale or sell the stuff, but I never have time to do that. I know I am “giving” away a lot of money that I paid for the items I no longer need. Therefore, it sits around.
That is exactly my problem too… There are a lot of local selling apps now that do make it easier to list and sell things quickly, but a yard sale is really the only way to sell all the 50c, or $1-$2 items that are the bulk of our clutter. If you can bulk items together and sell them to one person for more money, that could work. Something for $10 or more is worth listing, but the tiny stuff not so much… yet it would totally add up if we COULD sell it!
Best idea of all, as soon as packed up. Go to the opportunity shops and get rid of it. The idea of selling never works out or you get so little it’s not worth it.