That's what lots of people are looking for right now. Maybe you want to improve your spiritual life. Maybe you want to make extra money or save more. Maybe you want to improve your health. Have you made one of these resolutions? Have you already broken it? It's not too late! I mean it's only January, for God's sake. I can tell you how to accomplish ALL of these things: Declutter your home.
Honestly, the idea was overwhelming at first. We have accumulated what feels like a TON of "stuff" over the years. (Sound familiar?) The first couple days I went in each room in the house, including the basement and attic, and found at least one item we no longer needed. This gave my donation pile a head start. The key is to tackle it a little at a time - and I'm not talking one room at a time, more like one BOX at a time.
I signed up for Facebook reminders to declutter a certain area of my home. Household Management 101's Declutter 365 Challenge will guide you through 15 minutes of decluttering your home each day, until your home is fully decluttered in 365 days (1 year). It's a great method - the daily reminders keep your progress in check and even provokes decluttering those little spaces you otherwise would not have thought of.
Spirit was Renewed
Once I got started taking baby steps, it motivated me to keep going, and I went WAY above and beyond. It sounds silly, but it was excited. With decluttering comes organization, and every time I added something to the donation pile, I felt more and more FREE. It put me in a better mood. I was less stressed, felt a sense of accomplishment, and felt less CROWDED in the house. I no longer had to move things we didn't use to get to the things we did use. My spirit was renewed.
Made a Little Money and Saved Even More
Yes, it takes time to sort through things but it is soooo worth it in so many ways. We found some things we could pass on to family and friends, sold a few things, found things we forgot we had, and donated a ton to help other people and to use as a tax deduction.
Here's my donation pile
I found that by taking an inventory and re-organizing, we saved money by getting on track to use up what we had before having to buy more. The decluttering and organizing did require a little investment, as we purchased shelves and bins, but decreasing the amount of frustration in being able to find what you need was well worth it. I'd say the investments in bins and shelves were offset by whet we saved by selling a few items, tax deductions for donations, and the business that kept me from recreational shopping. As I make more space in the house, I DO NOT want to fill it with more stuff, either.
Be sure to consider solutions. If you are willing to invest a little money, you can find permanent solutions for your "necessary clutter". For example, we have a very small entryway, but with 5 people in the house, we have lots of shoes near the door. We replaced our pile of shoes with this bench, which not only gives everyone a place to sit while putting on their shoes, but also provides shoe storage on the 2 shelves under the bench. We have found this to be a great solution to our problem.
Entryway Bench with Shoe Storage
Another solution we found was in our living room. We had an ottoman holding snuggly blankets for watching TV. However, the ottoman became stained and damaged because the kids used it to sit in - it had become a toy. It's functionality had changed and was no longer working for us. At the same time, we were short on seating. With just a couch and rocking chair in the living room, we could fit our family of five, but whenever guests visited, we didn't have enough seating. We also needed to contend with a heating vent near the window, so we could not get a large item that would cover it. Below is what we came up with - so far, it seems to resolve all the issues we were having.
Window Storage Seat
Improving Health
The health benefits of decluttering include keeping you on your feet, as you sort, clean and reorganize various areas in your home. I also found a renewed sense of confidence and happiness that came with a sense of accomplishment. I also took some time to organize my exercise area, sorting through equipment I no longer use, and hanging up resistance bands so they are easily accessible instead of in a big jumbled mess. As I felt good about where I was in the area of decluttering, I was able to start focusing on weight loss again, and had a nice set-up to do it.
Reorganized Exercise Equipment
You will not regret decluttering your home. Start with the kid's toys they no longer use, clothes that no longer kit you, the bathroom closet, or kitchen cabinets. No matter what you want to tackle first, just get started. Do a little at a time and find the motivation to continue. I decided that this is an ongoing project...I am at a place where I feel the bulk is gone (and what we kept is reorganized) but I still have a "Donation Box" out and add something to it almost every day. The confidence it has given me has now spilled into other areas of my life and I find motivation to accomplish something every day.
Pantry Shelves (Before)
Pantry Shelves (After)
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