Have you ever seen the show Tiny House Nation? It's where individuals, couples and even small families actually move into a house which is a fraction of the size of their old place. What's interesting is that before they could move into their Tiny House, they need to get rid of all the things that aren't part of what they consider as essential in everyday living. They're then tasked to fill out pre-selected organizers and challenged to trim down their stuff to the basics. To the surprise of the homeowners, they were actually able to reduce their things to those that they consider most important and necessary.
Although I have no plans of moving into a Tiny House in the near future, I do want to reduce the clutter in my own home. I really want to have more space in my house and free up more room in our storage areas. Most of the things that I see around are due to accumulating things that I don't necessarily need or have been replaced with a newer version. This summer I've resolved to do some decluttering and I am hoping that I'll be successful! I've already started the process but it hasn't been easy!
Below are some tips that I use as my guide to help me achieve my goal.
Declutter your home slowly with realistic targets. I wish I could say quickly but it just doesn't work for me. The more I rush, the more cluttered my clutter ends up around the house! The key word here is consistently. As long as I get to declutter something every day for five days in a week - whether it be a few items or several, then I know my attempt to declutter has been good. I make one area, one closet or one category of items per day as my target. Your goal for the day or week will depend on how much time you have and how big or small your space is.
Begin with the easiest things to dispose so you see progress right away and it encourages you to continue!
Decide on how you intend to dispose of your extra items.
Before you sort out your things, make sure you have a plan for how you are going to dispose of them. Are you going to give away your pre-loved clothes, shoes and bags? Or are you going to sell them? Don't forget to prepare your plastic bags or boxes and label them if necessary.
Keep only what you know you will use, and not what you MIGHT still use eventually (because then you might end up actually not using them anymore).
By organizing your closet with this as your guide: category, color, or frequency of use – you can more or less tell which clothes you are using often and which ones have been left hanging (literally). Time to dispose of clothes you have not used for at least a year.
Re-arrange your book shelves and décor.
Boxes, boxes, and more boxes! I always have a problem with boxes. Toy boxes, appliance boxes, gift boxes, shoe boxes. You name it, I've kept it. For some reason, I think I need to keep them first and leave the decision to dispose of them much later. But not anymore. Most of these boxes I will never really use again… and until they get soggy, they just find themselves in my storage. Now I'm getting rid of them right away if I am absolutely sure there is going to be no need for them in the future. No more procrastinating!
Throw as you go. (But only if you are super sure).
Paper, paper and even more paper! Work papers, blueprints and plans, kids' doodling papers, paid bills, bank statements, receipts... Just the many types of papers lying around the house that I need to either get rid of or sort! Out of all the things that I try to organize and dispose, this is the hardest because I have to look through each and every piece of paper to see if it is of any importance or not. Sometimes it even goes to the "I'll think about it" box – at least for work papers, blueprints, plans and receipts. I would really hate to throw away things that I might need to refer to later on. And even in this digital age, architectural blueprints with my signature and seal are still required and will cost to reproduce, so I have to be more careful.
With the rest, I just need to make sure the bills were actually paid and won't be needed for future reference. As for the kids' papers, I keep significant artworks and drawings in a big portfolio so the rest will be evaluated and if ok, will be thrown away already. My husband also suggested taking photos of the artworks that we really like but can't keep so I can upload it to my digital album (good idea!).
And I just realized that if I throw what isn't needed anymore right after going through them, then I save so much more time later on because I won't have to go through a whole pile of papers all at one time!
Do not accumulate too much.
I think at this point I may now have an excess of pillow covers and pillows. Time to give away some of them already so I can make space in my already crowded storage closet.
And what about shoes? How many shoes does a girl really need?? I would love to say a hundred, but that just isn't true. I just need these types of shoes in at least one or two pairs: slippers, Fitflops (its own category, yes), rubber shoes, sneakers, boots, flats, wedges, sandals, high heels, platforms, kitten heels. Yes, that alone will amount to about 11-22 pairs of shoes – yipes! (Maybe I need to re-evaluate this list).
I'm also trying to limit food purchases, especially ones that you can keep for a while (sauces, snacks, etc.). I have been quite the forgetful one and before I know it, I am looking at an expired food item! Args! What a waste! So I want to make it a habit not to buy too much so I won't have to store too much. Also, with a healthier diet that promotes eating whole foods rather than packaged ones, fresh items are required. So this will hopefully help me out and lessen kitchen clutter.
Give away toys you no longer use and throw away broken ones. And if you get those small toys and items from parties, yes, they clutter up the house pretty fast! I usually just give them away to other kids when I know the girls won't be playing with them for long. Better to give away while new than used. Only keep toys that you know your kids will use often or everything else becomes clutter. Believe me, I know!
Just like what I mentioned about my kids' artworks – it's a good idea to take photos of some items that have sentimental value whether it's a drawing or a gift – if you feel that it's alright to not keep anymore.
You can make your own list too if you plan to clean out your home this summer!