A Life In Review

5 Stars- Decluttering is so fulfilling. First off, your home will look so much cleaner and spacious. Second, at least for someone like me, it brings a peace of mind when you are sitting on the couch looking around. It makes for super cute pictures and the best part is, it gives your kids even MORE room to spread their mess around.

Let me start by saying that I still have a long way to go. I moved into my husband’s apartment when we got married and I brought a ton of stuff. His empty home was suddenly filled with knick knacks and junk. I will admit that I am a borderline hoarder. There are people who can find sentimental value in anything, I feel like I am one of those people. This made decluttering really hard. I’ve saved cards, clothes, shoes, instruments (that I can’t even play), and I even saved confetti from a concert I went to in middle school (High School Musical in case you wanted to know). It was a lot.

When we found out we were pregnant, that was my kick in the butt. There was really no room for the baby because I used the spare room and spare closet to store all my sentimental objects and overflow of clothes. I knew then that I had to purge stuff. I will say that my husband has never said anything, or pressured me to part ways with my stuff. However, we are just starting out. As we progress in life I know that we will acquire more belongings and having kids means even MORE stuff. I wanted to start fresh. So being who I am, I began to research the best ways to declutter (I can’t just dive into something willy nilly, I need to know what’s coming).

Decluttering can be an emotional process. What helped me was remembering that when I die (I know, super morbid) I don’t want to leave my kids with a mess to clean up. Of course I’ll save some family things, but I definitely needed (need) to part with unnecessary items. It can be very overwhelming to start this process so I find it easiest to pick one room and start there. Once you decided on the room, section it off.

For example, if I choose the living room to start with, I have a bookshelf, a side table and a TV stand that all have things in them and on them. I picked the TV stand to start with. I brought over a garbage bag and some little plastic baggies. I started on the inside of the stand. I went through ALL of my DVD’s. If the movies/ TV shows were on a streaming service I placed them in a giveaway pile. I did the same if it was a movie that I watched and just don’t plan on viewing again. Then I moved to the other side which had baby stuff in it. I pulled everything out, if it had a wrapper I took it out of the wrapper and made a home for it. This would be a good time to measure and find containers to use inside of the cabinet depending on what you use the cabinet for. I used the baggies to bag up the small stuff like her monthly stickers that didn’t have a home and some bows that I only use to take pictures.

Once I finish the inside of a cabinet, I move to the outside. I get rid of any trash that has collected on top, anything that isn’t a decoration gets removed too. After that, it’s really up to you and what you like. I have found myself in a minimalist mood lately so I have downsized my decorations a lot. I know you probably can’t tell because there are still decorations, but for ME, it’s considered a downsize.

As you get started (or think about getting started) here are some of my favorite tips I’ve either learned over the years, or found on google:

1. Start with paper. We all have piles of paper sitting somewhere. Open the mail, sort the documents and throw out what you don’t actually need. Then designate an organized spot for paper from here on out.
2. Throw out/ Donate/ Sell anything you haven’t used in 12 months. If you haven’t needed it in a year, you don’t need to save it.
3. You shouldn’t be hanging onto someone else’s stuff. If you’ve borrowed it and you’re done, give it back (sorry mom, I promise I’ll give you your stuff back some day).
4. GET RID OF TRASH. Walk around your house with a trash bag and just get rid of the trash. Then make it a point to start throwing trash in a trash can.
5. Get a tub and fill it with “Maybe” stuff. You have 6 months to get rid of, or find a use for your “maybe” stuff before you need to get rid of it.
6. Everything has to have a home. This one is new to me, but if I can’t find a home for it, I get rid of it (and no, the junk drawer or junk closet doesn’t count as a home).
7. Tackle one room at a time, there is no need to stress yourself over tackling the entire house in one day or all at the same time. Focus your attention.
8. Go through all of your clothing drawers, refold and sort everything (go drawer by drawer). If it doesn’t fit in the space you have, get rid of it.
9. Kitchen Tip: Go through cabinets and pull out anything that you don’t use, or have multiples of (and don’t need).
10. FINALLY: YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN MOMS! Put the kids to work on their stuff. Get your husband involved. This post is not about YOU having to tackle an entire home by yourself (unless you live alone, then I’m sorry… maybe phone a friend?)

There are so many more tips and checklists out on the internet that could help you. These were just some of my favorites. You may have your own ideas too. My point is, stop saying that you’ll get to it, and just do it. We are (for the most part, sorry essential employees) stuck at home right now (#covid-19), this is the time to get it done. I know you are still busy, but put the family to work and knock out one room a day, or a week if that’s still too overwhelming. I promise you will feel better about your living space.

One final thought, in regards to donating items and clothes. Don’t automatically go to places like Goodwill. Look for group homes, shelters, mother’s homes (for mother’s in recovery). Those places often get overlooked and they are in need too. Goodwill gets plenty of donations.

Happy Cleaning!