Spring Cleaning: My Journey toward Clutter Free Living

By SHARON WILLIAMS

Do you have too much stuff in your life? I’m not sure why this has become such an important thing for me to get rid of this excess stuff, but I’m very focused on culling out the things in my life I don’t need. Join me in this journey toward clutter free living and let’s find ways to get the extra baggage out of our lives. 

I used to like collecting stuff. I have gone through different stages where I collected things. There was the time I collected Campbell’s Soup everything for my kitchen, pianos and jewelry boxes, toys for the kids at various stages, vintage book sets and state patches. But I’m at a new point in my life. I’ve shifted to asking these two questions: Do I need it? Do I love it? If the answer is not YES to those two questions, I’m selling, donating or getting rid of this extra stuff. Today let’s talk about clothes.

#1: Kids Dress Up Bucket: If you have a bucket full of costumes for the kids, it may be time to take a quick look and see if the kids can still wear the outfits. Take 10 minutes and see if you still need all the costumes that you are storing. We found a bag of costumes that the kids had outgrown that was perfect for the nephews plus another big bag of costumes pieces that were worn out and trash. We no longer need them, so we’re getting rid of the extras.

#2: My seasonal clothes: You’ve probably heard people talk about the one year rule. If you haven’t worn something in the past 12 months, you probably don’t need to keep it. Of course, there are exceptions (like your wedding dress or winter coat that only comes out when there is a foot of snow). But the other things like the sweater that is no longer in style or the boots that fit but just aren’t comfortable or flattering need to go.

#3: The Kids Next Size Up Buckets: Do you have those next size up buckets? When the kids were little they were perfect. I always had the next size toddler clothes stored back in rubbermaid totes with a label telling me what was stored in the bucket. When the seasons changed, I could just pull out the bucket and just like that – they had a new updated wardrobe. But my kids are too old for that now. So I’ve been going through the buckets and figuring out what is worth storing and what needs to go.

#4 Winter Coats & Gloves: Kids grow fast and winter coats and gloves take up lots of space. Go through your pile of winter coats and gloves to see what needs to be discarded. Check with your local resource center or homeless shelter to see if they have room to store them for next year. If you can’t find the match to the gloves, then it should no longer be stored in your house. No sense taking up space on the off chance that you will find the missing glove next winter. Will the coats fit the kids next winter? If not, donate! If the coat will still fit, but it’s not in good condition, save it for winter snow play. Then put a note to go shopping now while coats are probably on clearance for the size they will need next year.

What area of your home are you tackling to journey toward clutter free living? I’d love to hear your tips!

For more ideas for hobbies and life, check out Hobbies on a Budget. (www.hobbiesonabudget.com)