How to Live Life Clutter Free
We live in a country full of stuff. Ever since Madonna crooned about our ‘material world’ back in the 80’s, it seems that our culture has only become increasingly more materialistic. With the holiday season of gift-giving just behind us, many of us will find ourselves surrounded by even more stuff. Having things is nice, and we all have objects and items that are special to us. However, many people simply have too much stuff in their homes, and though they may dream of clutter free living, they don’t know where to start. If this sounds like you, here are some tips on how to cut down on the clutter and start living organized:
1. Sort It Out
The first step in getting rid of clutter is organizing. Looking at all of the stuff in your house is going to be completely overwhelming, so start with one room at a time. When you’ve decided on a room, take three large bins and label them ‘keep’ ‘sell’ and ‘donate’. This way you can quickly sort through items. Put the things you know you’re keeping in the first bin, the things you might want to sell in the second, and the third you can use for useful things like clothing that can be donated to your local charities.
2. Consider What’s Important
Once you’re through sorting out your things, you’ll probably notice that your ‘keep’ box is quite a bit more full than the others. Before you decide you’re finished, give that box a final look through - there’s likely a lot more in there that can go.
There are many ways that we accumulate things - buying souvenirs, receiving gifts, decorating for holidays and events - for a lot of us, collecting stuff has become synonymous with having a good time. Most of the items we accumulate have good memories or sentimental feelings attached to them, and that can make letting go incredibly hard. Most of the stuff that you hang onto, you don’t actually need - but you don’t want to let it go because it reminds you of a happy event or a special person who gave it to you.
Before you throw another item into the ‘keep’ box, ask yourself a few questions. Do you need it? Probably not. Does it make you happy? We keep most things because they make us happy, but others we keep out of guilt or sentiment. Maybe you’re holding onto that figurine because it’s the last thing your great-grandma ever gave you, and you’d feel terrible getting rid of it. If you’re only keeping it out of guilt and you really don’t care for it, throw it out. You have the memories - you don’t need the stuff. Another thing to ask yourself is, ‘Would I miss it if it were gone?’. When you have a house full of stuff, it’s impossible to keep track of everything. Most things you’ll discover while cleaning are items you haven’t thought about in years. If you’ve managed that long without it, it probably isn’t very important in your life.
3. Store It
Once you’ve gotten rid of everything you know you don’t need, you may still find yourself left with more stuff than you want in your home. Maybe you’re storing items for family members or your house is just too small for everything you own to fit comfortably. If that’s the case, a storage service like Closetbox may be just what you need. Closetbox can help you store any extra items, and we make the process easy. Unlike other self-storage companies, we do the loading, hauling, and pickup for you. You get the freedom of self-storage without all the hassle that usually comes with it.
If you’re interested in our full-service storage service, contact us today. We’ll help you get the stuff out of the way, and get you on the road to a simpler, more clutter-free life.
