30 Ways to Declutter Your Home This Weekend

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30 Ways to Declutter Your Home This Weekend!

Knowing where to begin to declutter is difficult and can be so very overwhelming. 30 ways to declutter your home this weekend is a list you can go through without feeling like you have to clean up your entire space all at once.

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Fewer possessions mean less money spent, less to organize, less to clean, less stress…

Let’s remind each other of a few things first:
“Things” are not your memories, your memories are your memories. If you are so afraid of forgetting them, then take a picture and save the image on your computer! (How lucky are we to live in the age where we can declutter our homes yet keep whatever we want in the “cloud.”)

Keepsakes are hard to get rid of – I know – everyone who declutters and finally gives away collections and “stuff” that is taking up space in our heads and our homes knows this – if it were easy EVERY HOUSE WOULD BE NEAT AS A PIN and only have things people love and use in them…
It’s not easy –

You are who you are now. Look at the things you are holding onto for “memories.” You are the person you were then – you don’t need THINGS to prove that. Take pictures, scan it – get RID OF IT!

When you clear your home of items you don’t use, and make room for SO MUCH MORE – like binge-watching Forensic Files, or reading, or taking a nap – the world is yours – you are not tied to cleaning and organizing a home full of STUFF

Helpful tips to declutter your home:

a ) Do NOT accept any more freebies – you don’t NEED something because it’s free or because it’s on sale –

b) Do NOT get a storage unit or purchase storage containers to organize stuff that shouldn’t be in your possession in the first place. Declutter – THEN figure out organizing.

c) If you can sell the stuff quickly, on eBay, Craig's list, or wherever – then go for it. But remember, your time is worth something. If the money you will gain from selling the item doesn’t compensate for your day to list the item, packing up the item, driving to the post office, etc., then donate it.

d) Try to suggest a gift-free holiday season (at least with adults)

e) Shop with a shopping list ONLY

f) Digitize all your music

g) Remember: harder now means easier later. Treat yourself!

30 ways to declutter your home this weekend!

1. Get rid of guilt. You already spent the money on it. Your things USED to be money; they aren’t anymore – if you won’t use it – give it away or throw it away. If it’s already making you feel guilty, then it’s not positively affecting your life.
2. Create three boxes – 1. donate, 2. trash, 3. put away.
3. Throw away anything broken or incomplete.
4. Give away any duplicate pots and pans – you only need one of each.
5. Throw away all pens that don’t work, pencils you won’t use, and all markers that are dried out or without caps.
6. Donate all books that you won’t ever read again – and get a library card!
7. Throw away all take-out menus you don’t use.
8. Throw away expired medications.
9. Get rid of socks with holes and stockings with runs.
10. Get rid of old, expired batteries.
11. Throw away broken hangers.
12. Give away all coffee mugs and drinking glasses you don’t ever use.
13. Go through your plastic food containers – if they don’t have a matching lid – throw it away!
14. Donate all phone cases and screen protectors from old phones – you WON’T use these again, why do we save them?????
15. Get rid of old school books. I don’t know ANYONE who ever wants to go back to them years later when there is newer information out there, especially on the internet!
16. Put all gift cards in your wallet and USE THEM.
17. Donate all your clothes that don’t fit, regardless if you think they will fit you ONE DAY. If they are stained or ripped, throw them away.
18. Watch the show, Hoarders! (not kidding – nothing more inspiring when you want to declutter…)
19. Store sheets inside pillow cases and get rid of linen extras that will never be used.
20. Any kitchen appliances you haven’t used in one year – even if it’s a big one like a Cuisinart, food processor? Give it away to someone who will use it.
21. What consistently collects dust in your home? Donate it or throw it away. If you loved it so much, it wouldn’t have dust on it.
22. Throw away all manuals that you can get online (which is most.)
23. Make your bed. (Every. Period. Day. Period.)
24. Give away all cookbooks unless you use five or more recipes from the book. You can probably get these recipes online.
25. Don’t go to Target or Walmart – especially for storage containers! Clean Out your clutter, don’t organize it!
26. Unsubscribe from all catalogs and magazines.
27. If it’s electronic, and it’s broken? Get rid of it!
28. Toiletries: all samples, old lotions, makeup, nail polish, etc. THROW IT AWAY.
29. Begin the 12x12x12 method tomorrow – and do it weekly. Throw away 12 items, donate 12 items, and put 12 items in their place.
30. Know that there is no perfect way to do this – do one step at a time to lessen the overwhelming nature of decluttering. Say it out loud. There is NO PERFECT WAY TO DO THIS.

Let’s learn to be content with what we have – let's be grateful.

Live in the moment. Find joy in ENOUGH. Just BE – without needing THINGS and STUFF. It’s sooooooo much easier!

– Try to apply the one in-one out method of living – bring one thing into the house? Take one thing out to continually declutter your home.
– I love the 48-hour list idea – if you want something, don’t just put it in your Amazon prime cart! Put it on a list. 48 hours later, do you still need it? Probably not! Hold off from direct purchasing for at least two days.
– Another tip that helps me is to say, “If I were to see this today in a store, would I buy it? How much would I pay for it?” Chances are you wish you didn’t own it!

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Marcus Aurelius (121-180AD) said:

“The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.”

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Material possessions do not give us worth.

Although we may all know this (especially if we are reading articles relating to decluttering our minds and our homes), it is a highly personal topic. Please do not feel like you have failed if you have tried and tried and felt like you made no progress. We spent a LOT OF YEARS collecting all of this stuff; it will NOT go away in one day, one weekend, or in one week. Give it time. You can start small, and please, please… Feel good about that.