|
|
Be sure to follow HOME and LIFE TIPS on Facebook
and please SHARE this post on Facebook and Pinterest |
|
__________________ Sponsored Links __________________
________________________________________________
Looking for some creative ways to lessen your load and reduce the excess in your life? If so, here are some helpful tips and ideas for organizing your life in such a way that you only live with the things you need. Check out the ideas below to discover all 20 things you can part with that will help eliminate excess clutter.
LOOK BELOW
LOOK BELOW
|
|
#1 Plates, bowls and cups
How many of each do you actually need. Pare down to an amount that is reasonable for your family and guests. If you need to store more, pack them away and store until needed. Photo source Wednesday's Child
#2 Cleaners
It is time to clean out the cleaners below your kitchen and bathroom sink. Get rid of anything you do not use anymore at your city or town's hazardous waste facility. Consolidate duplicates. Then set up an organization system to store your cleaners neatly and within easy reach. Photo Source A Prudent Life
#3 Photos
Most people use a digital camera or phone for their photos. Be sure to set up a good file system for these photos, deleting bad or unneeded photos. Now for actual photos. Sort through them, and then scan the ones you want to keep and store in your file system. You can still keep photos that have sentimental value stored away. Finally be sure to set up a back-up of the file. Keep that back-up up to date. Photo source Taylor Ranch Self Storage.
#4 Food cupboard or pantry
Time to go through your pantry or cupboard and purge anything that is expired. Items that you do not need or use, give away or help your local church or food bank. Now get to organizing all the items in a neat and orderly manner. Photo source cbc.ca
#5 Bills and statements
Paper statements can build up fast. Go through them, shredding old or unneeded ones. For tax based paperwork, contact your own state or country rules for how long to keep receipts. One way to eliminate some of this paperwork is to start to receive bills via e-mail. Then set up a folder for each company or utility. Photo source Park Chenaur.
#6 Kitchen utensils, other kitchen items
A big purge can help make your kitchen more efficient. The best way to accomplish this is to start with pots, pans, baking sheets, etc.. Are there any that are damaged or you do not need. Discard them. Small appliances can also be sorted and purged. Now tackle all the utensils. Sort through damaged, duplicate or unwanted pieces (do you need 4 ladles). Now comes the time to put things back in an orderly manner. There are plenty of organizers available to help keep your drawers and cupboards organized. Photo source Mom Clarity
#7 Clothes
This can be a big one. Start by taking all clothes from your closet and drawers. Start going through each item. Do you really love this item, is it necessary? If answer is no, throw into donation box. If damaged or stained, discard. Now comes the fun of putting everything else back in a tidy manner. (A good rule is every time you bring in a new piece of clothing, donate or discard one item) Photo source Pinterest
#8 Furniture
A good rule of thumb is to get rid of old furniture as you bring in new pieces. But this is not always the case. Make sure that you are not over cluttering your rooms. Extra pieces, if in good shape, can be sold or donated to charities that can resell them. Some of them have a pick-up service.
#9 Sports and camping gear
With kid's playing so many sports, you wind up with way too much gear hanging around. Start the purge, by discarding any damaged, torn, smelly items. Things that do not fit or you have more than one of (do you need 3 old pairs of shoulder pads) can be handed down, donated or sold. Now that you have pared the items down, find a good system to organize everything. Picture source Boulder Sports Recycler
#10 Movies
Your movie collection can get rather large over the years. Purge the movies you no longer want. If you want to save space, you can store only the discs in sleeves that are in a binder. It is very difficult to reduce the packaging on VCR tapes. Most charities will take your donations of unwanted movies. Photo source Lady Leemanila
#11 Makeup and beauty products
Time to declutter and get rid of some of that old makeup.
Finding the expired items, things you do not use, etc. and then discarding them will allow you to organize what you really need. Avenue Nineteen can help
Finding the expired items, things you do not use, etc. and then discarding them will allow you to organize what you really need. Avenue Nineteen can help
#12 CD's
CD's can start to take up a lot of space. With digital players becoming the norm, you are better off copying your music onto your computer (keep as back-up) and then copying to your digital player. Now you can take your music collection wherever you go. Any cd's you do not want, donate to a charity that will resell them. Photo Source Bloody Valentine
#13 Computers and accessories
Computer technology is almost obsolete once you unpack it. New and improved models are available throughout the year. This can lead to clutter from piles of old laptops, printers, etc. Discard properly (recycle) old technology. Remove the hard drive from computers and destroy separately. If your computer dies, but not the hard drive, most hard drives can be removed and, with an adapter, be able to be turned into external drive. Remove the necessary data. Tip - always back up your hard drive. Terabyte and larger external drives are not very expensive
#14 Books
Books are great to have. Many people prefer to hold a book in their hands rather than an e-reader. But you can gather many of them over the years. Purge the ones that you do not want anymore. Donate the ones you do not need to a local used bookstore, for others to enjoy, or to a charity that resells items like books. Photo source Humoring The Goddess.
#15 Children's clothing
One thing that piles up quite quickly is kid's clothes. Purge what does not fit, the child will not wear, stained or torn items, etc.. Discard the ruined clothes. Items in good shape can be sold on-line or through a consignment shop. You can also hand these down to others or donate to charities that resell these items. Photo source The Big To Do List.
#16 Garage
This is a space rather than an item. A garage can contain so many different items that can turn into a cluttered mess. To purge your garage, sort everything into piles of keep, donate or sell, or discard. The items that can be sold can be sold through garage sales, on-line sale sites or given away to friends. Donation of good items can be donated to charities that resell items. After the purge, set up a proper organization sytem to store all the remaining things. Photo source Spare Foot
#17 Kid's toys
Kid's toys are another source of clutter. It is a great idea to perform a purge at least once a year. Determine what your child has outgrown, does not play with or items that are broken or missing pieces. Donate these ones (that are in good shape) to a charity, sell on-line or hand down to other children you know. Now the purge is complete, set up organization systems for all the remaining toys. Photo Source Tidy Up Now.
#18 Exercise equipment
We all have great intentions when we stock up on treadmills, weight sets, etc.. But sadly, only a small percentage uses these items regularly. The issue is they take up a lot of space. Make the hard decision to eliminate things that will not be used. Ask friends if they could use it, sell on your local on-line sales platform or donate to someplace that takes "gently" used equipment.
#19 Televisions and other electronics
Electronics life span is not as long as it used to be. Be sure to get rid of old technology that is not used. (Old VCR'S, DVD players, televisions, etc). Most cities or towns have recycle programs for these items. Cellular phones also have a short life. Be sure to clear all your data and find a place that recycles them.
#20 Sentimental clutter
There is a fine line between sentimental items and clutter. It can be difficult to get rid of something sentimental. But sometimes you need to down size and remove items from your home. If this is a family "heirloom", find someone in the family to pass it down to. For instance, a doll house in the attic for 20 years helps no one. If no other person wants it, sell on-line or, if valuable, sell at an auction. Be sure to take plenty of pictures to preserve the memory of the item. Again, this can be hard, but sometimes the clutter is too much, outweighing storing these items. Photo source Pinterest
FOLLOW US @
|
|
|
