Your life is not defined by your job or any other one-dimensional definition. That goes for being self-sufficient too! You can be in the best possible position of self-sufficiency but if you cannot function in your home the clutter will impact outside of the home too. It’s only a matter of time when that will happen. It is hard to tackle raising poultry, gardening, homemade meals, and a green self-sufficient lifestyle if your home is a mess. This is why I decided to make a post about ten things you can declutter today because a decluttered home is a decluttered mind, and a decluttered mind can achieve anything.
#1 Clothing
Let’s be honest. We all have that stash of 5 pairs of gloves, 10 bathing suits, and jeans that have not fit since high school (No? Just me?). According to a 2020 survey people own an average of 148 pieces of clothing excluding socks and under garments. In Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner’s book, You Are What You Wear she notes that the bulk of people wear only 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. So be ruthless when you’re going through your closet, seasonal box, and dresser. If it doesn’t fit, it’s stained or torn, and/or you haven’t worn it in a year…It’s time to let it go.
#2 Old makeup or personal care items
Ladies, I’m going off of personal experience so in full disclosure, I’m not exactly a girly girl but I do own items to “get pretty”. That includes makeup, lotion, hair tools, hair products, nail care…that list seems to go on forever. These products find their way into our homes via gifts or we try to copy the current fashion trends so we end up buying lots of products. My point is we have a tendency to keep products that expire or that we no longer use or want. Some of the time we have two, three, five of the same products open which makes it impossible to use up the product in a timely manner. So an easy way to comb through products to have nice simple drawer of items you love an use toss anything that is expired, combine what is open if you can, and discard any items you hate or don’t use.
#3 Tupperware
We all are guilty about this. You know, that one drawer or cabinet you avoid at all costs…The tupperware storage area. Don’t even get me started on trying to put the cleaned containers away and having all of the “organized” plastics tumble out like an avalanche. Enough about my bitter hatred of the necessary storage containers and more onto…how to control them. Simply match your bottoms with their lids and discard the extra lids. Do not keep them for “just in case”. That is just a fantasy we tell ourselves that feeds our fantasies of the tupperware making it back home after we give someone food. Adding to that if the tupperware is cracked or badly discolored… toss it. If you wont give it to a guest to use then don’t let it have space in your home. As a side note I got a nice set of glass tupperware for myself and chinese takeout boxes for guests. It a win win.
#4 Mugs and Water bottles
Continuing on the kitchen crusade the next area in scrutiny is our mug and water bottle cabinet. Maybe it’s coincidence but all of the people I know put these two items in the same place so I decided to lump them together. I mean it starts with buying yourself a nice water bottle and a set of mugs..that’s all you need right? Probably. But traveling, holidays, birthdays and countless coffee shops selling merchandise will eventually fill that one shelf and the excess will take over the entire cabinet. Now you have a whole cabinet full of most likely sentimental drinking vessels that for some reason are one of the hardest things to purge. Getting logical about this will help greatly. If it is broken, discolored or not microwave safe (im looking at you mugs) then it’s time to let it go. If you don’t like something about it and thus never use it…bye bye. Remember that people give us gifts in hopes that we will use the item and we love it…for the lifespan of that item. If the item has taken its course in your life don’t feel bad if it’s time to let it go.
#5) Kitchen Gadgets
I promise this is the last kitchen one but in my defense we have a lot of junk in that room. Kitchen gadgets seem to work their way into every nook and cranny promising an easier tastier streamlined kitchen experience. Now some of the time they are very useful and fulfill a need we had for producing food. Then there are all of the other trinkets called gadgets that failed to work as they said. If you can do the job without it and you don’t enjoy the aid it offers then let it go. Some things are really not worth keeping around for the just in case or once a year use.
#6 Books and Magazines
When I started simplifying I read list after list that focused on magazines… but as a person who has no subscriptions to any magazines I have none in my home. I decided to just combine reading material since I enjoy books very much and have bookcases full of great novels and series. For this one I have lived by a few rules to keep my collection from taking over my life. 1.) If I enjoyed the book so much that I know I will reread it again. 2.) Is it a popular series?
The first one is pretty simple, if I don’t want to finish the book or reread it I donate it to a library or a book box. But if I will read it again I definitely will keep it. The second one relates to libraries. If it is a popular series I know I can go back and check out the book(s) again so there is no need to keep it. But if it is niche books or out of date novels I tend to keep them.
#7 Decor that isn’t being used or fit our style
Next thing on the list may be a sensitive topic for people. Decore. We live in a consumerist society. The media is constantly telling us we need to fill our homes with today’s latest trends and designs. It is hard when you want your home to look like Pinterest or a reality tv show..Those homes look so pretty! But if there was ever keeping up with the Joneses this one takes first place. Decore, style, what is considered “Hot” changes not only every year but every season in that year. Yikes. All of the impersonal things you bought so that your home will feel stylish and fresh will be out of date in the industries eyes in a matter of months. I suggest you take a homestyle quiz and then based on that. A home should feel like a home to you. Not cold and aloof like its someone elses style so make sure its personalized in a way that when you enter you can relax and find happiness.
#8 Excess towels and sheets
This sounds so simple but for some reason we love our just in case with this one. I have a towel for every person and dog in my home so in total I have four towels and the dog towels double as our beach towels. The argument “if my towel is dirty then I need another one while it’s in the wash” seems to be a common explanation of why we have more than one towel for ourselves. My comment on that one is that most people have a washer and dryer and it is really easy to wash and dry that in a day before a shower. The same can be applied for sheets. Although I am guilty of having more than one set for my bed I have limited myself to a white and gray pair of cotton sheets and then one flannel. It’s all about the color/ season for what I put on the bed but having like 5 sets of sheets for one bed may call for downsizing.
#9 Paperwork
Need I see more? Keep the important stuff like bills, medical papers, taxes etc. for their allotted time but ditch the clutter of the rest.
#10 Broken Items
This is another simple one. If you haven’t fixed it or can’t fix it… it’s time to let it go.
