5 Things I Learned by Letting Go of Half My Stuff
#1
Evaluate Yourself and Your Spending Habits: I had to admit that I tend to hoard clothes. I was buying clothes to deal with stress; Retail Therapy! I knew I needed to find better, healthier ways to deal with stress in my life. I needed to make a change and decluttering was a first step, and so completely worth it!
Another benefit was taking a hard look at ethical sourcing for clothing. I had piles of clothing that I knew were possibly made with child labor and other poor practices. I try to make better choices and limit my wardrobe to classic, quality pieces from companies with a commitment to ethical humanitarian practices.
#2
Systems and Rhythms: You all know I don’t stick to strict schedules. But by decluttering it is much easier to set up systems that work for our family, from the pantry to our clothes. As you declutter you can set up storage systems in your kitchen, playroom, closets and even that junk drawer. Katherine from “Do it on a Dime” recommends you maintain your system as many times a year as you touch it in a day. So if you open that junk drawer 3 times a day, you’ll need to maintain that drawer 3 times a year. We are in our coat closet at least 10 times a day, so the organization system in it needs to be maintained once a month.
#3
What to do with things you get rid of: Usually we just take our items to a donation center, but many of you suggested great alternatives I had not even thought of.
Blankets and towels are always needed at animal shelters.
The Salvation Army will pick up large items from your home.
You can sell items on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist or similar sites. Just make sure you are safe! Our local police department provides an area of their parking lot just for meeting up for buying and selling. Check in your local community, but by all means, meet in public and stay safe.
Also post in your friends groups to see if someone can use an item you plan to give away.
#4
Free Up Your Time: With less clutter you will spend less time taking care of “things”, cleaning, folding, picking up and putting away. You can streamline and simplify your family routine, which saves time.
Less is more! But you have to do what makes you happy. If you have collections of things that bring you joy, by all means keep them.
#5
Free Up Space in Your Mind: I found benefits to my mental health by decluttering. By decluttering tangible things, I could declutter my mind, less clutter takes up less overwhelming space in my brain. Carrie Thomas presents a great Ted Talk on clutter, she says “clutter is just postponed decisions”. Don’t let “things” take up valuable space in your head!