De-clutter and Simplify Your Life
We all live in a fast moving world full of things. We
have more belongings in our life than in any other time in
our history as we can now afford to have more. However this
is not necessarily a good thing if we let our desire to own
things overwhelm us and plunge us into debt and worry.
One of the benefits of choosing to live a more frugal
lifestyle is that not only do you spend less and so avoid
the pitfalls of mounting debt but we also simplify our lives
and reduce the clutter surrounding us. Many things can cause
stress but one of the most overlooked areas of the causes of
stress is clutter. Living in an over crowded space full of
untidiness and a lack of space can be very stressful and
difficult to think clearly in.
Clutter can be caused and defined as many different
things. It can range from:
Too many toys left lying around the house Piles of
un-ironed clothing Wardrobes bulging with items of unworn
clothes Magazine and newspapers left scattered on the
kitchen table Display surfaces crowed with too many dusty
ornaments Rooms full of furniture either too big for the
room or mainly unused.
These are just a few examples of things cluttering up our
lives, our homes and our minds. By taking a more frugal
approach to belongings and our home environment we can
remove at least one aspect of stress from our lives and
create space in which to be able to think more clearly and
objectively in.
To make a start at de-cluttering your home you will need
a few items to help you sort out all the mess. The basics
are or course old cardboard boxes that can be frugally
sourced from your local supermarket and rags for cleaning. A
good thick black felt tip pen for labelling boxes for easy
identification and a note pad and pen.
The first thing you need to do is to give yourself time
to de-clutter your home on a regular basis. Expecting to do
it all in one go is unrealistic and boring too, so allocate
a set period of time either every day or week and keep to it
by using an alarm clock telling you when to stop. This will
make the job far more manageable and even fun, especially if
you play music while you de-clutter.
The next thing you need to do is to identify what needs
to be kept and what doesn't, this can seem rather daunting
at first but with note pad in hand walk around the house and
ask yourself these questions to help motivate and clarify
the situation.
Do I use this item? Do I have another item that does the
same thing? What purpose does this item have and does it add
anything to my home? Does this item need to be in this room?
Does this have any sentimental attachment?
Be ruthless and realistic, the more you can create space
and tidiness the more relaxing your home will become. It is
also important during this process to have a very clear
mental image of how you want each room to look; this will be
a very strong motivational image that will spur you on.
You may find that you still end up with far to many items
that you want to keep but just don't really have the space
for. There are several solutions to this:
You can pay for some extra storage elsewhere, this can be
a good solution if you have large items of furniture you
wish to keep for the future, but the cost will have to be
weighed up against the benefits of keeping the item.
Store the items in attics and basements in labelled
boxes.
Create cheap storage solutions within your rooms using
cardboard boxes and wrapping paper for decoration.
This last suggestion can be great fun, as you can
decorate the boxes in anyway you want to match the décor of
your rooms and with a little creativity and flair can even
add to a rooms over all look and feel.
De-cluttering your life is a great way to distress your
life and can even make you a little money if you decide to
sell unwanted items. Most other items can be recycled or
given to charity and so has the added bonus of making you
feel good about yourself too.
Kate and her partner co-write
http://www.frugal-living-tips.com a site all about
living simply and frugally in the modern world. Their second
site
http://www.our-happy-cat.com is a cat friendly site full
of cat health and cat care advice.
Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth
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50 Steps to a Clutter Free Home and Lifestyle
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