Is your house in a decorating slump? Do you really want to redecorate but you just don’t think you have the money to do it? This is the same way that I have felt in my home! Then I learned to make do with what I have. And I learned that controlling clutter is the best way to make any space look better–and it’s free!
Many of us have so much clutter that it is hard to know where to start. Here are two helpful tips for scaling down and reclaiming some of the sanity and space in your home:
* Start with one small area at a time.
When I say start small, I mean REALLY small. Instead of aiming to clear out an entire bookcase at once, start with one shelf, or even a portion of one shelf. Clear the items off and get rid of, throw away, or relocate everything that doesn’t belong there. If you try to tackle too much at once, then you might run out of time or energy by the time you get to putting things away. A that point you are left with a bigger mess than you started with. Don’t feel like you need to do everything at once. Making a little progress here and there will eventually amount to big changes.
* Be liberal in what you get rid of
When deciding whether or not to keep something, ask yourself a number of questions: Have I used this recently? Does the item have a lot of sentimental value? Does it cause me anxiety to look at it? Be liberal and get rid of anything you really don’t think that you will need. If you haven’t used it in a year, if it has been waiting to be replaced for who knows how long, or if it is a duplicate of something you already have, get rid of it. I must admit, sometimes it has been difficult to get rid of some of the things I have. Looking back, I can hardly think of a thing at all that I wish I wouldn’t have tossed. One other thought–if the item is fairly inexpensive you can always buy a new one should the day come when you actually might use it. Don’t keep it around “just in case.” Your sanity and peace is not worth the five dollars you might save should you end up replacing it.