Do you have an exit plan for the clutter that has accumulated in your home? Some simple steps will have it cleaned up and out of the house in no time.
If you have been putting steps into place that reduce the amount of clutter coming in to your home, such as avoiding extra purchases and dealing with junk mail, then you have already seen some reduction in clutter. Going through the closets and drawers to identify clutter is just one step toward having a more organized home.
But, having an exit plan to remove clutter that already exists in your home is very important. Even if you identify items to get rid of, do they actually leave? Do you have bags, boxes and bins of stuff that had been identified as clutter, still cluttering up your home. Have you gone back and “rescued” any of it?
There are so many things that we can do with our clutter to bless others and reduce the impact to the environment. Throwing it all away is the easiest and quickest way to get rid of clutter, but not necessarily something that we care to do as responsible adults. We are responsible for our clutter, like it or not. That doesn’t mean that we should just hold on to it, but instead develop steps to get it out of the house.
Some items that you might still have in your home could be:
Old cell phones for donation
Clothing and household items for donation or a yard sale
Newspaper and magazines to recycle
Books to donate to the library
Hazardous waste to be disposed of properly.
Bottles and cans to be returned for deposit.
Having an exit plan for each of these groups will keep your organized and prevent the clutter from hanging around or worse yet, getting reintegrated into the household. Check back tomorrow when I will share my best exit strategies, including a sneaky way of getting those bottles and cans out the door.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
Related Articles:
The Link Between Time and Clutter
Fitting in the Spring Cleaning
2 Big Ways to Keep the Clutter Out
How to Help Your Kids Clean Their Room