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Declutter

Organising

How An Organised Space Can Save You Money

I’ve always been a bit frugal, trying to limit waste and unnecessary spending where I could, and had a desire to get more organised – don’t we all! After living out of home for five years, I realised we’d developed some bad habits.

We were tossing massive amounts of spoiled food each week. Most of it was fresh food we’d bought with good intentions but just hadn’t gotten around to eating. Finding stuff in the pantry was a difficult process with random cans thrown in sporadically and no real organisation system. We’d go shopping listless and come home with five cans of corn only to realise we already had eight in the pantry (true story! ‘;)).

We were constantly leaving things to the last minute. Often realising we’d forgotten to buy a birthday present, we’d rush around hoping we could find something the day of the party in sheer craziness. Cleaning was an ordeal having to try and vacuum around whatever clothes and furniture items we had on the floor.

I was sick of the disorganisation and having unnecessary stress in our lives. After being overwhelmed by clutter, and the anxiety and stress it caused me I set out to change my home environment. I wanted to have a more calming space – I didn’t want to see mess everywhere and trip over things.

Once starting the decluttering process of my home I realised there was an added benefit to having an organised space. It was aiding our budgeting and helping us to save more money. And we will never be perfect when it comes to organisation, but trying to be a little more organised goes a long way.

Here is How an Organised Space Can Save You Money and how it has benefited us.

1. Save on groceries and buying duplicates

Since organising our home we can now see what we have at a glance. In the pantry, all cans are lined up, long-life milk, snacks are in one place which makes creating our shopping list that much easier. Our fridge is no longer filled to capacity as we only buy what we will need for the week ahead. This means we can reduce the food we are wasting each week and save on our grocery bill. Having an organised space allows us to avoid bringing home multiples of an item we already have, whether that be groceries or things we’ve misplaced and had to rebuy.

2. Reduce your clothing budget

Organising your wardrobe is a huge game-changer in terms of spending. Before I discovered the amazement of being organised, I used to have my wardrobe and drawers overflowing with clothes. Each wash day I’d shove a new pile in, on top of the stuff that had just become accustomed to staying at the bottom of the drawer. I remember the first time I decided to declutter my wardrobe, I found three pairs of black shorts. I’m not sure how many pairs of black shorts anyone needs, but the fact that I had three that I had not only not worn in years, but didn’t even know I had them was quite eye-opening to me.

From that moment I realised how important it is to keep what you have organised and to regularly assess what you have so you know what items you own.

In the past I would just buy new clothes, chuck them in a drawer or in my wardrobe with the intention of wearing them and often completely forgot I had ever bought them. I’d never really taken stock of what clothing I owned. Now when I go shopping I know at least 99% of my wardrobe off the top of my head. I know what shoes I have to mix and match with outfits and can better select what I am bringing into my wardrobe.

3. You’re more content living in a smaller home

Since organising our home the feeling of claustrophobia has diminished. I no longer feel like our house is too small and that we need more space. I’m rarely tempted to look at larger homes to buy. Even if it springs to mind when I see a nice photo of a home, I remember how much I love cleaning a smaller home and how I would never want the additional hours of work to pay for one and lost hours keeping up with the maintenance that comes with a bigger home. After decluttering all areas of our home we’ve actually managed to free up some storage space and are in no rush to fill them back up.

4. Planning ahead is easier and you can avoid impulse purchases

About two years ago I started using a diary to get more organised. After about a year I switched to a Bullet Journal and was instantly impressed by the simplicity it brought to my life. By being more organised and writing in my bullet journal I am able to save money in numerous ways. Whether it be planning ahead for dinner so I can avoid buying take-out that night. Making a note to buy a gift for someone a month ahead instead of running around the day before in a rush and blowing the gift budget. Or making a note to compare prices on a new purchase in order to get the best price and save money.  

5. You’ll become more intentional with purchases

Now that we have decluttered our home we are very keen to keep it from getting out of hand again. This impacts my day-to-day activities and spending. I no longer walk into shops aimlessly to pass time or find some kind of satisfaction from buying something new.

Before I buy anything now, it has to hold up to a range of requirements. I will ask myself questions such as do I really need this? Do I have a place for it? Is it something I will be willing to dust from now until when I get rid of it? Most of the time the answer is no and I walk away from it.

When you start making more conscious decisions with what you are purchasing on a daily basis you develop new habits and soon enough the desire to buy lessens and your desire for a calm, organised space keeps you from reverting back to old habits.

6. Save money not having to replace lost items

Have you ever gone to look for something and not been able to locate it? I am pretty sure we have all been here. You think to yourself, maybe I never had it or gave it away? You go out to replace the items. Sometimes the original turns up and you feel a little silly but even after turning the house upside down at the time you couldn’t find it! This is another way an organised space can save you money. By having organisational systems in place you can avoid losing things in your home and replacing them. Even more importantly this wastes another important resource, your time. Imagine all the more important things you could be doing with the time wasted looking for lost items.

7. You can sell your unwanted stuff online

Another way an organised space can save you money is as you organise you will truly realise how much excess you have in your home. After a while we begin to grow used to seeing our stuff and don’t realise how much of it there is.

Have you ever walked into someone’s house and felt claustrophobic from all the stuff?! You’ve probably not even noticed your house might be heading in the same direction. It’s not until you start questioning what you do and don’t use that you realise you could live without some of the stuff cluttering up your home.

The great thing about decluttering is that your unwanted items can be useful to other people and that can help you claw back some of the money spent on excess items you have in your home. You will never get all of your money back, and sometimes you won’t get any of it, but it is possible to sell your clutter and add to your savings account.

It is truly amazing how much you can get for old electronics, gaming consoles, clothes, camera gear, books or whatever other junk you might have in your ‘to-go’ pile. If you’re reluctant to give something away because you spent a lot of money on it, sometimes knowing that you can get a little bit back from it by selling it makes the letting go process a little easier.

Alternatively, if you don’t need the money or don’t have the time, donate unwanted items to a local charity. Think of all the times you’ve found something you love in an op-shop for a few dollars because someone was generous enough to donate it. Pay it forward! 

8. Being organised saves you time and stress

When you plan ahead and get organised you can save one of your most precious resources – time! Imagine all the things you could do with your spare time if it wasn’t spent doing mountains of laundry each week! No looking for lost items or spending half an hour clearing out food in your fridge that has gone bad. As they say, time is money and an organised space can save you both! When you no longer have to live with the consequences of an unorganised space, you’ll have more time to spend on more enjoyable things.

How have you found an organised space has saved you money? Comment below with your experience!

Organising

32 Things to Keep You Busy During Self-Isolation

A beautiful, tidy loungeroom

It appears more and more likely that many cities around the world will soon be in some form of self-isolation. It’s a scary reality, and not something any of us ever imaged could happen. In order to help you keep your spirits up and keep busy, if you are stuck at home in self-isolation for any period of time over the coming weeks, I threw together some Organising, Self Care and Fun activities to help you keep your sanity and take advantage of a little bit of extra free time.

Becoming Minimalist also has 14 you can add to the below list to Help You Declutter Your Home While Stuck Inside, so if you are keen for more ideas on how to keep busy, be sure to check that out as well!

Here are 32 Things to Keep You Busy During Self Isolation.

Organising Activities

If you are going into self isolation in your country, and unfortunately more and more countries are bringing that in, we need to keep ourselves busy and hopefully a little distracted from the constant stream of bad news. If you are stuck indoors it is a great time to get around to all those things you have been putting off around your home. Here are a few ideas to help you get organised and pass the time.

  1. Sort and organise your photo prints and photo albums. Throw out any photos that no longer bring you joy.
  2. Organise your paperwork. Go through your paperwork and recycle, shred and scan your paperwork, only keeping what is necessary to have in hard copy form.
  3. Clear out and organise your pantry. Review what is in your pantry and if anything needs to be disposed of. This will give you the opportunity to see what you do and don’t have and what you might need to stock up on.
  4. Clean your fridge. Throw out anything nasty and give everything a wipe down.
  5. Declutter the garage/basement. This is one of those jobs you most likely have put off for sometime. If you are stuck in doors, now is probably as good a time as ever to declutter things. Of course, you’ll have to keep one area to store any items you want to donate for the time being.
  6. Declutter and create a Capsule Wardrobe. Take the opportunity to go through your wardrobes and access what is and isn’t fitting or working anymore and set them aside in your donation pile. Select season appropriate clothing for the next three months and store the remainder away.
  7. Back up photos. It can be a great time to back up your valuable photo collections across your devices. Ideally in at least two locations, one in the cloud and one in physical form such as on a SSD.
  8. Reorganise cabinets. Go through your cabinets and tidy them up. Throw away any empty bottles and merge any that you safely can into one bottle if you find you have multiples of the same open.
  9. Gardening/ weeding. Get your gardens looking gorgeous so you can at least enjoy your outdoor area whilst  you are stuck at home.
  10. Start any house projects you have been putting off. If you’ve got the paint, paint the areas you had been planning to, hang up any new frames or new curtains etc. I’m sure you already have a sizeable list started 🙂
  11. Look after your plant babies. I have recently adopted a huge number of plants. And looking after them takes a bit of time every few days, but is so worth it when they thrive! Keep them well watered, trim off any dead leaves and feed them when they need.
  12. Disinfect and spring clean your home (regardless of the season ;)). You can’t be too careful at them moment and that can be great motivation to give all surfaces and handles a wipe down. If you were as unlucky as me to miss out on grabbing any antibacterial wipes or sanitiser, you can create your own using The Organised Housewife’s DIY Antibacterial Wipes recipe. Of course check out whether this will be suitable for your benchtops etc. (NB: I am not a doctor of any sort, so I can’t attest to the effectiveness of this recipe against COVID19, but it is preferable to me than using nothing).
  13. Take up the Minimise With Me Declutter With Me Decluttering Course and get started on decluttering your entire home, one room at a time. This course will guide your through all areas of your home to help you declutter and simplify your life and remove the excess you’ve been carrying around for so long.
  14. Or grab my 101 Things to Declutter Right Now Printable to help you get started on a smaller declutter.

Self Care Activities

There is a lot of uncertainty around the world at the moment, with each country making it’s own decisions regarding this COVID19 virus. It’s important to take some time for ourselves to relieve any anxieties we have been carrying around. Stress is not good for us, so we need to be conscious of our stress levels and do what we can to destress.  Some ideas you can do from home are:

15. Take a warm relaxing bath with some lavender scented wash or oil

16. Give yourself a hair treatment

17. Do a DIY facial, body or foot scrub using what you have in your pantry

18. Exercise. It is so important to be healthy to fight this virus, so make sure to incorporate some exercise into your daily routine to keep you healthy and strong. Some options to try are: Yoga, Pilates, Tabata, Weights and walking if you are allowed outside for exercise. Be sure to check out YouTube for some free routine videos!

Fun Activities

Depending on whether you live alone, with a partner or kids, here are some ideas to pass the time:

19. Call a friend or family member. You may not be able to leave your home, but you can always call loved ones to catch up and see how they are going.

20. Read one of your books on your bookshelf, you kept insisting you would read. If you have kids, find one or a few you can read to them so it can become a new family activity!

21. Crack out those board games

22. Set up a video console such as your old Wii or N64 console that have been collecting dust

23. Rewatch your fave shows or movies like Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter. We are currently rewatching the Scrubs series and loving it!

24. Find some Docos on your fave topics to watch. Some great places to find them are on Netflix, Youtube, ABC or SBS to name a few.

25. Catch up on your fave YTers videos

26. Read your favourite blogs

27. Learn a new language. Download the Duolingo app and practice a new language a bit each day. It is truly amazing how much progress you can make in even just a few weeks.

28. Practice your instrument. If you are a musician, or learning a new instrument you’ll have some extra time to fit practice in and learn some new songs you have been wanting to get to but haven’t had the time.

29. Learn a new skill, the options are endless and there.

30. Do arts and crafts. Whatever you enjoy, colouring in one of those adult colouring books, scrap booking, creating a artwork book for your kids etc.

31. Enjoy cooking. Without the rush of the daily grind you can be free to enjoy cooking a nice meal.

32. Bake, if you love baking take advantage of that free time to cook something yummy for your family.

Please let me know what activities you are going to do to keep you and your family entertained if you are required to go into self-isolation so we can keep those ideas flowing and hopefully we can all find a few things that will give us joy in this difficult time.

And I hope for all of you and your family and friends, that you stay safe and healthy and we can return to our regular lives as soon as possible. Let’s be kind to one another, reach out to loved ones that may be lonely and in need of help where we can and do our best to keep our anxieties at bay. We’re all in this together.

Photo by Kirill on Unsplash

If you found value in this post, please share it to your friends and loved ones, who may be looking for some welcome distractions in the coming weeks.

Minimalism

8 Ways Decluttering Helped Me to Live a More Intentional Life

Declutter your home and live a more intentional life today

Before I started my decluttering journey I had no idea how much my stuff was holding me back. I wasn’t aware of the daily struggle clutter bought with it or how it added to my stress and anxiety. 

When I decluttered my first set of drawers that contained my shirts and shorts, I was amazed at the difference this one small change made to me. It seems silly that such a small change – decluttering two drawers, had any impact on my life but it did and that positive change grew exponentially from there with each decluttering project I tackled. 

Decluttering benefited me in many areas of my life that I couldn’t have ever expected. Here are 8 Ways Decluttering Helped Me to Live a More Intentional Life.

8 Ways Decluttering Helped Me to Live a More Intentional Life.

1. Decluttering highlighted my impulsive consumer habits  

Very early on in my decluttering journey, I became aware of numerous impulsive consumer habits I had picked up over the years. My wardrobe and bathroom were hard evidence of these less than desirable shopping habits. As I decluttered my bathroom, I saw lip balm collections, a foundation for every day of the week, and hand lotion bottles galore. 

I didn’t have what I needed – the essentials, or even just a little more in case I ran out before I could get to the shops. I was apparently preparing stockpiles for the shops to close for a good year based on my collections 

As I decluttered each item: shampoos, conditioners, hair products, makeup, and the like, I realised that I really didn’t need all those excess items and over time implemented new consumer habits to limit what I was bringing into my home. 

2. Decluttering helped me appreciate experiences over things 

Before I decluttered my home and cleared the excess, I was your average shopper. Most likely addicted and spending mindlessly on things I didn’t need. 

I’d wander on my lunch breaks shopping for nothing in particular, spending my hard-earned paycheck. 

Buy things just because they were on sale, even if I had no idea what I would do with them when I got home. 

Waste my weekends in the mall buying things I didn’t need instead of doing things that added value to me. 

Decluttering helped me lead a more intentional life as I slowly saw the value in experiences over things. After clearing over half my wardrobe, a buy one get one free sale sign lost its pull over me. I slowly started replacing my habits of buying things on impulse and instead learned to appreciate experiences. Experiences I could remember, and think back on with fondness, that didn’t require me to take some item into my home where I would have to find a place to store it, dust, and maintain it.

Over time I saw myself spending less money at the mall. Instead, I spent my money on experiences that I could enjoy and share with others, like going to the movies, a concert, or travelling. I noticed later in the year I’d long forgotten the new jewellery and perfume I got for Christmas, but years later remembered my first trip to New Zealand for my 30th with fondness and my honeymoon to Europe. I realised that when I invested my time and money into experiences and things I truly enjoyed, I didn’t need to go and shop to fill some void. 

Declutter With Me Decluttering Course  

Are you finding yourself overwhelmed and stressed out by clutter in your home?

If you’re looking to minimise the excess in your life, Declutter With Me: A 12 Week Guide to Declutter Your Home is a go-at-your-own-pace course that will give you the step-by-step, room-by-room instructions to help you clear the clutter in your home in as soon as just 12 weeks!

But clearing the clutter isn’t just about getting rid of your excess stuff. It’s important to change your behaviour and consumer habits so you can avoid re-cluttering your space once you have decluttered. Included in Declutter With Me, are “Keep It Minimal” tips for each area in your home + 7 Tips To Help You Keep Your Home Minimal, to give you strategies you can implement to help you spend with intention so you can avoid bringing clutter back into your home.

If you are keen to minimise your unwanted clutter check out Declutter With Me so you can create a home you love!

3. Decluttering helped me be more mindful of gifts I gave to others 

As I decluttered my home, I noticed a lot of gifts, that were bought with generosity and good intentions from family and friends had gone unused or weren’t adding value to us anymore. This made me reconsider my own gift-giving habits and be more intentional with what I gifted others. I stopped my usual gift buying habit of heading to the shop and browsing for the perfect gift, realising that the perfect gift isn’t always going to be found on a shelf at the mall. 

I started to get more creative with my gifts. Some new habits I’ve implemented:

  • Buying experience gifts such a a massage, tickets to a concert, musical or kids attraction
  • Asking people directly what they would like for a gift
  • Taking a loved one out for a meal or experience
  • Making a contribution to a loved one’s travel savings fund
  • Performing or recording a song for a loved one
  • Gifting gift cards to their favourite store

If I know someone needs something for their home or wants something specifically I am more than happy to go out and get that item for them, but the shops are now something I only step into with intention when it comes to buying gifts 

4. Decluttering made me more intentional with my time

After decluttering my home, I knew that I would never, ever, let my home get into the cluttered state that it was ever again. I wasn’t prepared to make all that decluttering progress just to go back into old clutter-accumulation habits. I was done. 

Decluttering also made me see how unintentional I had been with my time. 

Whether that be the time I spent looking for things around the house that had been misplaced, the time I spent trying to keep up with an overflowing wardrobe and the laundry that ensued, and the time I had spent shopping for things only to cluttering up my home that took up my very limited and valuable time.

I realised how I had used shopping as a hobby rather than a tool to buy things I needed as I needed them. As I decluttered the excess in my home I chose to utilise my time going forward more intentionally. Instead of shopping every week or on my break by default, I built up a list over time and only went to the shops once a month and made one trip. This saved me battling traffic and car spaces on multiple trips and meant I could free up some time to do things that actually added value to me. 

5. Decluttering made me more intentional with my money

After decluttering over 70% of our belongings, I was faced with the realisation of how much money I had thrown away over the years on stuff I didn’t need. I added up in my head the dollars each time I donated an item of clothing that still had the tags on or the art project or book I had never gotten around to. It was certainly an eye-opening experience and made me think long and hard each day that I tackled my clutter about how I could start being more intentional with my money. 

Decluttering my home helped me to see the wasted money. I refused to continue to waste my money on impulse purchases that I didn’t need any longer, I had wasted enough. I wasted money on clothes that didn’t fit or suit me because I was too lazy to try them on. There was wasted money on shoes I bought that were not something I would ever wear, I just liked the idea of them. There was waste when I bought more makeup than I could possibly use up before it expired. 

When I decided to spend more intentionally, it had a huge positive impact on our finances. We were less stressed about money, we had more money to pay down debt and work towards our financial goals, and could justify spending money guilt-free on things like an overseas trip.

It wasn’t my expectation when I started my decluttering journey to save money but was a hugely welcome side effect!   

6. Decluttering made me more mindful in other areas of my life 

When you eliminate the excess in your home, it’s bound to make you more mindful of other aspects of your life. It is not uncommon to declutter your home and decide to move houses, get a new job, or end a toxic friendship. Decluttering makes you assess everything you bring into your home and soon you will apply those same tools and skills to other aspects of your life. 

The Minimalists talk about how they decluttered their homes and soon after, changed their spending habits, left their corporate jobs to start their own blog and both moved homes. Like The Minimalists experiences, decluttering helped me realise what did and didn’t add value to my life

As I previously mentioned, I realised that shopping regularly did not add value to my life, so I reduced how often I spent shopping and built a list to get in one go. It helped me to reassess relationships and made me more appreciative of the friends and family that made an effort to be in our lives. It helped me realise what was and wasn’t important to me and gave me permission to let go of things like the hoard of books I’d hoped to get to and instead put my time and energy into things I was truly passionate about, such as this very blog  

7. Decluttering made us more content with what we had

Decluttering helped us see that we didn’t need much to be happy. We have now been in our fairly modest-sized home for 8 years and a bigger home hasn’t been on our agenda for some time now, and we don’t see the need to upsize our home when now that we just keep the things we truly enjoy and use. 

We still have the same TV we bought 8 years ago when we moved in, the same Fridge and Dishwasher and most of the same instruments  

We try to make do with what we have and use up what we have before we buy more. I keep limited stocks of makeup and hair products, I’ve just bought my first new sneakers in 5 years and shock horror I buy one book at a time to read. 

I don’t miss the days of duplicated nail polish, too many books to read, and the guilt that comes with that and having enough eyeshadow to commission an artwork. We try to be content with what we have rather than constantly chasing what others tell us we need.

8. Decluttering helped me to realise that it is okay to let things go  

As a former hoarder, and a girl who was surrounded by many other hoarders growing up and probably picked up a few bad habits along the way, I completely get that it is hard to let go of things. I was so worried when I let things go that I would regret them and curse the day I started decluttering my home. 

But to be completely honest with you. That hasn’t happened once. 

I found ways to ease my inner hoarder such as taking photos of sentimental items before disposing of them and asking myself questions like ‘would I buy this again today?’ which helped me part with the excess in my home again and again. And most things that I thought I might need Just in Case, I knew I could apply The Minimalists 20/20 Rule and get them at the shop if there ever really came a time when I needed that item again.  

And letting go of the excess came with so many benefits that outweigh any need to hold onto things. You’ll have more space to enjoy your home, homes are meant for living not storage. You have the ability to find and display the things that do add value to you, such as your favourite books not being covered by ones you’ll probably never read and the freedom of knowing that if you ever wanted to move, change careers, cities, or anything else, you won’t be burdened by all your clutter holding you back. 

[Photo by: Samantha Gades on Unsplash.com]

What’s your biggest decluttering struggle? Let me know in the comments! 

Minimalism

8 Ways to Minimise Gift Clutter and Give More Intentional Gifts

Have you experienced gift clutter? Check out 8 ways to help you minimise gift clutter and gift more intentionally

It’s Christmas Day and you’ve just been handed a gift from insert various relation to you here. You unwrap it carefully or maybe you rip it open quickly, whatever your gift unwrapping style is, to see that it is something you love. YAY! It immediately #sparksjoy and you feel completely content knowing that the gift giver knew exactly what you wanted or needed.

Unfortunately, the perfect gift isn’t always what’s inside. Sometimes it is just something you really don’t like. Other times you genuinely just don’t need anything. It might be extra towels when you already have an overflowing linen closet or it’s another vase you now need to find a shelf for to make sure your loved one can see you enjoying it when they visit. Maybe it’s not you, it’s your kids sitting in front of a mountain of new stuff, well meaning Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles got them that fills you with dread at the thought – Where on Earth is all this stuff going to be stored?

It’s no where near the end of the world by any means, but at times like Christmas, when you might be swapping gifts with large groups of family along with your partner and children, the stress and anxiety over the potential clutter and what to do with all that extra stuff can cause overwhelm. Not to mention that pang of guilt you feel when you truly appreciate the thought of your loved one going out of their way to buy you something but the reality is that you know you don’t have the space or will never use it.

Let’s face it, no one can read our minds and know exactly what we want or need -or don’t want or need – no matter how close they are to us. Sometimes we really are just taking a stab in the dark and hoping that what we have gotten our loved one is something they will love and find value in.

Surely there has to be a better way.

Over the past three years of minimising over 70% of our stuff (that’s an educated guess, I didn’t keep track dammit) I noticed a bit of a trend in some of the stuff I was letting go. Of course the majority of it was stuff we had bought that we no longer needed (possibly never did ;)). But, every now and then we were letting go of something that had been gifted to us.

Now don’t get me wrong, we of course always thoroughly appreciate the thought that goes into picking out a gift and for the most part we did try and use or display the gifts, but in the end, sometimes you do just want to pick out your own set of matching tea towels or bed sheets.

The reality is, that everyone gets to that point where you really don’t need more stuff. There is only so much space in our homes! And if you are anything like me, when you need something you more than likely will go out and buy it yourself (and research it like crazy ‘:)) and pick the set that you absolutely love.

I know I myself have always tried to put a lot of thought into gifts for others and always worry myself silly, thinking – did I buy the right thing? I’d feel terrible if I had bought someone something that they had no use for and had been holding onto indefinitely out of guilt that I might be upset if they didn’t keep it. I think that’s probably a guilt we’ve all felt at some point in our lives…

And so, I thought with a little bit of guidance from The Minimalists gift giving approach why not change the norms around gift giving.

There has to be a better way to gift with intention and minimise gift clutter entering our homes.

Here’s 8 Ways to Minimise Gift Clutter and Give More Intentional Gifts to help save you the worry, stress, and mystery of giving a gift that adds value.

8 Ways to Minimise Gift Clutter and Give More Intentional Gifts

  1. Communicate your values

First and foremost bring up the conversation. Let your family and close circle of friends know your new values and that you are trying to declutter, minimise the excess and simplify. This will help them be aware, in a non-confronting manner that you are trying to minimise gift clutter amongst other forms from taking over your house. I dropped hints about getting rid of over half our stuff and how we preferred our new found space over all that excess stuff (plus it was pretty obvious from the blog ;)).

This planted the idea in our inner circle that we really didn’t need anything, rather than expecting loved ones to read our minds and saved being overwhelmed when more unexpected stuff came into our home. And it really can add up each birthday, Christmas per person in your household and so on.

If you are bothered by your kids getting a mountain of toys each Birthday and Christmas, and the ensuing free for all that happens from there, communicate your values to loved ones ahead of time. You might be able to encourage family to stop at one gift, rather than going overboard and help you keep your sanity. Or as i go into more detail below, suggest a consumable or experience gift instead.

2. Start the trend to Ask

Minimise gift clutter for yourself and others by asking friends and family what they want for their birthday or Christmas or whatever event it is. This takes away any guess work, and worry that you might buy something they’d hate or didn’t need and bonus – it’s saves you time spending hours looking for the perfect gift. If you hate shopping like me, any way to get in and out quicker is a winner!

Of course, at first it might seem a bit out of the ordinary and uncomfortable to directly ask someone what they want and they might not even know what to ask for, but it will feel great to give a gift that is truly needed rather than trying to guess. And it goes both ways, once you set the norms to ask people directly, people will feel more comfortable to ask you what you might need.

3. Have a Gift Wish List

To help you and your loved ones minimise gift clutter, it’s going to take a team effort. If you are really bad at thinking of things you want or need when that next event rolls around, a great way to help family and loved ones to give you and your family more intentional gifts and to minimise gift clutter entering your home is to keep a gift wish list.

As you think of things you or your kids might need or want coming up to a birthday or a special occasion take note of that item and keep them as suggestions for when people ask you what you or they might need. And don’t forget to note gift ideas down as you see them for others. So many times I have come across awesome gifts for someone in particular and then come the time to buy them, I’ve completely blanked.

I had a chat with my nephew last night about how he was bored of his current book collection and he mentioned he wanted more Harry Potter books to read. So  I made a quick note today to remind myself to get that for him for Christmas. It’s something I know he will appreciate and love and it means a lot to us as we can gift him books that bought us so much joy reading. And come Christmas we won’t have to pull our hair out trying to pick out the perfect gift.

A gift wish list is a great way to keep track of things that would add value to you and your family and make it easier for a loved one to get you the right gift.

4. Gift consumables.

After decluttering my own seemingly endless crap, I wanted to resist adding to others clutter. The thought of buying stuff for other people like my parents, when I knew how much stuff they already had, didn’t sit with this minimalist. Instead of buying loved ones a new ornament for them to display and dust around for the next decade (unless you know that is what they’d really love), or another book to squeeze onto their over flowing bookshelf, consider gifting them something consumable that they can enjoy and let go once it is used up.

Consumable gifts are also a great opportunity to show someone you love how much you really know them. Some consumable gift ideas to help minimise gift clutter and gift more intentionally are:

  • a bottle of their favourite wine
  • subscriptions to their favourite services; Audible, Kindle, Netflix or Spotify are great examples.
  • their most adored chocolates
  • a high quality coffee
  • a gift pack of beauty supplies
  • home made hot chocolate
  • art and craft supplies and activities

Keep in mind that gifts don’t have to be something physical that are kept indefinitely. It’s not less of a gift or less special if it is used up. And don’t forget, it doesn’t have to be a boring box of chocolates (not that there is anything wrong with chocolates, unless they contain almonds – uck!).

One year my friend filled a jar with different lollies and took out all the ones she knew I didn’t like. It was just the best gift ever in my eyes, it was not only consumable but showed me that she knew me well enough to know what lollies I liked and hated and I have not forgotten that gift more than 10 years later 🙂 And as they say, it’s the little things that really count. Check out these 10 Minimalist Gift Ideas for more ideas.

5.  Gift experiences.

Experiences make great gifts as they not only minimise gift clutter completely from entering your home, but are something that can be shared and remembered for a long time to come.

Think back to Christmas two years ago. Do you remember what you were given?

Most likely not, but you are more likely to recall the concert you were given tickets to. And aren’t memories the best gift of all? 🙂

There are now so many options available to gift experiences and a good range for all budgets. And it’s a great way to break away from gifting the same old gifts.

Some options for experience gifts are:

  • movie vouchers
  • a museum or zoo membership
  • tickets to a concert or musical
  • a cooking class
  • yoga lessons or PT lessons
  • a massage or float tank

You can even donate to someones upcoming holiday or offer to cover the cost of a tour they want to take. They are great gifts for all occasions.

The next time your anniversary rolls around skip the soft toy and new photo mug that’ll soon go in the back of your closet and take your partner out for dinner and buy some flowers. They’ll be just as appreciated and minimise that gift clutter that accumulates year after year.

6. Gift your time

Another gift that is often under-utilised is the gift of time. If you have a special talent or skill or just can offer a helping hand, gift your time to a loved one. And if you need a helping hand you can always ask for some time in place of a physical gift.

Some examples are:

  • Babysitting for a night
  • Help your parents minimise their clutter
  • Cook a few meals for a new mum
  • Clean the house for a friend who is stressed or recovering from an injury
  • Offer free lessons to someone e.g. guitar, baking, sport coaching
  • Help out with some house projects if you are handy

7. Gifting money thoughtfully.

I know there are some people who are not keen on receiving money in a card (and we do always make sure the card is extra awesome!) and if that is the case maybe skip this one, but for me, someone who struggles to ask for anything and likes to think about things for months before parting with my cash it has always been preferable.

For our wedding we asked guests to donate to our wishing well which allowed us to have some extra spending money for our Honeymoon in Europe. This meant much more to us than to have more kitchen appliances that we already had as we could keep those memories long past throwing out and old toaster.

For my 21st I asked family to donate to my trip to New Zealand rather than buying me other gifts as I didn’t need anything, but was really excited to spend my birthday overseas. That was all I wanted. Sure, I don’t have necklace to remind me that I turned 30, but again I have amazing memories of my two weeks in New Zealand with my husband and all those photos to look back at.

Maybe you are savings up for a new camera or something else really important to you and would appreciate a donation to your savings account over any other random trinket. I’ve genuinely found people are happy to help you save up for something as their gift when they know there is something you really want. And it’s great to do the same when it’s your turn to find the perfect gift so pay attention and keep thinking outside the box with your gifts.

8. Ask for no gifts.

I’ve never really felt that comfortable about receiving gifts. Especially if I know someone could have used the money more than I could have used the gift. If you feel similarly you can always let loved ones know that you appreciate the thought, but they don’t need to get you anything.

A comprise could be that they in place of a gift just come out and have a nice dinner or drink with you. Company is really the best gift! And if that special someone still insists on getting you something you can always ask them to donate to your favourite charity.

This weeks comment question: Do you do any of the above to minimise gift clutter and give gifts more intentionally? Let me know in the comments below 🙂  

[Photo: Nynne Schroder on Unsplash.com]

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂

 

Minimalism

How Your Stuff Might Be Holding You Back

Have you ever considered how your stuff might be holding you back? Photo: Juan Cruz Mountford

Whenever we get a new thing: a gadget, new outfit, fresh pair of shoes or new piece of decor for the house, we quickly think of all the things it will bring to us. It will complete the outfit for Saturday night, be the perfect finishing touch on a space in our home, or we can show off with our newly updated phone. Maybe the item will provide those things, but one thing that we often don’t take into consideration is how your stuff might be holding you back. 

I’ve asked myself this question many times throughout my minimalism journey, with three pivotal times in particular coming to mind. The first being when I spent weeks decluttering my grandparents home after their passing. It was an emotionally draining period and impacted me more than ever I imagined in terms of how I wanted to live my own life. The stuff they may have been bought with the intention to bring them joy, but there was so much of it and I am sure a lot of it they had forgotten they even had.

The second was when I first discovered Minimalism about three years ago which changed my relationship with stuff on a huge scale when I started to see how my own stuff had been holding me back rather than adding value to my life.

The third was a very recent occasions, the past few weeks in fact, as I assisted family downsize their possessions, ready for a big move. I watched how weeks turned into months of packing and decluttering, up until the last minute and how much of a strain it was on everyone involved.

These three occasions drastically opened my eyes to the the ways our stuff might be holding us back. Here at 9 ways how your stuff might be holding you back. 

1. Not utilising your space how you want
When you own too much you are restricted physically by everything cluttering up your rooms and spaces. Cupboards, drawers and rooms are filled with excess stuff, most likely with things you either don’t need or don’t even know you still have. Spaces that could be better utilised for your enjoyment. When your dining table is covered with paperwork and who knows how many weeks washing that you can’t use it to eat a meal with your family. Your stuff may be holding you back when your spare room, which you would love to set up a play area for your kids or an office but you can’t because of everything currently being stored in there that you’re holding onto just in case.

When we have too much stuff we can’t be as intentional with our space. And so, by consequence we place limits on ourselves enjoying the space that we have and miss out on what the original intention of the space was.

2. Excess stuff can be detrimental to your mental well-being
You may not realise it and believe your stuff brings you immense happiness, but your stuff is most likely causing you stress and anxiety. There is the stress that hits you when you open a packed cupboard, where everything falls out in a mess. Stress when you can’t find something you need because nothing has a place and you can’t remember where you last left it. We’ve all been there. As well as stress that comes from paying for your impulse purchases and watching that debt spiral out of control. When something as simple as trying to cook dinner with clutter everywhere on your bench top is enough to add frustration on a daily basis.

Your stuff may be holding you back when with clutter, chaos, and debt.  and all  the weight that comes with those things. These are things we learn to live with over time, and can easily become the norm in our lives. We get used to our environment and don’t realise how much stress our excess stuff is causing us but over time they can impede our mental well-being.

3. We are consumed by our stuff. 

Sometimes we are distracted from what is more important in life by our stuff. Instead of doing things that add value like learning a new skill, creating or volunteering we spend time maintaining and cleaning our excess stuff – the mountain of washing, the McMansion, or just standing in our bedroom trying to find an outfit we love.

Instead of spending the day with family and friends making memories, we are trapped inside a mall looking for the next bargain or fashion score to post on Instagram. When we let our stuff consume us and take priority in our lives we let our stuff hold us back.

4. When we put our stuff before relationships 

Have you ever moved home to somewhere distant and not had the time to spend with loved ones before you leave? Did your stuff and packing consume all your free time leading up to your move date? Have you spent all your money on new outfits or something else you enjoy or maybe just bought on impulse, and had to say no to visiting family because you had no money left over. Or couldn’t pay your kids soccer registration because you didn’t plan ahead and kept spending. Do you work long hours to pay for the big house, with the fancy furniture and the latest cars but don’t have time to see your partner and kids? These are all examples of how your stuff might be holding you back from what you believe is important.

The next time you are at the shops or shopping online, ask yourself this:

‘If I spent less on _(insert you main spending vice here)_, how could I use the savings to better my life and relationships.

As minimalist blogger Courney Carver says choose love over stuff. You may find that when you focus on strengthening or building new and old relationships that there isn’t as big a void to fill with stuff anymore and most often your family would chose you over those other comforts.

5. When our stuff embarrasses us

Before I discovered minimalism I was mortified at the thought of having last minute visitors. At any given time we could have stuff all over our house and that wasn’t something I was prepared to share with anyone.

Your stuff may be holding you back too from living a full life. Maybe you have declined visitors to your home because your house was too messy and the thought of not having at least a few hours to clean, would cause you so much stress and embarrassment. So you miss out on the experience of having family or friends over. Or you might have even said no to your kids friend staying over because you are embarrassed by the clutter and want to avoid them and their parents seeing the state of your house. So your children miss out on the fun of a sleep over.

When we let our clutter dictate who we can and can’t have over we are held back by our stuff. Decluttering your home and paring down our stuff to the essentials, can make last minute tidying a breeze and unexpected visitors a joy rather than a source of embarrassment.

6. We we lose opportunities.
Our stuff can keep us from pursuing new opportunities. When we have too much stuff we can pass up life changing events. An opportunity to move interstate or overseas when a dream job opportunity comes up could be missed. If you’ve always dreamed of buying an RV so you can travel around Australia or wherever takes your fancy, you might again rule out that dream just thinking about the downsizing process that lay ahead. You’ve found the perfect apartment with amazing amenities in an ideal location but again you pass, knowing you need a 5 bedroom home to store all your stuff. Your stuff may be holding you back if you are saying no to things that you truly want to do.

Having stuff we love can add value to our lives, but when we prioritise our stuff, we can end up saying no to more important opportunities that arise and start putting our things above our happiness and dreams.

7. Wasted money
Let’s face it, looking back at what we buy a lot of it is unnecessary and wasted money. The amount being spent can go unnoticed year after year if it is not being monitored. We can often find ourselves spending money on things without intention that could have gone to more valuable pursuits such as paying off your mortgage early or investing for your retirement.

And without a plan in place to pay off debt, and plan for retirement it may seem like we have the extra cash to splash around. But unfortunately too many people realise too late how important it is to pay down debt, save and plan for the future – well before the future has arrived.

Of course we all want nice things and to enjoy the fruits of our labour, but before you hit the shops with your most recent pay cheque, move some of your cash to your savings and retirement accounts and give yourself the best of both world – Fun with a side of Financial Freedom.

8. When our stuff makes us lose valuable time
We often only look at the price tag of a new item, without giving a thought to the true costs Most importantly, our time. The more we buy the more time we are giving up. Let’s break it down. There is the time spent earning the money. Time spent researching a product or finding the perfect item. Shopping in store or online. The time spent unboxing your new purchase, setting it up or assembling it, washing it… you get the idea.

And that’s just getting the item ready for use. Soon we lose more time to maintaining an item, dusting or cleaning and repairing it. When we move home we spend more time packing and unpacking all those items. Each thing we bring into our house has an additional price on it not built into the cost and it is something we can never get back.

And then on top of all that lost time, we have lost that time to more important uses. Our time opportunity cost. Less time to spend with family, less time to learn a new skill or partake in a new hobby and less down time to enjoy our weekend.

9. The stress and burden on others
We shouldn’t forget the stress on family when it comes to our stuff. As I touched on above, when I was 25 my family and I had to prepare my grandparents homes for sale. It took us many weekends and many skip bins to get through their stuff. It’s really not something I want to do again (take note parents ;)) and certainly something I don’t want to burden others with one day. Of course we all will have things, but we should do our best to minimise them so our family are not burdened and forced to spend weeks and weeks on a painfully emotional process.

If you have adult children, keep them in mind when taking on more clutter. Don’t buying things unnecessarily and leave them the burden of clearing out your excess, particularly if you live far away. It will not only be emotionally painful for your family, but a huge time commitment which is difficult for people with full-time jobs and young family’s.

Do your loved ones a favour and review your stuff as you bring new items in. Decide what is important to you and what isn’t and do it whilst you have your health. It’s not going to be any less stressful or easier when you are approaching your 70s or 80s. Not to mention your kids will feel a lot better knowing that you have minimised and taken a load off their minds.

The stress may also just be in relation to your partner or children’s stuff being everywhere. If it is in excess and unable to be maintained in a tidy fashion it can cause additional stress, particularly for people that need a clean space to relax in. When we have too much stuff it can really impact our loved ones and cause them unhappiness, and no stuff is worth that. The next time your partner gets frustrated by your stuff, do them a favour and review what you no longer need. I guarantee it will make there day 🙂

This weeks comment question: How has your stuff held you back over the years? Have you missed out on doing things financially or following dreams? Let me know in the comments 🙂 

[Photo: Juan Cruz Mountford]

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂

 

Minimalism

10 Tips to Help You Get Your Family On Board With Decluttering

When I first  started decluttering our home I knew I had stumbled onto something amazing. It was what I looked forward to when I came home from work each day. With each freshly decluttered drawer, shelf or cupboard I felt a sense of accomplishment and slightly less overwhelmed.

I started with my own belongings; my wardrobe, shoe collection, make up, toiletries and accessories. Soon enough I was ready to move onto other areas of the house.  I knew it was something I saw the need for, but also knew that it was not going to be so easy to convince my husband.

I spoke to my husband about this new lifestyle I had came across, Minimalism and living a more intentional life. Luckily he didn’t baulk at the concept and was okay with me decluttering our home as long as I didn’t touch his items.

After a while, I approached him about his wardrobe and if he would be okay with getting rid of some of his excess shirts that had seen better days. To my surprise, he was mostly willing to let go of everything. We continued to tackle the ‘easy stuff’ until one day after months of my own decluttering, he asked me to help him go through his personal space.

Over the past three years, we managed to declutter over 70% of our unwanted possessions. That was made a whole lot easier thanks to my husband being on board with this journey. Of course he didn’t start off donating baskets of items and yelling out ‘Let’s be Minimalists’, (although that would be pretty hilarious). But over time and with lots of understanding and communication, he saw – as I had, the value being added to our lives by letting go of the excess so we could enjoy what was essential.

We could find our stuff, we could close our drawers without a struggle, we had space and empty cupboards – shock horror! And most life changing was probably the fact that now as we were bringing less into the house, we saved money.

It was trial and error over that period to learn how to help someone else acknowledge the benefits of letting go of unwanted items just as I had. Through my decluttering process and working with my husband over time, I learnt some valuable lessons along the way that might help you get your family on board with decluttering and you working as a team, rather than facing and uphill battle.

Here are 10 Tips to Help You Get Your Family On Board With Decluttering.

1. Lead by Example

When was the last time you ever made a change in your life because someone told you to? If someone told you to stop eating chocolate would you jump on board that day? Or, would you be more likely to jump on board if you saw a family member or friend decide to do a chocolate free challenge and join in after seeing that they’d lost weight from doing that challenge? Some times we need to watch form the side lines before we can be willing to jump into something new.

If you want to get your family on board with your decluttering journey, rather than telling them what they have to do, why not lead by example. Start working on your own cluttered spaces. Declutter your wardrobe, your shoe collection, your own toiletries or beauty products, hair accessories, your DVD collection. When you partner or children, (or room mates if you have them) see your progress and how great your spaces are looking they will be a lot more willing to start decluttering their own space, or at least be more on board with you decluttering communal spaces like living and dining areas.

2. Communicate with with them 

In order to help get your family on board with decluttering ask yourself why you want to declutter your home? you need to know your why so you can help communicate that message with them. Are you feeling stressed trying to keep things clean with your kids toys everywhere? Can you not keep up with the laundry because there are endless clothes strewn around and in the laundry pile? Do you find it hard to focus on anything when you have clutter piling up around you? Talk to your family about yours needs and why you need to declutter your space. When they hear your struggles and reasons for letting go of things, they may be more willing to help you and get on board. It may even spark them to think of their own reasons to declutter and how the process could help them.

Related Post: 101 Things You Can Declutter in Your Home Right Now

3. Set a common goal to work towards

In order to get your family on board with decluttering and encourage them to adopt a less cluttered space, find a communal why. Maybe it’s the fact that by selling your unwanted stuff you can make some money to go on a family vacation. Perhaps your children will be on board when they learn how donating their old toys can help other less fortunate children. How about a goal of downsizing your stuff so you can move into a smaller home which will enable you and your partner to work less hours, spend less time and money on house maintenance and have more time to spend doing things you enjoy together? When you both have a clear goal in mind it can make the process much more successful and help others see the benefits.

4. Clear the excess to make room for the essential

When you have too much stuff, we can forget what is really important to us. Have you ever gone through and decluttered your wardrobe and realised that you had misplaced an old favourite outfit and completely forgotten about it? Maybe your favourite lipstick was lost in a sea of 20 other ones or you forgot about your favourite books because you didn’t notice them on the shelf next to the 200 other books that you have.

When we clear the excess we can make room for the essential. We can curate a wardrobe we love, we can keep the books on display that we enjoy reading over and over again, we can display things around our home that bring us joy. When we have too much stuff we lose site of the stuff that adds value to us.

If your kids have too many toys they won’t have the time or attention to play with something fully. Maybe your spare room is filled with crap, rather then used as a room that is more useful such as a theatre room or studio. Or you have so many CDs or DVDs stacked on top and in front of one another that you can’t even see what you have and end up not using the ones that you do love as they are lost behind the excess. When the excess is gone, we can enjoy the things we truly love.

Related Post: 7 Essential Questions to Help You Declutter Your Wardrobe

5. Be respectful of their zone

When on your decluttering journey be sensitive to your loved ones areas. You won’t be able to get your family on board with decluttering by attacking them and insisting they get rid of their stuff. Let them have their own designated space for what they find valuable. It may not be valuable to you but that doesn’t mean it is not to them.

Maybe their zone is the spare room they can set up as they wish, or a corner of the garage, or a desk in the house. Let this space be their sanctuary to keep what they please. Of course they will need to keep their stuff in the confines of the space, so once they fill their space they will need to remove something before they can bring anything new in. This will keep your partner or family happy, but also give you the ability to keep the spaces that you share less cluttered.

6. Help them

Sometimes your family may be on board with decluttering but don’t know where to start. Or aren’t quite sure of the benefits just yet. A great way to get them on board with decluttering is to offer them help them.

Be specific if possible to help your loved one recognise the need for your help. If you can see your child frustrated with their toys being everywhere that might be the time to offer to help them with them decluttering their toys so they have space to play. Or if you see your partner struggling to find their favourite shirt, that week might be a good time to discuss that issue. You could say something along the lines of ‘I noticed that you were struggling to find your shirt the other day in your wardrobe, would you like me to help you go through your cupboard and see if there is anything we can clear out to make space for the items you love?

Of course, if they decline, don’t force it on them. But hopefully you have planted a seed that they will consider and in time they might be more willing to come around and ask you for help when they are more open to to removing the excess.

Related Post: The True Cost of Our Stuff

7. Start small

Don’t expect your loved one to let go of their most treasured items from Day One. Start small and work your way up. Build their and your decluttering muscles gradually.  Start with the stained and torn shirts. The damaged shoes, expired items and anything broken. Get rid of duplicate items around the home or anything that you both agree can go. Save the harder stuff for later when you are more experienced with decluttering and more knowledgeable on what does and doesn’t add value.

8. Make it fun

Decluttering doesn’t have to be boring and tedious, why not make a game out of it! Try The Minimalists Mins Game where you declutter one item on day one, two on day two, three on day three and so on. Or do a Packing Party. Another fun options is to make a simple challenge to see who can declutter the most items at the end of the week. Check out the Minimise With Me 31 Day Decluttering Challenge for one with daily challenges for you.

9. Make it a habit

Decluttering isn’t a once off event. Over time things can creep back into the home with Christmas, Birthdays, events, anniversaries and so on. It is something that needs to be reviewed as you go. Make decluttering a habit. You could do a seasonal declutter such as when Spring hits or bi-annually. Or simply leave a container in the bottom of your families closets so they can declutter items as they go, and empty their bins when they get full.

Make some new traditions such as donating unwanted toiletries and a bags to a local Charities Christmas or Winter Appeal. As you approach Christmas, ask your children to fill a bag or container with toys they want to donate to less fortunate children for Christmas. Let them know that they will need space for any new toys Santa is bringing and make a habit each Christmas for them to go through and select some toys they no longer play with to be donated.

10. Implement a one in one out rule

A good place to start is to try and stick to a one in out rule. Make a suggestions as new things come into the house. Is your partner getting a new laptop or electronic? Maybe they could sell the old on (Less clutter and money? Win!). This would also help offset the cost of the new one.

After a while this will become second nature and can help limit excess clutter entering the house, as only the things your family truly values will come into the home if they are going to have to let go of something else in order to bring it home with them.

What tips did you find helpful to get your family on board with decluttering? Were they on board from the start? Or got you on board? Or maybe it took some time but you eventually won them over? Share your experience in the comments below 🙂

[Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unplash.com]