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| 10 Ways to Declutter Your Home |
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By Jennifer McCalmont With spring in full swing, many of us are thinking about how we can streamline our lives or have more time and energy for recreation. Decluttering your home will help you regain control over your life, so you can focus on the priorities you value most. Here are a few tips: 1. Keep a basket or crate near the exit of a cluttered room, or on the stairs to keep items that belong in other rooms. When you exit the room or walk down the stairs, grab items out of the basket and return them to their “home”.2. The saying “A place for everything and everything in its place” is the organized person’s mantra. When things do not have a place they pile up on surfaces and in corners and become clutter. 3. When you buy new clothes, such as a pair of shoes or a winter coat, donate or throw away the old ones. This way you will never need more space than you have right now, and once your closet is organized, it will never burst at the seams again. 4. Adopt a charity and find out how to make contributions of furniture, clothes, and household items. Always keep empty boxes labeled “Donate” available. Make a monthly run - or as needed - to your charity’s drop-off center. Even better, find a charity with pick-up services, and write their phone number on the “Donate” box. When the box fills up, any family member can call for pick-up. 5. Research specific charities in your area. Some groups collect old eyeglasses for children in underdeveloped countries, or barely worn interview suits for moms on public assistance. 6. Get used to letting go of stuff. One way is to think of people (maybe in your family) that could use things you’ve stored for years. Remember this: material items are valuable only when they are used. 7. Do you have stacks of books you may read or that you are keeping in case you need to read them again? Donate these books to your local library. When you have time to read them they will be there. In the meantime, others can read them. 8. Keeping broken items around which you may fix (some day) only burdens you with other “to do” items. Make a pledge to fix items this month, throw the item away, or pay to have the item repaired. 9. Stop buying CD’s that only have one or two songs you like. Get a CD burner or find someone with one and create your own favorite songs mix. Sell your old CD’s to a music store that buys used CD’s, or give them away to friends and family. 10. Call a professional! A professional will not only organize, but will also create systems of organization to maintain order after they have left.
Article submitted by Jennifer McCalmont, organizing consultant for Space Matters and www.mySpaceMatters.com. If you would like assistance organizing your home, please call (804) 355-7330. Jennifer McCalmont ia an organizing consultant for Space Matters and www.mySpaceMatters.com. If you would like assistance organizing your home, please call (804) 355-7330. |
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