5 Things I Learned from a Month of Decluttering

Guys, I’m not good at getting rid of stuff. That was lesson #1 learned from my month of decluttering. I’m so guilty of thinking that I might “need” something someday that I have a hard time letting go.

Because of this, I devised a little system to help me: I put everything that I think I don’t need into a box. If, a week or two later, I still don’t think I need it/can’t remember what’s in there/have no idea why I bought it in the first place, into the donation pile it goes. It takes a little longer, of course, and I’m lucky to have some extra space to do this (hello, guest room), but it helps me recognize how much stuff I have that I just don’t need.

If you don’t know where to put it, don’t buy it.
I have a weakness when it comes to shoes. I actually found a pair of shoes I had completely forgotten about (how bad is that), and then even after telling myself “no more new shoes,” I was looking at heeled sandals! Sometimes I need someone there to just tell me to stop. For real.

“I might need it” is not a good excuse to keep it.
I have a drawer of cards that I buy during the year and hang onto until I need them. Who needs 780 birthday cards?! No one. I blame my mom for this one, because she had a drawer in the family desk that had cards for when you needed one. The truth? Someone else can use it, so get rid of it, and don’t restock!

A scanner can (and should) be your best friend.
I’m not good at getting rid of paper. Receipts, especially, are items that I apparently want to keep forever. It’s ridiculous what I found. I downloaded a scanner app that I’m going to use from now on, scanning in receipts and throwing them out immediately instead of hanging onto them.

Remind yourself why you’re doing this.
One thing I kept repeating to myself was, “If we were packing up to move, would I keep this?” and it was crazy how many things I’ve been hanging onto that got a great big “no.” We aren’t moving any time soon (that we’re planning on, anyway), but it helped me remember that I only wanted to keep the most important items and do a real clean out.

Maintain the one in-one out rule.
It’s inevitable that you will need to bring something into your home during this time, but if you maintain the one in-one out rule, you’ll ensure that you aren’t just re-cluttering your space. (If you’re really looking to downsize your possessions, try a one in-two out rule.)

Do you have any tips for easily getting rid of things? Tell me!