Recently, I have been finding myself becoming overwhelmed at the amount of stuff I own. From clothes to books, to tiny little knick-knacks, I’ve just started to realize how much I have accumulated over the years. While living at home this summer, I started the process of cleaning out my room and figuring out what things I truly use versus what just sits in a box, untouched. Living with less doesn’t mean cleaning out and getting rid of all of your belongings. It requires a certain mindset, which for some might be hard to achieve. I’ve put together a list of the steps that I followed in order to clean out, minimize, and prioritize. It definitely helped me to see things clearly and start living with intention! With summer coming to a close and school starting up again, this is the perfect time to clean out and start living with less! Cleaning out and recognizing what your essentials are will undoubtedly make your life easier and less stressful (because no one needs additional stress once school starts again!)
1. Start by cleaning out your closet/dresser
For me, this was the easiest place to start. I own a lot of clothes and shoes, probably more than the average person. I started this process by taking out everything from my closet at once and going through each individual item. Some items were easier to get rid of than others, like my clothes from high school that immediately went into the donation bag. Other things were not so easy to get rid of. I am a very sentimental person and can almost remember where everything in my closet came from and who gave it to me. I kept having to remind myself that if the items are just sitting there unused, they are not adding anything positive to my life. Instead, they are just taking up space and causing clutter. I am nowhere near where I want to be in terms of how many clothes I still own, but it is a lot better now than when I started!
Tip: If you are unsure about some clothes and don’t think you can part with them just yet, set them somewhere out of sight for about a month. If you go looking for an item in that pile, then you probably want to keep that! However, if everything in that pile sits unused for those 30 days, you might want to consider getting rid of them.
2. Go through all your belongings drawer by drawer and make a pile of all of your stuff!
Once you’ve tackled your closet, cleaning out everything else might come to you a bit easier. After I sorted through my closet, I started to take out everything from my nightstands, under my bed, the drawers in my bathroom, etc. I put it into a huge pile in the middle of my floor, and from there started to sort through what I really needed. By following this process, you’d be surprised at how much stuff you own that you actually do not use/need. I found so many unused bathroom products, expired medicines, and trinkets/souvenirs that have been untouched for years. You want to make sure to keep the things that are important to you (like Marie Kondo would say, things that “spark joy”). However, if you have piles of junk and clutter that are adding unnecessary stress to your life, get rid of it! You will be surprised at how much you are willing to get rid of when you realize how much you already have.
3. After cleaning out, stay organized!
This is definitely my biggest tip! Staying organized after the cleaning out process will only make your life easier. This goes for organizing your clothes, drawers, bathroom cabinets, or anything else! Organizing all of your stuff is not only visually pleasing, but it allows you to keep track of what you own and see everything more clearly. For clothes, I prefer to fold in the KonMari method. This method involves folding your clothes in a certain way so that they stand up in your drawers. It looks nice, but it also helps you to see all of the clothes that you have instead of stacking them on top of each other! Putting the extra time in to fold your clothes this way will honestly reduce stress in the long run, especially if you are running late and need to find something fast! For your drawers or any cabinet space, do not just throw everything inside and call it a day. This will only create stress! For organization, I recommend using small boxes, drawer organizers, or small storage containers. Group things together and stick them in a container or box. This definitely helps to keep things organized and reduce clutter!
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4. Buy one, give two
This one is pretty straightforward! The idea is that if you buy one new thing, you have to get rid of two things that are in that same category. For example, if I were to buy one new Christmas decoration, I would go home and get rid of two Christmas decorations that I already own. You could donate the items that you are getting rid of or try to sell them in an effort to make some extra money! This will really make you think about what you already own and help you decide if that new purchase is worth it or not.
5. Purchase with intention
This concept is new to me and is something that I am definitely trying to work on. The idea is this: every time you are about to make a purchase, you want to really think about how much you will use the item. Will it still be of value to you in 5-10 years, or is it something that you think you will get rid of? Take your time when thinking about purchases, and if a few days or weeks later that thing is still on your mind, go back and get it! Make sure that whatever you are buying is good quality, so that it will last a long time as well. This concept does not just apply to things that you are buying for yourself. You can (and should!) use this idea of “purchasing with intention” when it comes to buying gifts for others too. Oftentimes, especially during the holidays, we might give and receive gifts that will likely just end up being thrown away or donated. Unless you are giving something that the other person truly wants, try to refrain from giving unwanted gifts. Instead, focus on giving experiences! Makes plans to do fun activities or go out to dinner with the people you care about. Not only will this make great memories, but it will also prevent winding up with unwanted gifts or clutter!
These are just a few ways that I have found to help declutter my life and change my mindset! This process is definitely not easy, and it is still a work in progress for me. However, I have seriously realized that at the end of the day, stuff is just stuff. While I still enjoy shopping around stores like Target and TJMaxx, I have really tried to limit my spending and focus on getting items I need while getting rid of items that I don’t use. Shifting my mindset has definitely reduced stress and allowed me to focus on what brings joy to my life. I encourage you to do the same- starting being intentional and live with less!
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