Declutter this Winter

Winter is a time of hibernation and being stuck inside means seeing how much crap you actually have around your home. Especially after Christmas if you got a lot of new clothes and gifts, it’s time to make space for the new by getting rid of the old. Go through the process of decluttering your life with me this new year and feel the weight come off your shoulders. A clean space = a clean mind. Throughout this article I will give you questions to ask yourself that will help you sort through all your material items that have accumulated through the years. 

My first tip is to do an overall sweep of your entire space with a garbage bag. Old magazines or old school papers that you will never look at again? Into the garbage it goes. Wrappers laying around from your finals candy stash? Garbage. 

Next, do one room at a time. I like to start with my bedroom and my closet. I think one of my biggest purges this winter was my closet. I tried things on and asked myself if all the clothes were still my style. I still had some hoodies and shirts from early high school. I also have watched some marie kondo method videos. Do the clothes you have bring joy? Do you feel confident when you wear them? Last, when was the last time you wore it? If it has been over a year, it’s time for it to go. When looking at your bedroom, do you have knick knacks or mementos that no longer mean anything to you? Items you simply don’t use anymore and are just collecting dust? Donation bag! Another thing that I like to do is decide if the item is worth something, and if so I post it in the Facebook Marketplace. I’m a broke college student and I’m already donating so much, why not make a few bucks on whatever I can!

The bedroom is the main room that I was able to purge since I share an apartment and/or live with my parents still. If you have a place of your own though it’s time to move onto the other rooms in your home. Let’s do an easy one, the bathroom. Are there old ratty towels that need to go? This is also a good time to take note of the cleaning supplies that you have so you don’t buy more. Use up what you have first before you buy another, this also applies to shampoo and other shower items. I don’t have many other tips from experience for the other rooms of your house unfortunately. However, I will say that setting out what you have all in one spot will help you see if you have duplicates or items you haven’t used in forever. You will be amazed by how much cabinet and drawer space will open up if you simply get rid of these two categories. 

As someone who is moving and has helped family members move, here is my greatest tip. When looking around or sorting through your items, be in the mindset of “Would I want to move this across the country and pay for the space that it takes up in a moving truck?”. Thinking in this way has helped me so much, especially with the more ‘sentimental’ items that I hold on to for far too long. This also helped me finally let go of the jeans that were far too small for me and likely won’t fit into again (and that is okay).

Once you have decluttered your living space, keep these things in mind when you are out shopping and see something you want. Do you need it? Will you have enough space for it? What is the benefit of having that item? Decluttering has helped me want to be a more conscious buyer, not only for my bank account’s sake, but for the environment as well. Happy cleaning!  

• cleaning
• donate
• goodwill
• marketplace
• organization