Unpacking and settling into your new home can be stressful. The last thing you want to do is declutter, but rather than carrying over the needless items from your last home into your new one and taking up valuable space, use these tips to get rid of some clutter while you’re unpacking.
A Rule for Nostalgia
- Dad’s favorite shirt, grandma’s ring… It can be hard to get rid of items that remind us of our loved ones. Pick several things that mean the most and give them a special place like a shadow or keepsake box so you can pull them out every once and a while or have them on display. A way to repurpose jerseys or t-shirts that you still want to hang on to is to turn them into a quilt!
- Children’s artwork is meaningful and shows off their creativity, but the fact is, it takes up space. Keep the pieces that have a special memory tied to them and make a portfolio for their work so it’s compact and you can flip through it. Or take a picture of your child with their artwork, or of the artwork itself so you can keep it and it won’t take up much storage space. If you’re in need of some new craft supplies, check out some local craft stores:
- Craft Closet (multiple locations)
A Place for Everything
- While unpacking boxes, if you bought something in the past that you keep forgetting about, try changing where you put it in your new house. Think about your daily routine and put it in a place—easily seen and accessible—where you’ll be able to reach for it more often.
- When moving into your new home, plan out your space effectively. If you have a cabinet or drawer right by your stove, store your tupperware there so when you’re putting food away, you save yourself some steps in the process.
An Easy Way to Let it Go
- The easiest way to let go of things that we want to keep and are afraid to let go of is to put them in a box, and store it away. Set a reminder on your phone for 3, 6, or 12 months from the time you put the box away to donate the items to a local thrift store or non-profit donation center. If you haven’t reached for the item—or even thought about it—within the allotted time-frame, chances are, you don’t really need to hang on to it. Some local thrift stores you can donate to:
Children’s items can follow the same principle. Another great way to reduce clutter is to “recycle” your children’s toys. Instead of constantly buying more toys to keep them entertained, take ones that they haven’t played with in a while and store them away. In a few months, bring the toys back out so they have something “new” and exciting!
If you’ve just moved in, it’s easy to see how much stuff you have. But, if you’ve lived in your home for a few years, you tend to lose sight of just how much stuff you’ve accumulated. Come back next week for tips on how to get rid of years worth of built up belongings!