10 easy ways to quit the STUFF cycle!featured
We all need stuff. It’s just the truest truth. No matter how minimalistic we are- or try to be- we’re always going to need the clutter of batteries and toilet paper and hair ties and glue sticks. (Unless, of course, you plan on keeping only 100 items in your household and purchasing new things every time you need to tighten a screw or hang holiday lights. In which case- can you share your extreme wealth secrets? All ears over here.)
There’s a huge difference between living out of a backpack to having an attic jammed to the rafters, however, and an easy way to combat the stuff is to be mindful about what comes into your household- and what can be headed off at the pass. Let’s begin!
- Acknowledge what is actually clutter to you…and what, decidedly, is not. Some of my clients cheerfully have hundreds of pairs of shoes. Some love knowing that they have the dining gear to host a backyard supper club at the drop of a hat. In short, if you like looking at it and having it accessible, then it’s not your clutter. It’s your home.
- Conversely: If you haven’t used it in over a year, have mixed feelings about why you still own it, or- my personal favorite- have no idea how it got there, then it’s clutter. Move it along, Sal.
- When possible, buy toys, games, clothing, books, and seasonal household items secondhand. Not only is it a greener, cheaper way to shop, but it’s way easier to get rid of things that you didn’t spend a fortune on. (I call our neighborhood thrift store “rent a toy.”)
- When you do buy, make it count. When you invest in the good socks, blankets, coffee mugs, cookware, and furniture, they’ll last longer- and you won’t have to buy other items to supplement the ones you have that aren’t quite right. (Besides, didn’t you save all that money buying thrift store Halloween decor in November last year? Ahem.)
- Shift your mindset from selling your stuff (and ruminating about getting your money’s worth or recouping sunk costs) to donating your stuff. Or- better yet- sharing it. Our neighborhood has an amazing FreeBox group on Facebook where people can list items to share or post “in search ofs” for upcoming events or holidays. That moment when you realize your unloved costumes will make someone’s tiny princess birthday dreams come true? Oof. “Shared” stuff starts flying off the shelves- and out of the home.
- When one thing comes into the home, another related thing has to go. I get it. This is a toughie. I love shoes and handbags to an almost weird degree, but I’m the first to admit that if I’m crushing on a new pair of sneakers, there’s definitely a tired pair in my closet that won’t be worn again for a long, long time.
- Ask for- and give- experiences and items to be used up as gifts for holidays and birthdays.
- Another great thing to give? Permission for your gifts and hand-me-overs to be shared or donated whenever the recipient sees fit. (Can we all agree to stop being so precious with things we hand to people? Because can you imagine if everything you were ever given out of love had to be buried with you because it was so dang special? You ain’t a pharaoh.)
- Super related: Give yourself this same permission as well. Because while things that remind us of dearly departed loved ones can make us feel good, keeping things simply because the person is now gone is a one-way ticket to Clutterville. Also, moving these items out neither offends said departed person, nor does it cause them to show up in anger and demand an explanation. (I’ve tried the latter. Doesn’t work.)
- Acknowledge that mental clutter is real, too…and move that nonsense along. The more items you see, move, and step around in your home each day, the more your brain will view those items as tasks to be solved. Be nice to your brain. (As my kids used to say when they were preschoolers: Kiss your brain.)
…And then give your decluttered brain a rest. ‘Cause I bet there’s a cleared-out path to the couch now, isn’t there?
You know what to do.
