I’m going to show you the best simple living ever! From start to finish, my post is going to tell you how I cut my spending, simplified my life and started living for an elite cafemedia food publisher a more mindful and intentional life. You’ll learn how to declutter your home in 7 days; how I saved up enough money in two years to purchase a home while still working a full-time job; and I’ll share some of the secrets of minimalism with you.
1. Get yourself organized.
I know, I know, it’s a huge undertaking. The good news is that you don’t have to organize everything in your home; just take one area at a time. Do you have a closet you can turn into a mini-office? Or maybe you only need to declutter your basement?
Today I am going to show you how I decluttered my master bedroom closet. After the makeover, my closet is better than new and I love it! This makeover would be perfect for any master bedroom or front entry way. Can’t get enough storage in your closet? Here is an example of how to make a small walk-in closet look bigger .
2. Clear out the clothes in your closet.
Your one step towards an organized life is to sort and store the clothes in your closet in a way that they are easy to access. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your clothes will look so much more organized (and this trick will even save you money!)
3. Make a plan for what to do with items you don’t wear anymore:
When you first start decluttering, it probably seems daunting to throw away things that were once loved by family members or friends or to throw away items that were purchased over 30 years ago. But there’s no reason to prolong the inevitable; any item that doesn’t fit into your current lifestyle or is too big for you, is best to donate.
4. Learn about different organizing techniques:
If you have a hard time decluttering your home, and have a tendency towards hoarding and collecting, then take a little time to learn about different organizing techniques. There are plenty of books out there that will teach you how to organize your home in ways that are practical and functional.
For my master bedroom closet makeover, I chose an organization technique called Best Fits . Instead of placing each item in its own little compartments, this system allows you to arrange items in a way that makes them most accessible and easy to find.
5. Visualize the great life you want to live:
Once you have decluttered your closet, imagine living in the space without all of the hanging clothes and bags. See yourself walking around your house wearing tennis shoes and jeans – looking for something specific (like your keys) or grabbing something off the counter for a snack (like pretzels). Visualizing what is going to happen, makes it easier to do when you are feeling unsure.
6. Start small, start slow:
Now is not the time to go on an impromptu decluttering spree. You might think that because you have so much junk in your home, tossing it out is the logical next step. But if you start out with small projects like a closet makeover, it will become easier to deal with your clutter and get rid of things.
7. Take pictures of everything and put them in a photo album:
This is really important if you feel overwhelmed by all of the clutter in your home. A great time to take these pictures is when everything is still neat and tidy (this can be after a few weeks or months – just don’t wait until it’s too late). Include pictures of things that are special to you, like family keepsakes, vacation souvenirs or items that have sentimental meaning to you.
8. Recycle anything that has sentimental value:
When my husband and I were first married, we lived in an apartment with no garage and no extra space in the building for storage. The only way we could save some of our belongings was to buy a large plastic container and fill it with things that had sentimental value. Each time a box was full, we would take it to the church across town where they had a donation box for us. When we moved into our first house, I came across this box in the garage (which happened to be overflowing) and decided to bring it inside while cleaning up.
Summary:
The best way to make your home clutter free is to not accumulate so much stuff in the first place. Ramp up your minimalist tendencies by frequently asking yourself: “Do I need this? Do I really want this item or do I just have a habit of buying it?” Take five minutes every week or two, and evaluate which items you haven’t used in awhile (and then get rid of them). It’s like cleaning out your refrigerator – if it’s not used or needed, pitch it!
