The holidays bring new items into the home. Kids get toys. Moms get gift cards to purchase some items they’d like. Dads get new ties or aftershave. Yep, the holidays bring joy, but they also bring stuff.

Often our homes get cluttered because we don’t actually get rid of any old items before making room for the new. We reason we as women are so clever that if we rearrange it all, somehow we can make it fit! Time to go on a  New Year’s de-junking journey.

Here is how it works. You’ll need five boxes, labeled as follows:

~ PUT BACK

~ TAKE BACK

~ TOSS (or recycle)

~ GIVE (or garage sale if you will host one)

~ NOSTALGIA

Walk in the least cluttered room. Work your way through every closet, drawer, nook & cranny and ask yourself the following questions about each item you encounter:

Is this out of place–meaning in the wrong room? (place in the PUT BACK box)

Need to be returned to the library, video store or a friend? (place it in the TAKE BACK box)

Should this be tossed (or recycled)? (Put in the TOSS box or RECYCLE bin)

Is it fine shape but no longer needed? (GIVE or GARAGE SALE box)

Should it be saved for a child to take with them one day since they no longer use it but are emotionally attached to it? (NOSTALGIA box)

Think of your least cluttered room. Start there. Do not be afraid. YOU CAN DO IT!! Touch each item in the room asking yourself the above questions and placing it in the correct box.

Every so often empty the boxes out and keep going. You’ll soon gain momentum. Put the things away that are out of place. Take the items back that do not belong to you. Dispose of the trash. Recycle the glass, paper and metal. Donate. Sell at a sale. Attach notes to the “keeper” items in the nostalgia box for your kids like “You clutched this bear all through your first trip to the dentist.”

You might want to try the buddy system. Your friend can help you think clearly. She will assure you that tossing the electric knife Aunt Patty gave you for your wedding fourteen years ago (that you still have not opened!) is the right move to make.
 
Plan a time NOW to do it in the next week. Start small & work up to more cluttered rooms. You’ll feel such peace and calm when the you are rid of excess stuff! Happy dejunking!