Article by BR Natalie
Before I moved to New Zealand I was a hoarder. I had over 2000 books that I carted from home to home and set out in not just alphabetical order, but age and then alphabetical order. And by age I mean, I was carting around Sweet Valley Highs, Point Horrors, The Famous Fives. I had boxes of VHS despite having them on DVD, and don't even get me started on my wardrobe. From clothes I was too big for, to clothes I was too small for, I never let anything leave my wardrobe for more than a wear and a wash.
And then something happened. I was faced with the prospect of condensing my life in to 48kg. Two suitcases for two years in NZ. So I decluttered. And it felt good.
Now two years in NZ have turned into 5 but the hoarder in me has definitely stayed back in the UK. Yes obviously I now have more than two suitcases full of my existence, but I also rarely think twice about chucking something out or send it to the charity shop.
You might not realise it, but clutter gets you down. I'm not talking about the occasional knick-knack on your windowsill,or the junk drawer / crap table. I'm talking about the insane amount of clutter you keep just in case.
In case of what? The Zombie Apocalypse? So here's a reformed-hoarder's tips for (almost) painfree decluttering. Trust me - you'll thank me for it!
First look at why you clutter.
- Affluenza - is it a 'look at what I have' clutter?
- Fear - is fear of one day not being able to afford it if you happen to need it in the future?
- FOMO - is it a fear of missing out clutter - things you buy because they were such a good deal, but you just don't need them?
- Hoarder Partner - is your partner the hoarder?
- Lack of spending control - is it the joy of shopping that has your house brimming?
1. Makeup.
Forget about having it all. You have one face and one body. There's only so many products you need and will ever need! Except lip balm. You can never have enough lip balm. Check the expiration dates. When it comes to expiration dates, be ruthless and if it's out of date, chuck it out!
If you can't bear to throw things out, do a Project Pan. Check out my article Project Pan and challenge yourself to use up your product stash before buying any more!
Let it go. Don't be bogged down with guilt over throwing away products you've spent money on. Take a deep breath and let them go. Decluttering is good for the soul - just learn from the financial hit!
Check out the Spring Clean Your Makeup Bag article for these tips in full!
2. Wardrobe.
If it's too small, ask yourself realistically - how long have you been waiting to 'squeeze' into it? You are fabulous, right now - go and buy something that you love, that fits you right now. If it's too big, too shapeless, too worn out - get rid! If you haven't worn it in the last 6 months, chances are you won't miss it if it's gone.
If you absolutely can't bear to throw things out, let us prove our point. Put anything you haven't worn in a box and stash the box in the garage. If you don't dig it out in another three months, you know what to do right?
3. Around the house.
If you can't bear to part with it, opt for storage where you can't see the clutter, like drawers or storage cubes that fit into your shelves.
Replace the dumping ground with a basket. We all have that place in our house. You know the place where you dump your keys, handbag, drink bottle, 'to be fixed' items, anything from the grocery shop that doesn't belong in the kitchen. The best way to break this habit is to pop a basket on the dumping ground. Once it's full take it around the house and put everything in it's rightful place.
Paperwork - save paper, save trees, save your sanity by opting for paper free. If you must keep paper copies, don't become one of those paper hoarders. Keep bills and such for 1 year and shred, unless it's absolutely necessary to keep them.
Cupboards are for storage. Not hoarding out of date products, 'just in case' products or broken products. Here's some of the usual suspects: Medicine Cabinets - if it's out of date bin it. Garage Cupboards - if you haven't fixed it, or used it within the last year, say bye-bye. Linen Cupboard - if you have blankets and towels that haven't seen the light of day for quite some time, you don't need them. Fusty fabric. Ewww.
4. Media
Go digital. And if you already have something on your iPad, Mp3 player, games console, get rid of the physical object. If you really can't get rid, at least box it up and stick it in the garage.
Books. Right, as a bibliophile it pains me to write this. But here goes. I own a Kindle. And you know what, the world didn't collapse, I haven't plummeted into the depths of heathenism. I love narratives, I love poetry, I love reading a Tennessee Williams play aloud, in character, Southern accent and all. Generally great reads don't lose any of their charm being read off of a Kindle. Now a huge part of me still believes books should be a tangible thing, especially children's books, where it's the whole package - the pictures, turning the page,snuggling up in the covers to read it. I buy Milky a book a week, always have and always will, but when the time comes, I will donate the children's books to the local library for the next generation to fall in love with. For myself, a grown up, I've realised - unless the book is a read-again (for me, not because The New York Times deems it so) or the actual object has special meaning, or I need to read it like a uni student and annotate the text, I don't need to have the book, the download is fine.
Devices. Ok, so if you've gone digital remember not to clutter there too! Do you keep every email you've ever sent or received? Why?! Anything over 1 year either archive or get rid. Back up your photos and files every month to a cloud and delete them from your device. Over the holidays, the Queen of BR's right hand is now 6500 downloads and 4500 emails lighter...and she feels good.
These are my top tips for decluttering and here's one more that I've yet to master, but one day I will. Learn to say no. I have a chest freezer in the garage full of objects that I didn't really want, but someone gave me (thoughtfully I might add) that I didn't need, but felt rude saying no to. Oh and the chest freezer? The seal has broken, the lid pops up, it's rusty and...I couldn't say no.
Over to you - are you a pack rat or does the sight of clutter drive you bonkers? How do you keep clutter to a minimum? What tips do you have to share?
Get chatting below!
I cleaned out and re-organised my makeup drawer yesterday and it really feels good.