5 Easy Ways to beat the Clutter! 

It's so easy and busy families to accumulate lots of things in our homes. Everyone needs different things and as we grow our needs and tastes change. However it is so common on today's households to get tired down and overwhelmed with the amount of 'stuff' we can gather and it can lead to frustration, unnecessarily messy living spaces and anxiety.

As someone who is continually learning and practicing minimalist living for my family of almost 6, I know how hard it can be to keep the things at bay, but I thought giving 5 simple steps to help you declutter like a champ and get your home in order.

First thing to remember is, you don't need to throw everything out to the donation drives. That's not what it's about and I continuously need to make that a point. Your home is a place of peace, comfort and love. Everything in it should bring you joy and warmth.

1: Spend one day a week on each room to get started. This way it doesn't feel overwhelming. Sometimes it's best to simply start on your own things and room so you will immediately feel the difference in removing items you no longer need. Grab a large bag and try to fill it with any clothes or items that you haven't used or worn in over 6 months. Go around to each room and do the same. Clothes, books, old toys, linens, decorative cushions or trinkets collecting dust. Add it all in. Give yourself several weeks even if you need to do each room and put the bags in your garage. Some people need to let the feeling sit for a week to see how they go without as many items around them. If you are strict like me then you take it straight to the donation centre. Others, just give it a week and then make the trip.

2: Have you got pieces of furniture or items that you could sell and make some money off? Perhaps this money could go into saving for a trip? Or, maybe you have your eye on a beautiful new rug for the floor ( that you can now see better ) and the cash can go towards that? Go around the house and bundle anything you thing may be sale worthy and take the time to photograph and list of whatever site you see fit. There are so many options and we all have our favourite! This is a fun way to make a little extra money and much easier to part with items when it's exchanged with some money!!

3: A huge pocket that can collect clutter is the kitchen! Especially for families. This area may take longer to clear out the others . Plates, cups, appliances that are never used all need to go. It's simply taking up space where you should be able to prepare food and talk and centre as a family. Once unneeded things are gone also have a look in the cupboards and check out what's in there? Are you over stocked in things that never get used in cooking? Collect it all up and take it to a food drive! What better way to give back!

This also gives you a chance to see spending habits on your grocery bill. Often we can just simple go into an abundance of one item simply because we don't check the back of our cupboards. Start making meal plans and keep your shopping list on the fridge so you just add what you need rather than grabbing the usual.

You may find you begin to cook more variety in meals and also the pantry is not overflowing with random things! Even try the task of using everything up before you go do another big shop. Get creative!

4: Stop yourself ! Keep your purchasing at bay. After you cull things in your home it's easy to want to go out and get more just out of habit. Try to hold off making trips to the shops for a few weeks to avoid temptation. If you really want something, give it a few weeks and see if after that it's still as needed as you think. Not only will you love the choice even more if you still want it... but your back pocket will thank you!

Plan family picnics, bbqs, games nights and movie nights or even use that money on a meal out all together. You slowly start to see the way you spend your money change.

Invest in time and quality over quantity.

5: Shave Cull. This is what I call my whip around the house every 3 months. Just with one large bag , but I look for broken toys, things beyond repair or again accumulated without reason . It keeps the chaos at bay and now I am at a point where not much goes in as my habits and perceptions have changed. I buy less so there is less and it's rubbed off on the kids too. They value their stuff far more now to what they did and share their toys. I don't buy a huge amount of clothes that I know I won't like in a month anymore, or decretive items we don't need. All this also means..... LESS CLEANING!!! So I have more time to be with the kids and play!