Decluttering – The Ultimate Tips and Tricks

As we enter 2021, we all want to shake off the previous year and see some changes for the better! Now we’re back at home again in a 3rd national lockdown, more and more of us are starting our spring cleaning early. It can be easier said than done though, especially after the festive season, so we’ve put together some helpful tips and tricks for you!

1. Accept it isn’t a 5-minute job

Decluttering is often a long process which is what puts people off doing it, but once you can accept that it can take a while and it’s absolutely fine to break it down into little chunks, it can really help to make the whole thing easier. Depending on how much stuff you’ve got to sort through, decluttering could take you months – but that’s okay. Take it a step at a time and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, as this often means that people give up on their mission. 

A helpful way to declutter is to start small and work up from there. Set yourself 10 minutes a day in a room, and sort through a drawer or a pile of paperwork. After doing this for a few days, you’ll already start to see a difference and it often encourages you to increase those 10 minutes. In no time at all, you might be doing half an hour a day – but if you don’t, that’s okay! Move at a speed you feel comfortable with.

2. Know what to keep and what not to

Before you start your decluttering, spend some time thinking about what you want to keep and what you will be getting rid of. Having an idea of this will help you when you’re clearing out and save you time and stress. Try and be firm with yourself once you’ve set these outlines – otherwise, you may end up keeping everything and having to do exactly the same next year. 

We know that it isn’t always as easy as being able to simply throw something away, especially if you’ve had your items for some time and they have sentimental value. If this is the case, what can be helpful is to rehome those items rather than throw them away. This often brings some peace to those decluttering, as you can know that the item is going to serve a purpose somewhere else rather than being binned. Whether you choose to donate to charity, sell online, or give to friends and family, this can be a great way to make it easier.

4. Go paperless!

We’ve probably all got it – a draw of unorganized paperwork that we don’t really need in day-to-day life but we don’t want to let go of. Any important documents you can file and put away, but you’ll probably find that you don’t need most of it anymore. You can scan these papers and have them on your computer to make it more organized, and easier to sort out too. When doing this, it’s worth putting a date range in place to ensure you only keep work that you need – anything much older than a year is probably no longer needed. 

Make sure when you clear out paperwork that you dispose of it properly. Shredding is a good option to ensure any sensitive information is destroyed for safety purposes. 

5. Tackle the wardrobe

Sorting through clothing is a task a lot of people don’t like, especially if you think that you wear most of your clothes regularly. However, especially with so many of us having stayed at home for the last year, the chances are we’ve all got bits and pieces we could get rid of. A great way to see what you wear regularly and what you don’t touch is to arrange all of your hangers one way in the wardrobe. When you take something out to wear, you can turn that hanger around. After three months, or a timeframe that you can set, you can look at which hangers haven’t been moved and see which items you haven’t worn. This then means that you can sort through those items and decide which ones you want to get rid of.

There are plenty of ways to aid your decluttering, and we’ve listed just a few to get you started. The most important thing is to find what works for you, so whether you’re decluttering to sell your house or you simply want to enter 2021 with a more minimalist approach, take it one step at a time and you’ll have a lot to be proud of in no time at all!

3 Things To Try When Decluttering A Space In Your Home

If you’re like most people, you likely have at least one area of your home that has more clutter than it should. Whether you like the feeling of your space being filled with things you love or you simply don’t know how to maintain your home any other way, there can be major benefits to decluttering your space every once in a while. However, actually doing the decluttering can be challenging.

To help you meet this task, here are three things to try when decluttering a space in your home. 

Don’t Keep Expired Items

One of the best places to start when you’re attempting to declutter in your house is to get rid of items that are expired. 

According to Amanda Garrity, a contributor to Good Housekeeping, this can easily be done in the bathroom or the kitchen where you can see the date stamped on the item and then know if you’ve had it for too long. If this is the case, simply toss that item and get a new one if you need it. Otherwise, enjoy the extra space you now have without that thing taking up unnecessary space. 

For items that don’t have a set expiration date, like clothes or other belongings, you may want to think about when the last time you used that item was and if you plan on using it in the next three months or so. If you can’t remember when you last used or even moved that item, it’s safe to say that it’s expired from your life and can be donated or trashed. 

Get In A Moving Mindest

In some instances, people need a little more motivation to really declutter their lives effectively. If you’re going to be packing up and moving soon, whether that’s to a new home or into an assisted living facility, you’ll likely want to get rid of as many things as possible so that your move is lighter.

Even if you’re not planning to move soon, Shifrah Combiths, a contributor to Apartment Therapy, suggests that you pretend that you’re moving so that you can really streamline the items in your home. Try to imagine that you’re having to pack up and move or store these items before you decide to keep them. And if you can’t imagine that they’re worth the effort, get rid of them. 

Create Systems You Can Maintain

When people declutter and reorganize their space, they often set themselves up for failure by making their systems too rigid for them to maintain after the excitement of decluttering has worn off.

To combat this, Toria Sheffield, a contributor to Bustle.com, recommends that you aim for decluttering and creating organizational systems that will work for you in your everyday life. If it’s good enough for you to live with consistently, then you’ll have a much better chance of sticking with it. 

If you’re needing to declutter space in your home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you effectively do this. 

3 Tips For Getting Organized When Moving Into A Brand New Home

If you’ve got a big move coming up, now’s the perfect time to leave behind the things in your life that weren’t working before and start some new habits that will improve your life. One area that you might want to consider starting with is becoming more organized. 

But while starting with the clean slate of a new home can be great for getting organized, dealing with reorganization on top of all the stress of moving, home loans, and everything else can be extremely challenging. So to help you in meeting both of these issues head-on, here are three tips for getting organized when moving into a brand new home. 

Pack Based On Where Things Will Go In Your New Home

To give yourself the best chance of getting things organized in your new home, you’ve got to get the organization started as you’re packing up your old home. 

Ideally, you should try to pack up everything in your old house based on where you imagine putting everything in your new house. While this will likely mean packing things from each room into their own boxes, you may find that certain rooms need a bit of editing before just blindly packing everything all together. Then, once you get all the right items packed with items going into the same room at your new house, Marian White, a contributor to Moving.com, advises that you color code your moving boxes based on which room they’ll end up in to make the unpacking process go much smoother. 

Set Up All Storage Beforehand

Before you start unpacking the first box in your new house, you should first take the time to set up any and all storage items that you’ll be using to store and organize your belongings once they come out of their boxes. According to Laura Gaskill, a contributor to Forbes.com, this includes any storage that you’ll be using in the garage or other areas of the house. 

By setting up all of your storage spaces before you begin unpacking, you’ll ensure that you have room enough for everything coming out of boxes so you can put everything away where it belongs from the get-go. 

Start With The Hardest Rooms

Once you’re ready to start unpacking the boxes of all of your stuff, it’s wise to begin in the room that’s going to be the hardest to organize, which is usually the kitchen. The reasoning behind this is that you want to tackle the biggest projects while you have the most energy, which you might find dwindling as you go through rooms and rooms of boxes. Additionally, once you have the kitchen unpacked, Madison Wetherill, a contributor to LifeStorage.com, shares that it will be much easier to feel like your home is a functional space. 

If you’re going to be moving into a new home soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you organize your new space as you move in. 

Things To Consider Before Buying a Home

When deciding to purchase a home, there is much to consider. Continue reading to ensure you've covered your bases before making such a commitment.

Understanding a few essential points before buying a home can not only save you money initially, but in the long run as well. Additionally, you could walk away from your investment making more money than you spent, and using your profit to invest in your next adventure. When embarking on the journey of ownership, remember these things to consider before buying a home. 

Location

Understanding the area you are looking at, and its projected population growth, will help you decide. If you are one of the first in an "up and coming" area that's either being gentrified or newly developed, your potential property may be worth a lot more later. Pay attention to areas that are adding new store and restaurant chains, knocking down old abandoned structures, or building new neighborhoods.

If you are thinking about starting or growing a family, great parks, schools, and child-friendly speed zones and streets are essential details to consider. You want to ensure that the area you're picking to raise your family is safe and leaves room to explore and spread out when possible. Check out the crime rate in the area. The internet is a powerful tool in helping you make a decision for your future residence.

Appliance Quality

Before purchasing a home, you should have the HVAC systems inspected. These systems are the ones you want to make sure are not hazardous to you and your family. A faulty unit could start a fire, explosion, or cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be lethal.

You don't want to move into a property and find out that you need to replace a furnace or water heater right away. If this needs to be done, you can often negotiate these units' replacement into the price you pay for the house or have the previous owner handle before another inspection. Expand examination onto electrical outlets and water faucets and check for mold from faulty equipment. Inspections before a purchase can save you loads of money after you move in.

Finding a Loan Lender

When you've taken the necessary precautions and selected the home that's right for you, you'll need to find a lender for your home loan. Choose a reputable company that is transparent with what they offer and what you need to know to select the terms that work best for you. Be sure to keep in mind that the company you choose should have no problem answering all your questions.

Pay attention to how organized the lender is as a sign of legitimacy and proficiency. Steer clear of lenders that appear to be disorganized, lose track of important information or documents, or fumble over answers to questions. Before selecting your lender, you need to fully understand what you’re agreeing to and what the terms of your loan will be. Disregarding warning signs could leave you in an unfavorable position, owing much more than you were willing to pay for your house.

Keeping in mind these things to consider before buying a home will help protect you from a bad investment. This is where you're going to live with your loved ones for as long as you want. Reviewing all avenues of possibility will not only make the process of buying a home easier, but a good purchase can also appreciate over time.