Ready to beat clutter in 2014?
Last year at this time I was patiently anxiously waiting for our second baby to arrive.
This year I’m ready to peel back a layer of things – stuff, commitments, kitchen gadgets (my nemesis) – in a mini clutter cleanse reminiscent of our big purge in the fall of 2010. I knocked out a few areas back in November and I’ll be sharing that work plus a lot more in the next six weeks. I’ve also been collecting tips and resources from other simple living enthusiasts and experts that I want to share with you.
Get ready for a “best of” from what I have learned, read and done in the last three years.
Ready for the challenge? More about The 2014 Clutter Cleanse:
– runs for six weeks from Friday January 3nd to Thursday February 13th.
– each week will focus on one area or topic like building a capsule wardrobe, streamlining finances or kid clutter.
– there will be four to five posts a week plus daily prompts on the blog Facebook page
– I would love it if you shared your tips and comments here and on the Facebook page. Whether you’ve been trying to live with less for two years, or if this is the first time you’ve heard of minimalism, it is so helpful to hear how others declutter their home and how they deal with the challenges of stuff.
If you’d like to get posts sent to you by email simply sign up here. If you’re on Facebook you can “Like” The Minimalist Mom Facebook page and find new posts in your news feed.
In addition to this mini home purge I have set a year long challenge for my family. Buy one set one free.
One in one out works. If you’re happy with where your home and stuff is at I highly recommend this system for keeping the things you own 
from owning you. If, however, you’re feeling overwhelmed with too much you can set the number higher. Mulling over buying a new French Press? What if you needed to purge your home of five things before bringing in one new thing? Setting a one in, ten out, rule is one simple strategy for owning fewer things.
I’ve fallen a bit behind on the one in and one out maintenance rule (it’s harder with two kids!) so I’m moving to a one in and two out system for 2014. I’ll be documenting and blogging the comings and goings of our stuff here in a monthly post.
There will be photos and confessions and you will see that while I have been rather ruthless with my workout wardrobe I have a library of Pyrex dishes. And while I am pretty good about keeping the kid’s toys in check I’m still hanging onto several box sets of DVDs that we haven’t watched since we lived in Canada. DVDs that we don’t actually have a DVD player to watch with… DVDs that are now pretty useless to us because we have moved to exclusively streaming media through our Apple TV. Ahem. It’s time to get to work.
Watch for the first post in the 2014 Clutter Cleanse series tomorrow. We’re starting with an area I have a real love/hate for. Love it because it always feels good when this area is culled to just the best of the best. Hate it because it’s often my biggest source of wasted money and shopping mistakes. See you tomorrow!
Resources for starting the year:
- Four Step Life Purge: this is a quick worksheet to help you take stock of what happened in 2013 and see what you want more of and what you want less of in 2o14. Downloads as a PDF that you can print, take less than 30 minutes to complete and it’s FREE. Many thanks to Nicole for this resource.
- I love reading Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist for some uplifting inspiration and guidance. The great thing about this book is that you can read it years apart and get different “answers” to your current challenges.
I’m in! I have been working on decluttering for the past few years. I am now at the point of mini declutteringof things like holiday decorations and one more final purge of the garage (weather permitting). It feels great and knowing there are others out here with the same mission gives me more motivation! Thanks and a very Happy New Year to you!
Kinda getting going on this late (and will prob hold off on the wardrobe stuff until I am on both feet again…broke my foot in December)…but I am SO ready to clear out stuff. I have started every year for the past three (2011-2013) to clear out the year’s worth of stuff…ie…2011 items in 2011, etc. and so far every year have had things interfere with meeting that goal. But this year I won’t have pregnancies, miscarriages, or births to deal with…only a toddler, a preschooler, and a likely house move…lol!! But a move really is the best time for a good clear out, right? I am actually looking forward to having my husband pull things down from the attic that have been up there five years (since we moved in) and most likely tossing the majority of it!! As a wanna be minimalist who is most definitely an OCD organizer (when I am on top of things)…I am itching to get to organizing and tossing!!
Thank heavens for your website!! I have started 2014 with a minimalist mindset and am currently in the process of purging. I have so far filled (yep completely filled!!!) 2 large sulo bins (you know that ones that the truck comes and empties, hopefully the Aussies here will understand) from just my son’s (11 yrs) room. I also have a huge pile of “to be sold on ebay” and another huge pile of “donate”.
I am finding de-cluttering to be soothing to the soul. I am hoping to remove much of my debt this year and to live a simpler life!
Fantastic! 🙂
Linked to this in today’s post…I’m having a clutter busting day! 😉
I am such a fan of getting rid of stuff. And one in, one out.
I started my blog off with a “one thing a month” resolution- meaning I do one new thing a month for the year. (Have I already talked about this on your blog?? Maybe. I’m kind of a zealot about it…). Anyway, I started the year getting rid of 5 things a day for the month of January. At the time we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment and friends were always marveling that we’d have that much to get rid of in the first place. Believe me- there was plenty.
Anyway- love this challenge! Can’t wait to follow along!
I’m in on your challenge. 2014 is going to be my year of busting the clutter in our family home. I’ve just come across your site and will be making good use of all your hints and tips
I am so onboard with this. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow! Thanks for doing this.
I´m SO in, I´ve been thinking about it for a while but I don´t know were to start, your challenge is perfect for me!
I am so ready for this. Great idea :
I’m in! 🙂 We have a couple of areas in post college-life to simplify and declutter badly.
OH YAY! I am so excited for this. We are expecting our 4th child in March and I want/need to do a major clean out of the house before she comes (nesting anyone?) I look forward to your posts! Thanks for taking the time to write!
I’m in! I have four young children (16 months to 9 years) and my house is driving me crazy! I grew up in a home without clutter and I want the same for my kids. I actually filled up 5 boxes of toys, stuffed animals and books a few days ago and then discovered there’s even more stuff under their beds yesterday! I need some help.