How did that drawer go? Did you find yourself baffled by how all the small things accumulate?
I know how our small things accumulate. We don’t deal with them. We don’t file that bank statement or recycle the envelope it came in right away. I toss that foreign change in the drawer instead of putting in the travel wallet.
Then there’s often too many things coming into our home. I forget, for the seventh time, to unsubscribe to the catalog I don’t remember ever subscribing to. The broken suitcase/stroller sits in our front hallway for months as I debate if it can be fixed and procrastinate on making a choice.
There’s two ways to tackle the small clutter that rapidly accumulates in your home: Don’t Let It In or Put It Away.
For my house I need both strategies in play.
The short assignment today is to identify the most common areas in your home where clutter accumulates and decide if it’s a habit problem or a too much stuff problem.
Habit: all the jackets are hung up on dining room chairs – instead of in the front hall – because my household has not made a habit of hanging up our coats.
Too much stuff: we have 12 boxes of Kleenex and it leaves no room for anything else in our small bathroom storage. I need to stop buying the bulk packs – losing the space is not worth the savings.
More Small Clutter Resources:
Keep picking away at those drawers this week and start doing the small things that make a big difference: only keep receipts you really need, say no to the “freebies” with purchase, throw the change in your change jar or wallet instead of on the counter, tell the kids the “free with meal” toys only stay for a week before they are recycled
Yeah, forget the boxes of Kleenex. Buy cotton handkerchiefs instead. Ditto for cotton napkins instead of paper ones. Be good to the environment.
I’m new to the minimalist lifestyle but I just found myself forced into it by circumstances. My home is very cluttered, and I hate it! When I was a single guy, I could keep my apartment relatively neat because when I put something away, it stayed that way until I took it out.
Fast forward to a new bigger home, a wife and three kids, and my house is a mess! Toys are everywhere, no one puts coats and shoes in the front room closet when they come in, or pick up after themselves.
I need your prayers and support! H a ha! I’m a newbie minimalist just learning the ropes.
I am a demon when it comes to the clutter hotspot. The entire family have learned the hard way that if they dump stuff in the kitchen on their way in I will dump it right back outside again. There are only so many wet homework bags a girl can take! To be fair they do concede that my “everything has a place and everything should be in it” policy means that far less gets lost. We have a VERY small box where random stuff that ought to be put away but “not right now” can go. It is emptied every Friday and is the go to place when an earring, a key or a small fiddly item has gone missing, and whatever it is it is always there. It’s a very useful tool.
Strangely one side of my bed appears to be my problem spot at the moment!! I have a double but there is only my in it and as it’s been cold I’ve been wrapping myself up in the duvet. This has left an area down one side where I have dumping stuff when I come in and that’s where it stayed. I stripped the bed at the weekend to wash the sheets etc which of course meant I had to clear everything off and it felt so much better getting into bed that night which a WHOLE double bed to myself!! Looking over at it now there is the book I finished reading this morning, my phone and my dressing gown – all of which I reckon are allowed!!!
I have a question about clutter… As a new mom to an 11 month old, I’m realizing we have a new issue in our home. Presents! I am very appreciative of gifts that are given – but I am also the type of person who feels very burdened by “stuff”… Growing up I would get a few presents for holidays and birthdays but I find there is an overwhelming incoming tide of toys especially with my daughter. Some of these gifts are very large – think outdoor wagon, playhouse, etc… As well as numerous smaller toys. I donated about half the presents she received for Christmas because it was too much for our house. How do you handle presents, overly eager relatives, etc… How do you set boundaries?
The last challenge made me look through what most people consider an OCD organized drawer, but I still found some random keys and a small lock to get rid of. I realized I’d never use the locks for my suitcase, and the lock we kept, we apparently didn’t have the key for. Now, we have just a bit more space 🙂
As for dropping spots, it tends to be my hubby’s basket. I try to clean it out once a week, but there are often receipts and coins all in there. I think I’ve had to give up the notion that everyone else in my house wants to live the exact same way I do and just be thankful that it at least ended up in the basket 😉