Chicago Home and Lifestyles – You Too Can Be Clutter-Free
Spring is on its way, and it is a great time to clear out some of the clutter around the house. We all see pictures online or in magazines of beautiful clutter-free homes and wish that could be ours. It can if you will adopt a few principles of a clutter-free life.
Do we always live within our means? That may be one of your clutter problems. You might be able to kill two birds with one stone here. Is your closet bulging? Solve your clutter and budget problems at the same time. Resist buying clothes you do not need. Go through closets and donate anything you have not worn in a year. Every time you look to buy another appliance or knickknack, think first. Do I really need this?
Paper clutter can really sneak up on you. Do scan all your important documents. There are apps like Evernote to keep them organized. It is a big job but is so satisfying when it is done. Go paperless on all monthly bills that you can. Have a place for all the mail coming in. I use my dining room table. Discard junk for recycling and file the rest. If you cannot go through it every day, do not let it go more than two days. It can really pile up.
There is an old saying: a place for everything and everything in its place. It really is true. Consider your kitchen counters. Many of the things on your counters are not used daily. Store them away for a clutter-free counter. Clutter elsewhere in the house can be stored away easily in plastic bins. A file cabinet provides a place for paperwork, or you can buy a cabinet with many drawers.
On the topic of drawers, a junk drawer is a necessity. You need a space for all the things that do not have a regular spot, such as office supplies like tape, scissors, and paperclips. Kitchen junk drawers can hold food thermometers and other items like candy thermometers and garlic presses, or any small necessities requiring a landing spot.
But everything, even junk drawers, needs a purge now and then. Places like junk drawers and closets do end up being a spot we just cram things into. Spring and fall are good times to go through the gathering spaces in our homes and get rid of anything not used in the previous 6 months. You and your house will feel much lighter.
Do make it a habit to put things away immediately after you use them. Hang up your clothes and put clean laundry in the basket and away in drawers. Put the can opener back in the drawer. Store your make-up and hair products away after getting ready. This is part of having a place for everything. That cannot work if you don’t put things in their rightful place.
Finally, realize that a happy life is about your experiences, not the stuff that accumulates. With all the online advertising we get bombarded with, it is not easy to avoid buying too much useless junk. But wouldn’t that money be better spent with your family? Then you won’t have to worry about finding space for this stuff. Also, realize no one is perfect.
Sometimes things get away from us for a few weeks or months, and our home is a mess again. Never fear; get back on the horse and get yourself clutter-free again.
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH AND DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO
