Less is More: Decluttering this Holiday Season

Can I just say how excited I am for the holidays this year??? I mean over the moon giddy!  I love all of the traditions, the coziness of the house with the warm glow of Christmas lights and most of all I love watching my babies faces beam with excitement and wonder as they look forward to Santa’s visit. 

The only thing that I am not looking forward to is accumulating more STUFF.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the focus on giving this time of year and I’m appreciative of all the thoughtful people we have in our lives. It’s just that recently I started feeling really overwhelmed by all the stuff in our house.  Toys, school papers, art projects, laundry…everywhere I looked there were piles of it. Coming home to a cluttered house put me into sensory overload as soon as I walked in the door. Instead of feeling relaxed at home, it became another stress… looking around and seeing my to-do list growing with things that needed to be taken care of.  

A cluttered house makes for a cluttered mind and I want my mind as clear as can be so I can stay focused and positive!!!  

So what changes have I made and how am I going to keep it this way? Well, let me tell you! 

DON’T ORGANIZE IT, GET RID OF IT! Organization is a temporary solution to getting your surroundings in order. It will only be a matter of time (with my kids a matter of minutes!) before things are back out and scattered around. Getting rid of stuff isn’t always easy so here are some tips:

• TAKE THE EMOTION OUT. ‘Maybe I can use this again’ or ‘they used to love this stuffed animal’ or ‘this was expensive’ are all thoughts that have prevented me from getting rid of things in the past.  One way around this is to set criteria to help you take the emotion out of parting with these items.  For example, telling yourself “anything that I haven’t used within the past year is going.” 
• DONATE IT. Getting rid of it doesn’t mean tossing it in the trash, you can donate it. This is such a great option for multiple reasons…not only are you decluttering your space but you are helping others! Plus, depending on where you donate the items, you may even qualify for a tax deduction (consult your tax advisor on the specifics). Some organizations like the Vietnam Veterans of America will even come pick it up right at your door making it extremely convenient!
• CONQUER IT LITTLE BY LITTLE. Pace yourself. If you are like me, just the thought of decluttering my whole house made me want to take a nap! You don’t have to do it all at once. Do it room by room. Don’t forget to sit back and admire your work! Enjoy the sense of accomplishment as you cross one room off the list and move onto the next. 

Now that you have got it down to a tolerable level, how do you stop it from accumulating again? 

• CLUTTER IS THE RESULT OF PROCRASTINATION. Laying the mail on the counter day after day…Taking papers out of backpacks every night…It builds up quick! Take a few minutes to go through it each day so a pile doesn’t start to grow.
• DETERMINE THE SOURCE. Awareness is a catalyst for change. Once we know where the stuff is coming from we can alter our behaviors to prevent it.  My weaknesses is clothes. I could shop for new clothes for me and the kids all day, everyday! In order to curb my clothes addiction, I’ve started using the ‘one week rule.’  If you see something you want wait a week and if it still there (and you still really want it) it was meant to be! This will not only help your clutter problem but also your pocket book. ☺️

So what about the holidays? Well, you can’t control what others give you but you can control what you give. Consider these ideas:

• INVEST IN EXPERIENCES. As cheesy as it sounds, there is nothing better than the gift of time. Investing in things you can do as a family is the gift that keeps on giving. The toys will be played with for a few days but the memories made during time together will last forever. Some of my favorite gifts that my children have received include a family zoo membership and gift cards for the movies.   
• INVEST IN PEOPLE. This is where my true-frugal accountant self  shines through 😉.  One thing we do for every birthday and at Christmas time is make a contribution to each of our children’s college savings plans. In my opinion there is no better place to spend our money than investing in their future. 

Hope these tips help your holidays to be clutter-free, relaxing and joyful this year! ❤️