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You are tired of the clutter and all the “stuff” around you but don’t know where to begin trying to tackle it all? If this is a question you are asking yourself, stick around and I’ll show you how to declutter your stuff and where to start.

Your home has years’ worth of “treasured belongings” that you’ve been accumulating. It’s time to clear it out!

Does the thought of sorting and actually getting rid of your treasures seem overwhelming? Do you have a little bit of anxiety kicking in? I’ll show you some tips to get started and ease into the process of your decluttering journey.

The Difference Between Cleaning, Organizing and Decluttering

Sometimes in my mind, I intermix decluttering, organizing, and cleaning. Let’s break them down a bit just so we are all on the same page for the purposes of what we are talking about here.

Cleaning

Cleaning is the act of taking a cleaning product and applying it to surfaces around your home to remove dust, dirt, and debris. This might also involve doing laundry and picking up items around your home and putting them back in their proper place. You typically do some sort of cleaning on a daily basis and you might do more intensive cleaning on certain days throughout the month.

Organizing

Organizing items in your home would include taking existing items and belongings in your home and arranging them in a manner that makes them easy to find, looks neat, and saves space. The key here is that the items you are organizing are things you need and want to keep. Being organized can help you save time by being able to find things quickly and help you save time cleaning because everything has a nice, neat designated spot in your home.

Decluttering

Now we get to point of this article. Decluttering. I would say most people do the cleaning and organizing cycle over and over again but still feel like they aren’t winning the battle. That’s probably because there is stuff still bursting at the seams of every cupboard, drawer, closet, and do we dare mention, the garage! When your spaces are so full, it oftentimes doesn’t feel clean or organized, even though it really is.

Decluttering is getting rid of items that you no longer need or want. We live in a materialistic society and it’s very easy to accumulate lots and lots of stuff. Once you remove items from all those areas that clutter seems to creep in and fill, you’ll be surrounded by spaces that will feel so organized and clean! It’s like you can breathe better. I don’t know why that is but it is.

Change Your Mindset Before You Start Decluttering

You might be thinking to yourself, what does mindset have to do with decluttering? Getting rid of things you have spent money on or that are full of fond memories might be really hard for you. Maybe it’s an item that used to have a purpose but doesn’t anymore. However, you find yourself still attached to it. If you can’t detach yourself from your stuff, you are going to have a hard time decluttering.

So how can you change your mindset? When you go through the decluttering process, knowing why you’re doing it is a good place to start. What is the goal you are trying to achieve? Starting with your “why” and your goal(s) to achieve it will help a lot! Write this down somewhere so you can refer back to it when it gets hard to put things in the “get rid of” pile. Say to yourself, to help me achieve “X” (my goal), I need to get rid of “Y” (meaning lots of stuff).

In my experience, the first time we downsized to a smaller home, less than half the size (eek), we just couldn’t fit all of our stuff into our smaller home. Our “why” was to travel before retirement age. Our goal was to downsize our home in order to save money each month and reduce our debt footprint. This goal of downsizing would be one of the steps to reach our “why”.

How to Declutter Your Stuff When You’re Overwhelmed

Start small. Pick an area that has been bothering you for a while. Pick items you know you want to get rid of but just haven’t taken the time to do. This can help you get started.

You can also just pick one space of your home to start with. Remember you want to declutter your stuff and get rid of unwanted and unneeded items first, then you can organize the space with the items that will remain. Spaces to consider decluttering:

• Kitchen drawer

• Kitchen cupboard

• Pantry

• Hall closet

• Bedroom closet

• Dresser drawers

• Nightstands

• Bathroom drawer

• Bathroom cabinet

• Utility room cabinets

• Mudroom (pick an area)

• Office (pick an area)

• Craftroom (pick an area)

• Bonus room (pick an area)

• Playroom (pick an area)

• Other furniture used for storage

• Knick knacks in each room

• Garage (start with one wall)

• Shed

To start the decluttering process, I recommend doing a little bit at a time and focusing on small areas in order to reduce feeling overwhelmed. Once you finish one area, start on another one.

How to Get Rid of Your Stuff

Now that you’ve started brainstorming about where you’re going to start decluttering in your home, let’s figure out what you’ll do with everything. Knowing this ahead of time will make the decluttering process more seamless and less overwhelming because you’ll be sorting things as you go and not just creating piles of clutter in a different room that you don’t know what to do with. Here are some ways to get rid of your stuff:

• Have a garage sale

• Donate items

• Regift items

• Sell online

• Recycle

• Throw away

• Have a garage sale

• Give away to friends & family

While you sort through and decide what items you are ready to part with, have an idea of what you’re going to do with them as you go. Have boxes ready and labeled with some of the ideas above. Then place an item in the appropriate box as you declutter.

If you intend on ridding yourself of a lot of items (yeah, good for you!) and you want to have a garage sale, I would recommend pricing items before placing them in your garage for a future sale. You will be so glad you did because the hardest part of your garage sale will already be done. You could even just have a box that is a certain price so you aren’t individually pricing each item, especially small stuff. Making a few bucks on things you don’t need anymore isn’t a bad deal either.

For items that you might think about just throwing away, you might consider just giving them away for free. This can even be done curbside (if allowed in your neighborhood). It’s amazing how quickly someone will pick up your stuff if it’s for free. Another person’s trash is truly another person’s treasure! Not only can you sell items online, but you can also post them for free and you just might have things disappear quicker than you thought!

What if I Just Can’t Let Go of My Stuff

Some things will just be easy to get rid of. Especially, if the item is old, worn out, and not serving its purpose anymore. That’s a no-brainer, right? However, it gets a little tougher deciding whether it goes in the keep pile or leaves your home forever when you’ve spent money on something (maybe a lot) and it’s still in perfect condition. Below are things to ponder.

Miscellaneous Household Items

When it comes to the “stuff” in your house that you are having trouble departing with, try asking yourself:

• Have I used it recently?

• Does it have a purpose (that I’ll use it for)?

• Do I love it?

If you’re answering no to the above questions, it’s likely that you probably don’t need the item. However, I’d also ask yourself:

• Can I replace it? Is it replaceable?

If yes, well there’s probably no harm in getting rid of it.

Clothing

Clothing can be tough. If you’re struggling to get rid of things like that flannel in your closet that you really love but haven’t worn in a year, it’s time to be honest with yourself. Are you really going to wear it again? if you know deep down the answer is no, free up some space in your closet! I’d also go through the same questions above when having this discussion with yourself.

Also, why haven’t you worn it? Does it not fit right but you’re hoping it will someday? I am guilty of this myself. Keeping that pair of jeans for years for someday when I can wear them again. Don’t do this to yourself! If you can’t wear it now, get rid of it. If you still can’t take it off the hanger in the closet, revisit it in 6 months. Some people do this by turning the hanger around so you know if you’ve worn it or not. After the time is up and you haven’t worn it, it’s time to go.

Sentimental Items

Sentimental knick-knacks and furniture items can be really hard. Maybe they aren’t really your style but you hate to get rid of items that were in the family. I would try and reserve yourself a small space to keep items like this and minimize what you can. Better yet, I would see if there is another family member that might be able to use it or who would appreciate the special item so you can pass it on, especially if you aren’t getting any use out of it.

How You’ll Be Able to Clear the Clutter

Now that you’ve made it this far and know how to declutter your stuff, let’s recap. You are ready to start decluttering because you know:

• The difference between cleaning, organizing and decluttering.

• How changing your mindset can help you get your decluttering game on.

• How to start decluttering even though it seems overwhelming by starting small.

• Different ways to get rid of your clutter that don’t cost you money and could actually make you some money.

• You have some ideas on what to do if you’re having a hard time getting rid of things.

Start Decluttering

Decluttering can really give you a feeling of accomplishment and can be so freeing. It’s nice to look around your clutter-free home and feel the weight of all that stuff you’ve parted with just lift off your shoulders. I’m excited for you to start decluttering your home so you can enjoy the great benefits.

If you’re preparing for a big downsize or just need some motivation to get started decluttering, join our free 50 in FIVE Downsizing Declutter Challenge!

Other Helpful Resources

• Prepare for Living in a Smaller Space: Declutter Now

• 7 Ways to Downsize Your Life & Save Money

• How to Start Living a Simple Life Today

• 6 Great Benefits of Downsizing Your Home