As a mom, do you ever look around and think how in the world can you ever keep a tidy and organized home? Well, it all starts with extra clutter and having items you either don’t use, have forgotten about, or just plainly do not like anymore. Perhaps your home is not too small for your ever growing family, but perhaps you just have too much stuff!
I get it, you may have sentimental memories tied to specific items or you may be fighting the fear that once you get rid of it you may suddenly need it. But in reality if you haven’t used it for some time, you were doing just fine without it.
I realized that I didn’t really need that much clothes when I moved into an apartment that did not have big closets and I needed to purge and downsize on my wardrobe. But guess what? I didn’t even miss the items I donated or gave away to Salvation Army. In fact, it felt liberating. I was free from the weight of finding space or wondering how I will fit my newly purchased items. All the clothes I wore and enjoyed on a consistent basis were neatly hung up or folded away. Periodically I continue to review my clothes and donate or gift the clothing that I’m no longer wearing. Same goes for your husband’s and childrens’ closets…you don’t realize how much space you can free up just by keeping a tidy closet. All of a sudden you have extra storage space for suitcases, bed linens, or pillows.
You know what else we have too much of? Paper. We tend to hold on to old magazines, paid bills, unopened mail, and books we haven’t opened in 10 years. And sadly we don’t often recycle these items. Not that we don’t want to, but just the fact that we do not have the facilities to do that. Most of these items end up in the land fill. I came to the conclusion for myself to take advantage of the ability to receive and pay bills online, the freedom to read books and articles digitally, and to use my downtime to go through my mail. Donate the children’s books your child has long grown out of to your local library, and use your husband’s stacked up newspapers as kindling to start that bonfire in your back yard.
Our basements, attics, and garages are guilty of hoarding useless junk or just plain excess. These additional spaces are fantastic when it comes to containing your children’s toys that they are still playing with, exercise equipment, or other necessary items. So use them wisely to free up the living space within your home. Hold a tag sale, donate, or make some extra cash by selling on Ebay everything you do not want or have doubles and triples of. Often times when moving from one house to another, we don’t even really unpack all the way. The intent to go through it all at a later date may come and go and you realize you have already purchased a second toaster or coffeemaker.
Get rid of anything that’s broken and that you have no intention of fixing, or if the repair will cost more than it’s worth. Some examples are worn out shoes, CD’s that just won’t play, and outdated electronic gadgets. Technology changes so quickly today, that you are better off buying a new version of it rather than trying to fix it.
It’s hard to downsize, simplify, or eliminate when our mindsets have been set on acquiring, purchasing, and just plain more, more, and more. The media, culture, and modern way of life unfortunately can lead to the clutter in our homes. Try simplifying and paring it down to basics, which will allow you to focus on quality time with your family, rather than cleaning, managing, and organizing the various messes.
Maternal Movement 