The enemy today? Clutter

 It may be part of my whole nesting thing, but I don't care, I want the clutter gone! Whatever the reason is....I'm so excited to have less stuff in my home!

It is so hard to keep the house clean with so much stuff, and 5 kids who spread said stuff everywhere. Most of it really is just stuff! I feel like I have been attacked by the "stuff monster"!

I am on a mission! Last week I cleaned a box of toys out of the playroom, along with a bag of trash.  Today, a bag of stuffed animals was added to the yard sale stash in the garage. Some church movies were added to the movie folder and the cases tossed into the trash.  Oh there is so much more for me to get rid of! There is also a good chance we will be moving this summer. Less stuff would be very helpful with that. 

So, how do you approach something that seems so overwhelming? A little at a time! Rome wasn't built in a day, and you are not going to de-clutter your home effectively in a short amount of time.  There are different ways you can approach this. Regardless of how you approach it, you first need to establish an area in your home (ie-garage,closet, etc) where you will put all the yard sale/donation items. If you are going to donate them, go ahead and drop them off when you can so it doesn't all get re-absorbed back into your home. 

Try one of these. 

-Spend 15 minutes a day. (or however long you want) Work in the same area each day until it's complete. 

-Choose 15 things each day. (or 1 if that's all you can do) Either trash, or yard sale/donate.  

-Choose one entire room if you have the time.

You will be surprised how much stuff is just laying around your house that you don't use.

Ask yourself some questions.

1-Is this item truly important to me? Or am I keeping it out of obligation?(ie-a family member gave it to you)

2-Do I use this item? 

3-Is this an item that I love? 

4-For Clothes-Would I buy this right now? If not, toss it!

I am looking forward to less clutter in my house. "Stuff" isn't important in life, and I think it only slows you down. You will also probably be surprised the value of the things that are in your home that you don't use.  Consider selling the item on ebay, craigslist,Amazon, or an online yard sale site like www.bookoo.com. You have the potential to turn what is just "stuff" to you into extra money! 

One more important thing. When buying a new item, really think about why you are buying it. Do you need the item? If you  hesitate, don't buy it. Even if it's a great deal, if it's just going to sit in your house unused and become part of the "stuff monster" it's not worth it.