My Decluttering Mission

There is such joy in decluttering, isn’t there? There’s a sense of achievement, there’s a fresh look to wherever you have decluttered, there’s a freedom in having less ‘stuff’. A good old clear-out always makes me feel lighter, and having spent several days on my decluttering mission, I am feeling good.

The prompt for me doing this is largely down to our home interiors plans. We want to make changes in practically every room, and so it made sense to me to clear out anything that we don’t need before decorating, moving things and buying new furniture and storage. I made lists around each and every room and project, thought about the changes and purchases needed for them and considered what needs to be moved or removed to get it all done. I was further spurred into action by Netflix shows Consumed and Tidying Up – have you seen them? I cannot imagine anyone being able to watch Consumed and not be able to bin a few things! Go watch and get binning!

Before the declutter, we didn’t have a particularly ‘full’ house. Everything had a place and the house has always been tidy, but even then I knew things were here that were unused and just taking up space. I don’t like to have crowded rooms and too many ‘things’ all over the place, I feel it somehow clutters my mind. Do you ever get that feeling, or is it just me?

Anyway, back to the declutter, and I did it room by room. I know other methods advocate doing things by type, but this worked for me. In larger rooms, like the kitchen, I then broke it down into sections so it didn’t feel too much all in one go. I attacked one or two areas daily, and then took it all to the tip or charity shop each day. I didn’t let it build up into more than one car trip’s worth of rubbish as that would feel too daunting and I would also then have to spend a day or two surrounded by the clutter that I had just removed!

I found things that I had forgotten we had, things that were no longer useful and various items that we just don’t bother with. I used the rule that if I hadn’t used it in the last year or so and could foresee no likely use for it, it went. It does help that neither the Husband and I are particularly sentimental over things and neither of us are hoarders, so letting go of things was pretty easy.



In the end, I believe we removed around 20 bin bags worth of stuff, and the house definitely feels ‘lighter’ for it. I have empty shelves in the odd cupboard here and there and the kids’ playroom has now been practically emptied. Everything has either fit into their bedrooms or it has been given away (I wasn’t cruel, they have kept everything that they actually play with!). There are a few things left that need homes, but Boo has a cabin bed arriving shortly (watch this space for a post about that!) so I am hoping the extra storage that this offers will house the last few bits.

This all means that I will soon be able to redo my office space and add in those bookshelves and extra touches, can’t wait! I plan to change the colour scheme with new accessories and soft furnishings in our bedroom this week which should give it a brand new feel, and we have also ordered new sofas so we have 11 weeks to figure out what we are going to do in our living room and get it done! The house plans are progressing nicely, and it’s coming together thanks to extra spaces being created with the declutter.

This whole process has also got me thinking more about any purchases I make. Obviously we are trying to save as much as we can to put it towards the changes we are looking to make, but it has also made me stop buying some things as I don’t want to start filling up the space that I have just made. This can only be a good thing, right?

So to sum it all up, the house feels emptier in a good way, and the home interiors plans that I shared recently are starting to take shape. My impatience needs to take a step back as I know that this needs to be done properly and not be rushed, but I feel we’ve made good progress since my last update (I mean, just choosing and ordering the sofas feels like a big decision!) and I will be sure to share the rooms with you as we get them done.

Have you been seized by the decluttering bug? Or do you suspect you need to be ?!

 

 

Sharing is caring!

6 thoughts on “My Decluttering Mission”

  1. The feeling after a good declutter is a wonderful one! Decluttering before getting started on your house projects is a great idea also; pre-empting. I find having a good clear out every few months, weeding through things here & there, is super helpful in order to keep on top of the declutter – it is surprising how things can creep back in afterwards!

    I’ve watched a couple of episodes of Consumed on Netflix and the cynic in me wants to think some reality TV ‘magic’ was included as surely those families could not live like that with SO MANYTHINGS. Transformations such as that are great for giving us a kick up the backside. Ha!

    Good to hear that you’re feeling better for having decluttered, as it is such a process!

  2. I have decluttered my house over the last month and it is crazy how much stuff I cleared out. I was ruthless and went by the same rule as you. If it hadn’t been used in a year it was out!
    It is such a good feeling when everything is done x

  3. We did a big declutter before Christmas and it made such a difference although I still need to do the boys wardrobe which I keep putting off! Joe has grown so much that I sent a huge bag to the charity shop last week, but it has not even touched the edges, the worrying thing is we also need a big shop to replace all his clothes x

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *