It's always good to start the new year fresh. A great way to do that is to go through files, boxes and closests and purge what you don't need. Here are some tips to help you minimalize this month.
1. Get a paper shredder, scanner and a document box handy. Whether you keep your files organized, piled up on the table, or scattered around the house - chances are, you have more paperwork than you need. Set aside an afternoon to go through everything, even the organized files, and sort out what you need.
Make 4 different piles:
1. To keep and scan (documents that you need but don't have to have a hard copy of)
2. To keep and file (documents that should be kept in hard copy)
3. To shred (any paperwork that you don't need that has financial or personal information)
4. To pitch (envelopes, fliers, letters, etc. that you don't need to keep)
Be stingy about what gets to stay in the hard file. With Google Dr and external harddrives, scanning in paperwork is safer than ever.
2. Donate, sell, and trash your clothes. There are clothes that you don't wear in your closet, but you hold on to them for a number of reasons. If you haven't worn an item for 6 months to a year, it's time to part. The freedom of a roomy closet will feel great when you're done. This task could take less than one hour if you're dedicated to the job.
Make 4 different piles:
1. To give to friends (clothing that a friend with similar taste and size could get use out of)
2. To sell (clothing in style and in great condition that you can take to a second hand store)
3. To donate (clothing in good condition that someone less fornuate would be blessed by)
4. To trash (clothing with stains, holes, odd shape that no one else would want to wear)
You probably won't even remember which pieces are missing from your closet since you never wore them and you'll get to feel great, having blessed others or made money off of your unworn clothes.
3. Dig through your storage. What is out in the open, in your cupboards and easy access are the items that you use on a regular basis. Then there are the items under the bed, in the back closet and in the storage area. You do not use, thence do not need, most of the things you own in storage. Take a weekend and sort through objects tucked away. Have a goal in mind, such as 2 large cardboard boxes full of things to discard. Out dated electronics, broken furniture and useless objects don't need to have a space in your home.
What are your purging tips?
Seeing as I just did this, here's my tip. "Keepsake" stuff is hard for me... I want to keep it all, but I look at it... maybe once a year, maybe...
ReplyDeleteI decided how big of a tote/bin that I wanted to keep of this type of thing, and then I started filling it. When it was full, I had to decide what was the most important, and what had to go. And I stuck to the tote size I picked in the beginning.
Totes come in every size, so depending on your storage and your personality, you can cater this to fit your needs.
Also, it was really helpful for me to have all "keepsakes" in one spot rather than cards in a drawer, memorabilia in the basement, etc. Plus, the tote will keep it all from getting damaged in future years!