I don’t know about you, but this time of year tends to make me a bit claustrophobic. Before the holiday season, I tried to do some organizing. Knowing that my house would soon be filled with more things. I enjoyed those weeks before the holidays… my house felt clean and tidy.
Lets just say it doesn’t feel that way anymore.
With 4 kids under the age of 3, the toys and the STUFF can just add up REAL fast!
So, if you’re experiencing the Post-Holiday clutter, read on for 5 tips to gain back your sanity and feel a little organized once again!
• Simplify your Children’s wardrobe
My 3 year old recently discovered a love for dressing herself. She finds clothes I didn’t even realize she had, and combines patterns that honestly hurt my OCD mind to look at. Listen, if your child is putting on clothes you didn’t realize they had, chances are you don’t need them. Get rid of them. I’ve gotten rid of things I genuinely don’t like, and now she only has a few pair of pants that easily go with almost all of her shirts.
• Get rid of odds and ends toys
My children all enjoy different things. My son loves small figures and animals. We have Little People in every nook and cranny of our house. But I have a “home” for them. They get their own bin. Along with plenty of other things like “music stuff”, “cars”, “Barbies”… you get the picture. But if you’re finding toys that don’t really go with anything, get rid of it. Too much clutter in a toy room isn’t even inviting for your child. When I keep everything organized, they know where they can find it, and have all the other things that go with it.
• Sort out your pantry
This one was tough. And is an ongoing process. But I have things in my pantry that I truly don’t even remember purchasing. How ridiculous is that?! But having a pantry full of random stuff only gives me the illusion that I have food to prepare, when I actually have NOTHING to go with it to make it a meal. Things that are expired, or opened and half eaten. Get it outta there. Your mind will have a clean slate of what you have in stock to make for your family.
• Weed out the things that don’t match your style.
This is a struggle for me. 90% of the things that fill my home are hand me downs. And while that’s easy on the wallet, it can be tough to look at. Don’t get me wrong, I’m appreciative of ALL of it, and my style is very mismatchy anyway, so it kind of works. But there is definitely a style that I’m going for, and some of the things we have just don’t fit with it. So why do I have it? If this ugly end table is making me feel like my living room isn’t all I want it to be, WHY do I have it?! It’s gotta go.
• Declutter your counters
Something that brings me true joy, is a tidy kitchen. My house can be in shambles, horrible smells coming at me from every direction, toys scattered through the hall, smudges on my mirrors, but if my kitchen is clean I feel like I will live to see another day. Now you can imagine my anxiety and stress levels when my kitchen is trashed. I can’t take it. So one thing I try to do often, is declutter my counters. I love my coffee area, my floral cookie car and the necessities that just need to go on the counter. But don’t let mail pile up, or allow that space to be a catch all for everyone’s stuff.
Now please don’t read this and think “her house must be lovely” cause it’s not. It’s cute, and I try to stay tidy, but I have what feels like 100 kids playing with every toy we own all at once. I’m realistic in my expectations of what “style” we can even pull off at this stage in life. But there is no reason to feel claustrophobic in your own home. Donate those things to people who could get better use out of it, and feel the freedom of a bit more breathing room!
What are your tips to de-clutter? Share them with us!
