Need motivation to declutter, organize and simplify? Here are the 7 things that I was surprised to learn when I purged our home of over 168 things!
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Last fall I did a four week decluttering challenge where I purged our house of over 168 things! I’ve always been more of a “stuff” person, so this was kind of a big deal to me.
And while it felt like a big task in some ways (mostly because as I purged, I ended up reorganizing), I soon realized that there are a lot of benefits to living with less stuff and decluttering.
In fact, I loved the results so much that I’m hoping to do another big purging session this spring!
Here are the things that help give me motivation to declutter.
7 Reasons to Live with Less Stuff and Declutter
1. Saves Time
I’ve become increasingly aware of how much time we waste because of all of our stuff. The more stuff you have, the more maintenance you have, the more time it takes to clean and organize and the easier it is to misplace something.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather use my time for things that I actually enjoy!
2. Easier to Be Organized
You know the saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place”? Well, if you have a ton of stuff, it’s really hard to do that and you end up losing things, wasting time looking for things and buying things that you really don’t need because you can’t find the one you already own.
I’m finding that the less I have, the easier it is to stay organized. I know that is kind of obvious. But really, I truly didn’t realize how much of a difference it makes!
3. Refreshes
There is something about having lots of stuff that just zaps the energy right out of you. Everywhere you look you see something that needs to be put away or that needs to be fixed or folded or whatever.
It’s much easier to manage and take care of just a few things. Plus, visual clutter is just tiring. There is something about clean, open spaces that are refreshing and energizing!
4. More Inviting
Clutter makes your home look messy, full and, well, cluttered! And there is simply nothing inviting about that!
By decluttering and keeping only the things that you really love and use, you create a space that is much more welcoming. Remember what I said about open spaces being refreshing and energizing?
5. Saves Money
If you are simplifying and living with less, not only will you save money because you won’t be buying as much stuff, you will also not have pay as many late fees and overdue fees because you will likely find it easier to be organized.
And I know there have been times that we simply haven’t been able to find something and ended up spending money to replace it, only later to come across the original item.
Obviously, had we been more organized, we could have saved ourselves that money!
Tip: Want to make money selling your clutter? It’s really quite easy!
6. Helps You Appreciate What You Have
I’m not quite sure how to explain this, but when you have less stuff, somehow you just appreciate the things that you do have more.
I’m finding that the less we have, the more I’m grateful for what we have and the more I try to take care of those things.
7. Allows You to Focus on What Matters
You soon start realizing that stuff is just that: stuff. While things are nice to have, you can’t take them with you when you die and they so quickly can be lost through theft, fires etc.
There was something about the process of decluttering that made me realize that again in a new way. I’m not against having material possessions, but I don’t want those things to keep me from living life to the fullest.
For myself, I feel like having less stuff allows me to be able to focus on the things that really matter like my family, friends and the things that I really truly enjoy doing.
Other posts that you’ll enjoy:
Andrea Morgan
When my husband wanted to take the doors permanently off the messiest and biggest closet in our new “old” house, I was motivated to declutter and attractively arrange the remaining items. The clothes are hanging in rainbow order, shoes are in cubicles except for some very dramatic and colorful few purple, red and metallic silver pairs, and beautiful, expensive tote bags are displayed on the top shelf. It looks like an amazing display in a high end store! The local thrift store was thrilled with our huge donation, too!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Isn’t it amazing how motivating changes like that can be? And sounds like you did a great job of decluttering and making it beautiful!
Debbie M
I’m constantly try to purge stuff, I’m doing fairly well. My new problem is I have been buying little items, some are very useful and have replace ones that were purged. The new ones take up less room and have more functions, but it’s become a bad habit. Any
Suggestions?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Ah, it can be tough to not buy those “little” things. One thing I try to do before buying anything is to ask myself, “Do I really need this?” Often, I might realize that it’s an item that I’ll only use a handful of times a year and if that’s the case, most of the time I decide I can live without it. My weakness is kitchen items. I love baking and cooking so it’s so tempting to get new gadgets etc. But I’ve been trying to be very intentional with what I get and often if I buy an item I try to get rid of one too. My husband is good for me too because he’s such a minimalist and he’s helped me think about ways to get creative and reuse things and make do. I’m still learning about all of this myself though! I still have a long way to go before I could truly be called a minimalist. 🙂
Jenny
All so very true! I get sick of looking at stuff, putting away stuff, and fixing broken stuff. The problem is stuff! The less I have of it, the better.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, I agree, Jenny! It was hard for me initially to get started getting rid of our stuff, but the more I do it, the more I love the space it creates and the time it saves.