I’ve shared a lot about my passion for decluttering and curating pretty + peaceful spaces. The mission is really two-fold.
It started as a side hustle to earn money for a big beautiful built-in-looking refrigerator someday. Oh, how my ambitions have changed as life has gone on! Haha! I mean, I still *want* that fridge, but believe it or not, there was actually a time when I imagined greater things, like shiny fast cars, a bigger home, an amazing wardrobe, etc.
A little more than a decade ago I began looking around at the things that filled this space we call home. There was an electric guitar and amp that I hadn’t played much since high school, endless wall hangings, outgrown clothing, an abundance of toys, second-hand dishes, and so much more.
As I decided what to keep within the walls of our home, and what to pass along to a new owner I saw an opportunity to make a little money while also tidying our space.
While attending a marriage conference Mr. Awesome and I stayed in the King Executive Suite of an extremely nice Marriot hotel for a long weekend (thank you Marriot Rewards). I remember wanting to replicate that space within our home. It boasted clean lines, only the most necessary furniture, and it was completely uncluttered, aside from our suitcases by the door and a stray take-out container.
I want to be sure to mention that this idea of curating a home you love is not about creating a designer home that makes the neighbors think you’re in a higher tax bracket. This is first and foremost for you, and the lovely people that either live with you or visit you.
This IS also about creating a home that you can walk into and feel at peace, and not overwhelmed. Just imagine walking in your door, smiling as you look around, and letting out a sigh of relief as a sign that your troubles are dropped at the door.
This is a place for you.
Your home should be a place you can’t wait to get back to after a long day away. Not because you’re a homebody, but because your home supports your body.
For Starters Try Looking Around For These 9 Things:
- Extra Blankets. Keep what you might NEED. The rest are just holding onto dust and don’t belong in your space.
- The Abundance Of Duplicate Chargers That We All Have In A Drawer Somewhere. Old cell phones could be swooped up in this mission too. Factory reset them and let them go.
- Pans You Don’t Love. Even if you home cook 21 meals a week, you’d be so surprised by how freeing it is to cook with only 1-3 pans.
- Broken Food Storage Containers, or those that you cannot find both the container AND the lid for.
- Books You No Longer Love, Or Will Honestly Ever Re-Read. If you pick it up and it doesn’t spark a positive emotion, let it go.
- Clothes. Hear me out, I want you to pull EVERYTHING out of your closet, lay it in your bed, and only put back in what you LOVE. Then put back in what you NEED (clothes for work, gardening, weather). What’s left? That’s your sell/donate pile.
- Toxic Candles. Keep one for an emergency, let go of the others. Really, it will be okay.
- Old Board/Card Games That Are No Longer Being Played. If they’re missing pieces, toss them. If they’re still playable, donate/sell them.
- Magazines. Put them all in a pile and pick a time within the next 3 days that you will flip through them. If you do, great. Now pass them along to someone else or recycle them. If you don’t get to them, same story- pass them on/donate.
Is there anything hanging on your walls that you don’t love? Do you have a piece or two of furniture that has never felt right for your space? Let them go. Don’t worry about what you will replace them with yet, just free up that space and see how that feels.
Next week: Digital Decluttering
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