Clutter — it grows like mould.
It seems like there’s always a spot in the home that’s in need of tidying up. We have plenty of guides on how you can declutter your home, but what about ways to actually prevent clutter from building up in the first place? We’ve rounded up a few easy tips on avoiding having too much stuff in your home so you don’t have to deal with it later on.
Organise electronic delivery of your bill and statements from banks, utility providers and credit card companies.
Not only does it make for easier access when you’ve got them all saved in one folder on a cloud or on your desktop, it’ll save you plenty of headache sifting through paper bills, too.
We all love freebies. But before accepting one, consider if it’s something you will actually use, or if it’ll make for an additional object that you’ll have to make space for.
The first step to reducing clutter is really just to stop welcoming stuff into the home, especially those that don’t have a place within your lifestyle habits.
Like freebies, gifts are often relegated to the back of our closets. And they come with sentimental value, making it especially hard to re-gift or donate them.
Come holiday season or your birthday, talk your loved ones into having a “no gift” arrangement — consider things and experiences like movie tickets, a donation to a charity of choice in your name, edible gifts, or even just celebrating with a meal.
Carve out a storage space for everything and store similar objects together — it’ll save you the pain of trying to figure out where an item should go (and ultimately leaving it on the kitchen table). Plus, it’ll allow you to see if there are already two or more of the same item.
Investing in aesthetically-pleasing storage containers will also help in giving the appearance of a clean, minimalist space.
Ideally, we’d all embrace the habit of cleaning up as you go. But if that’s not possible, allocate a short period of time each night after work to give a particular spot a quick tidy-up. This can be clearing the kitchen counter of dishes and appliances, folding a pile of laundry, or tossing out expired stuff in your fridge.
The 15 minutes taken up in your daily routine will save you precious time that could otherwise be spent with the family, and a whole lot of headache when it comes to the weekend or deep-cleaning days.
Everyone’s personal stuff should go into their bedroom, so communal spaces like the living room won’t be strewn with knickknacks and personal belongings. Each partner should have their own drawers and closet space, and the kids’ toys should be in their bedroom,
And even if the kids’ room is messy, at least it’ll be confined to their bedroom, and makes for easier tidying up. Get them in on the process of placing their toys and belongings in allocated baskets or on shelves.
So will your clutter. We’re all for retail therapy, and it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the sales season, but unnecessary purchases will only add to the clutter in your house.
Before spending on another decorative item that your shelf doesn’t have the space for, hit pause on that checkout button. Your wallet and home will thank you for it.
