Getting Rid of the Clutter

Yes. That's a closet in MY house...I'm ashamed. But I'm being real.

And truth is...its WAY worse now than it was when I took this picture. I guess that will happen when  you are showing your house trying to sell it! Yep. We're moving!!! {Hopefully} Stay tuned...that's another post. 

Anyway...Did you know babies come with A LOT of stuff!!?? 

Welp...they DO!! 

Your house can fill up just with baby stuff!! Especially when you live in a cute little townhouse. LOVE our townhouse and love that it forces me to simplify and really focus on the necessities and clear out the excess....as hard as that can be for me. That closet up there, though, has become the way it is from making room for baby stuff... 

One of the first steps I took as I focused on my "one word" for 2014 was simplifying our house. The hubby and I did a major "ho out of 2013" as 2013 drew to an end. We got ride of a TON of stuff!!! 

All within a matter of a weekend! 

The desire to set up a playroom and have space for all of Christian's new Christmas toys may have been a major motivator... 

Either way, we went through and did some MAJOR cleaning and decluttering and got rid of a ton of stuff that we don't use, don't like, or just plain don't need. No more almost no more closets full of clutter. Just that one closet up there in the picture...Otherwise every room is neatly organized and cleaned out...except for our bedroom closet which was sort of the catch all for stuff that still needs to find a home or an organizational plan...Maybe that will come in the next few months with the purchase of a single family home?? :) More to come on that! 

As we sorted through our stuff, I felt instant release in just cleaning out our stuff. We even made some money in the process by selling some books and other items online! That's a pretty good motivator for cleaning stuff out too if you ask me! 

Now that we have pretty much cleaned out and organized our whole house {which will make moving easier...} I have a few tips to share with you in case you are looking to simplify in 2014 and clear out the clutter! 

1. Go room by room. 

2. Make piles and sort out the entire room/area of a room before moving on to something else.

For example, go through each area of the room and make 5 piles - 

Keep, Relocate, Donate, Sell, Throw. 

Go through EVERYTHING. Even things that you think are "good". 

3. Ask yourself the following questions when trying to decide if you should keep something: 

"When did I last use this item? How often do I use it?" If you haven't used it in the past 3 months or so, it could go. And if you hesitate on if you need it or when you last used it...it could go :) 

"Will I use this item in the next 3 months?" 

"How much does this item cost?" If it is a cheap and easily replaceable item, it may not be worth storing it on the off chance that you will use it again (seasonal items, etc) 

4. Once you have sorted your piles in a single room: 

Bag up the "donate" pile.

Throw the "throw" pile.

Put away the "relocate" pile. 

Put back the "keep" pile.

5. Enjoy a glass of wine and celebrate your hard work then move on to the next room! 

What helps you declutter? 

Are there questions you ask yourself or steps you take in cleaning out rooms? 

What are your top tips for organizing and decluttering? 

I'd love to hear!! Please share in the comments :)