Simply TLC

As I walk into my daughter’s room, and as I open the once decluttered cup cabinet or try to open the once simplified junk drawer that now gets hung up by junk, I’m reminded that decluttering is a lifestyle and not just a one and done task. My daughter’s room that we just decluttered a few months ago is now a disaster that I don’t even want to walk in. So what happened? We got rid of all the junk so it should stay decluttered and simplified right? Well, Christmas and a birthday happened and while she didn’t receive an excessive amount of gifts from us, she got gifts from other people along with money. I would take her shopping and see that she was about to purchase some toy that she definitely did not need, but she would remind me that it was her money and she should he able to spend it how she wanted. Unfortunately, I caved and let her spend it the way she wanted and now we have a messy room that she is not able to maintain, and I do not want to maintain it! Same for the cup cabinet. I decluttered it and got rid of the cups that I no longer used, but then parades and parties happened and we now have a dozen little plastic cups we don’t need. Also, once we finished up a jar of something that I canned, I failed to put the canning jars back where the canning jars go which results in cups not fitting into the cabinet and things falling out when you open the cabinet door. These are just examples of how things get out of control so easily and here are some ways to keep things from getting out of control.

Be the gatekeeper of your home. Something I’ve failed at is not allowing junk back into my home that I know is not going to be beneficial or useful. Just like my daughter and her spending money, before I knew it her room was a total disaster and we were back to square one. I finally gained my senses and explained to her that she could not buy anything else even, even if it was her own money, for at least 3 months. She was allowed to spend her money on an activity or special food items, but absolutely no toys, clothes, or anything else that would clutter her life even more. Now she did manage to go off with a certain grandpa that let her buy a toy or two, but for the most part I stuck to my guns. It’s ok to tell your children no even if it’s their own money.

Control your own urge to hobby shop. I’ve definitely been guilty of shopping out of boredom, or just for the fun of it. However, when you hobby shop you end up with things you never knew you wanted or needed and most of the time it turn out you didn’t want or need after all. Instead of shopping as a hobby, shop with a specific purpose. If you’re bored, take a walk or read that book that’s been on your bookshelf for two years now. Think hard before you buy. Ask yourself if this item is going to bring joy or be useful in your current season, or is it going to be something you shuffle around or shove into a drawer or closet to forget about. Remind yourself of how much easier it is to maintain your home when it is simplified and decluttered.

Create checkpoints for decluttering. We all know by now that decluttering is not a one and done thing but a continuous process. Try creating a check point for decluttering. This could be as often as once a month revisiting the areas that tend to get out of hand, or as little as once every 3 months. Write it in your calendar if necessary, but make sure you’re going back through that junk drawer from time to time before it becomes a total disaster. You don’t want to and shouldn’t have to spend the amount of time decluttering as you did when you first started. If you are maintaining your simplified lifestyle, 15 minutes here and there should be sufficient to keep your home in order.

We all need the reminder to keep what we can out of our homes and to deal with the things that come beyond our control. Don’t let your possessions possess you. Make them work for you and not the other way around. I’m wrapping up this post and I’m going to go do some maintenance decluttering around my home. I hope you join me!