- Well, it's the beginning of a new year, and most of us have some
serious decluttering goals
that we want to achieve in the next 12 months. However,
sometimes when we go to get started, we look around, we see all of our clutter, all of this stuff that
we have to deal with, it's not uncommon to feel overwhelmed or
even a little defeated before you even get started. And so I love what
Dana from A Slob Comes Clean says. She says start with the easy
stuff. When we look at our clutter, we have a way of imagining that
it's all hard and difficult. But she says there is always
easy stuff in any given space. So today we're gonna talk about 22 easy
things that you can declutter here at the start of this New Year, so that you
can free up some space in your house, get some decluttering wins and feel
motivated as we head into this New Year. Well, hi, I'm Dawn from The Minimal
Mom. If we haven't met before, I'm married to Tom and we have
four kids ages eight through 12. And we've lived as minimalists for
about seven years now and we love it. It just keeps getting better and better. And so we love sharing tips and tricks
to help you simplify your home quickly. With that being said, I also have to say thank you so much for
all of the kind words and comments on last Friday's video, where we celebrated 500,000 subscribers
and kind of did a look back over the last four years in all of
our videos. Just so you know, when you comment and subscribe and give
thumbs up on anyone's videos that you want to support, it
actually makes a difference. This is what showed up on my
screen when I logged in to YouTube. So your comments, everything you do
to share our videos and support us, it really does make a difference.
And so can I ask a quick favor? If you haven't done so
already, would you subscribe? It doesn't really matter and it's not
even gonna change your feed or anything like that. But I do think
it gives credibility to
what it is that we're doing. And it's like a vote of
support that yes, these ideas, they really do work and they really
can change lives. And so, like I said, many of us have big goals
heading into this New Year, and I really want to see you be successful
getting your home decluttered so that you can enjoy the benefits. So let's talk about 22 easy things that
you can declutter here at the start of 2022 to really get started on
the right foot. Okay, well, we normally start in the kitchen. Maybe
we shouldn't start in the kitchen today. Let's head to the bedroom because there
is something that I have never done. Okay, so it is the
beginning of the New Year. And what are you supposed to do
at the beginning of the New Year? You're supposed to flip all your hangers
backwards, right? So that you know, like this is clear evidence if you
are wearing these clothes or not. Before we even get started, this isn't
even a decluttering thing, I guess. Flip all of your hangers backwards, but something you can declutter while
you're in there are unused and extra hangers. Ones that are just random, like wire hangers that you don't even
use or any other extras you have. Because we don't actually
need more hangers, right? Throughout the course of this year, hopefully we're gonna be
simplifying our wardrobe more, so get rid of those extra
hangers. While you're in there, just make a quick pass. Is there
anything that you have not, you know you have not worn in the
last year. If it has hang tags on it, it's a pretty good sign. Now back
in 2020, you remember that year? We didn't know if we were gonna come
back to wear some of this stuff again. The dress clothes, the
smaller sized clothes. But now we have a much better grid. We've
had two years of this under our belt. So if there are clothes that you
clearly are not wearing, please, can we just part with them now? Start the New Year off on a fresh foot
and not have stuff hanging in our closet that's gonna taut us. Another super easy thing we can declutter
are socks with holes in them or any other undergarments that have holes
in them or are stretched out beyond good wearing anymore. So if there's any workout
clothes or athletic stuff
or swimsuits that, you know, over time the elastic just goes
bad. But this is a good thing. This makes it an easy decision. If
it is worn out or stretched out, part with it now, because you don't
need that kind of stuff in the New Year. And then also make a quick pass through
your pajamas and at-home clothes. Basically my grid for it now is if I
had to answer the door wearing this, would I be embarrassed if someone
saw me in it? If I would be, I'm gonna pass that stuff on because I
have plenty of other that I could wear and I don't need to have stuff that
doesn't make me feel good. Okay, so that was kind of like our own bedrooms. Let's talk about kids'
bedrooms real quick, and then we're gonna move on
to storage spaces and kitchens. So this is the perfect time
of year to declutter toys, because new toys have just come in. So let's just look for old toys that
are broken, have missing pieces, or that your kids have outgrown. It's important that we always have toys
for the current age and stage that they are. So if they are old toys that
they don't play with anymore, either we donate them or we
put them in the memory bin. If they're super special, toss it in
the memory bin. We'll hang onto those. But if they've just outgrown it, let's pass it on so other kids can make
use of it. And while you're in there, you might wanna look for
obvious trash and garbage too. We filled a whole trash bag in our
boys' room just this past weekend. So kids are naturally
like collectors of stuff, so just make a quick pass through with
a black trash bag and you can get a ton out as well. Okay, why don't we stop by living spaces before
we head to the bathroom and kitchen? So let's look for old
magazines and catalogs or
newspapers that we can pass on. Why not start with a clean slate for the
new stuff that will come in and recycle all of that old stuff? We can also look for old pet toys and
supplies that they aren't using anymore as well. And before we leave this space, how about any books that
you're clearly not using? Now I would not put books in an
easy category, but like Dana says, in every category, there are easy things. So there are probably at least a dozen
books that you are not using or are very unlikely to ever visit again. So why not just look for 10 or 12 that
you can part with right now and clear up a little bit of space on
your bookshelves? Okay, I don't know why I'm avoiding the kitchen. Let's go to the bathroom first and
then we'll come to kitchens. Okay, so I actually just recently
did a bathroom purge. Let's first look at self-care
stuff. Like candles, essential oils, even fancy lotions that are
meant to care for ourselves. If you don't love it, let's part with
it. So if you don't love the smell, you don't love how it feels on your skin, or you just simply never put that
essential oil in the diffuser, let's agree to part with
that stuff now. Again, I would very much put this in the easy
category, because you don't like it. And we don't need to keep stuff that we
don't like, because it never gets used, right? As well as jewelry that you haven't
used in the past year or two. I was amazed when I went
through my jewelry recently. I had forgotten there were
some earrings in the back. And when I actually thought
about it, I was like, wow, I have not worn those in a year and
a half. That was remarkable to me. Time flies by, right? And if you have not worn it or used
it in the last couple of years, it's just so unlikely that we're
gonna use it in the future. So let's clear out the extra stuff, let the stuff we do wear on a
regular basis be front and center, and we'll keep wearing that and
we'll let the other stuff go. Also, if you have any old
eyeglasses, let's donate those now. Most places where you get an eye
exam, you can also donate them. So pass them on so someone else
can make use of them. Okay, heading into the kitchen now. Again, we're looking for easy stuff that
kind of takes up a lot of space. So how about plastic bags? We had
gotten so good at using reusable bags, and then we started doing grocery
pickup. And it's such a bummer, at Aldi they'll do paper bags, but at Walmart you just get a gazillion
plastic bags and it really bumps me out. I'm hoping they're gonna come
up with a solution for that, but you can recycle them. So
pull out all those extras, leaving just the amount that you would
actually use. And then, like I said, we also end up with
tons of paper bags too. So clean those out and recycle those so
that we have space as we go into the New Year to accumulate more.
Similarly, plastic cups, mugs, water bottles, and travel
mugs can all accumulate. You might have even got a new one
for Christmas recently, right? And so let's make a quick pass through, getting rid of any of the cheap
plastic cups that we don't need, any water bottles that
you're clearly not using, or any mugs that just
don't have meaning. Again, I have mugs that are very special
to me now. I'm gonna keep those. But there's others that come in
that have no value to me anymore. So I'm gonna move that stuff out. Again, knowing that it's gonna clear up some
space in my cabinet so it's very easy to put stuff away when I'm
unloading the dishwasher. We can also make a pass clearing off
the front and the side of the fridge. So quite a while ago, I just decided that, I think cause I don't like visual clutter, that we were just gonna keep
the front of our fridge clear. And it feels so good. I love how our kitchen feels when the
front is cleared off. But you do you, it's up to you. But the side can then
sometimes still accumulate stuff. Remember, we still use the memory
bin. So if it's super special, I throw it in the memory
box. But otherwise, some of the other stuff can get tossed
in the garbage and that's totally okay. Now I wasn't sure if I should
put tech cords, technology cords, in the kitchen or another
space in the house. But we keep ours in the kitchen
and they have multiplied like crazy. But here's what you'll find with
all these charging cords for things, is that there's like
three universal styles. And so you don't have to keep all of
them because they're interchangeable between devices. So just
look at the end of the cord. And if you have many
multiples of the same style, you can get rid of the extras because
you'll still have plenty and be able to charge and connect anything that you
need to. Okay, so lastly in the kitchen, we probably have to talk about
old freezer food. So we try, Cas from Clutterbug has said this, she'll have nights of the week where
they literally try to eat up all of the random stuff in the freezer or
the fridge. And I love that. We're not as disciplined about it as she
is, but every once in a while I do say, okay, we're gonna use up everything in
the freezer, get back to square one, in our upstairs fridge freezer. We're gonna use it all up before we
order any more frozen stuff that has to go in there. And so sometimes you
end up with some really random meals, but it feels good to use it up.
But if it is way past using, let's just toss it now. Again, we wanna head into the New Year with a
clean slate and not have to worry or feel bad about all that old
stuff in there. Okay, so let's head into storage spaces
or other miscellaneous stuff. How about things that we wanted to return,
but we have missed the return window? Doesn't it feel... I hate that, right?
Like knowing you wasted money. Now, sometimes you can contact them. Actually, you can contact Amazon and they
will often extend it for you. But we have to decide, is it worth the
effort? Are you actually gonna do that? And so we're just gonna agree to
cut our losses and let it go. Now, if you're not in a position to be
able to cut losses right now, okay, then we're gonna pull it out and we're
gonna agree that today we're gonna contact them to see about still
returning it. But regardless, don't put it off another day.
Either donate it or deal with it. But today is the last day.
We're done with those items. Another thing that might slip into the
little bit more difficult category is Christmas gifts that you got, that you
know you aren't going to use. Again, could we agree just to
deal with those today? Let's either sell it or donate
it or put it in a regifting bin, so that we don't have to feel guilty
every time we see it that we're not using it. How about furniture in storage? Again, we want to go into the New
Year with a clean slate. So if you have furniture that has
been in storage that you're not using, what is gonna change over the course of
the next few months that's gonna cause you to use it? And if the answer is
nothing, let's say, you know what? It's been quarantined.
It's been time tested. It's been set away and I haven't used it. So let's agree to either put it for
free, donate it or put it on Marketplace. Again, often you can drag it up to your porch
and put like $2 on it and it will be gone. Like see you later, right? So
let's agree to part with that stuff now, because that's a big win. That's gonna free up a lot of
space in your storage spaces. Okay, unused games and puzzles. You know
if you're not using these things. Sometimes we get nostalgic or we think
I really hoped I was gonna use it. But if you're really stuck on
this, a tactic that you can use, it's similar to turning your
hangers backwards in your closet, is put a Post-it note on all
the boxes of games and puzzles. And when you use them, you
remove the Post-it note. So it's very clear that
you've used it and played it. And then in the next three
to six months or year, any games that still have
the Post-it note on it, then it's a clear sign that you can donate
those. Okay, extra boxes and mailing, shipping container things. Now through the holidays, I keep extra. Let's agree on either a set amount or a
space where you keep those and only keep what comfortably fits in there. And then now it's safe to let
the rest of those go. Ooh, extra or organizing containers. So again, we were working in the boys' room this
past weekend and there was a bunch of extra bins and organizing
containers. And I'm like, these have to leave the house,
otherwise they will fill up again. Stuff that holds stuff will hold stuff.
Okay. Wow. That's everything. So really, like truly, most of these things are fairly simple
and they're gonna make a difference, not only how your house feels,
but how you feel about yourself, that you're making progress and you're
seeing some results this New Year. If you are looking for more support, I highly encourage you to check out
our Take Your House Back course. It's just so much fun. It's so
good. You get such great advice. We have heard so many testimonies from
friends who have said, I was stuck. I couldn't move past. I was indecisive.
I had a lot of sentimental stuff. All the different scenarios. And we have
been able to help them move past this. And I really think it's because of Dana, Cas and I coming together and talking
through these things together. Sharing our best, best,
best tips together. There is just something about that
collaboration that is so special and so effective. So if you just feel really stuck or you
want some support and community around this process, I highly
encourage you to check that out. We have other resources too, that I'll
link to down below. And of course, you can keep just watching our videos
and we're gonna be here to cheer you on and encourage you too. But I'm
excited for you. This is the year. Like you can declutter your home. We have come out of the last two years
with a much clearer idea of what we use and what we don't use. What makes us
feel safe and secure and what doesn't. So we're gonna use that knowledge as we
head into this New Year and it's gonna be so good. All right, I love you. I hope that you have a great
day and I'll see you again soon.
