It’s late at night. As you try to unwind, all you can do is look around at the undone chores and projects and rewrite your to do lists. The laundry needs finished. The bookcase is overflowing with knickknacks that need to be organized. The pantry is busting at the seams.
Then, when you start thinking about the upcoming holidays and grandparents chomping at the bit to spoil the kids. So many toys are already working their way out of the playroom and into every other room of the house – even the bathroom!
So now it’s time to de-clutter the mess and get my house, life and energy back, not only for the holidays but for GOOD! While I’m at it, I might make a little extra cash for gifts, too.
Simple Tips to Cut the Clutter
Rediscover the Joy in Your Stuff
Why do we hang on to things for “just in case” moments? Instead of wondering when you’ll use something, look at that piece and say “Does this bring me JOY?” If not, set it in your pile of items that will later be sold or donated. I find this mentality to really help me say goodbye to items that I honestly just don’t need.
End the Endless Clothing Battle
Recently, our family spent an entire week going through all things clothes. I was in a state of SHOCK when we stepped back and saw that we had over 20 lawn bags full of clothing for the Salvation Army. Twenty huge, massive, stuffed-full bags of clothes. That’s a lot of empty totes and drawer space! After getting rid of all of these items, it’s made the laundry battle a winnable one – and helped us organize more of the house with all those empty totes!
Image Credit: Jackie M Graham for eBay
Out with the Old
We all have it. It’s that one drawer that just keeps getting fuller and fuller. The gadget drawer. The junk drawer. The place where our perfectly good – but no longer wanted – gadgets go, dreaming of a new family to love them. Time to sell! Services like eBay Valet, eBay’s professional selling service, do all the work while you continue to sift through the clutter for more treasures to sell.
Share the Love
A few summers ago, while we were homeschooling, a family gave us boxes and boxes of educational magazines for kids. My boys loved these magazines and spent hours looking through every issue. Last summer, as I was trying to de-clutter the bookshelves, I decided that it was time to say goodbye to the beloved magazines. We put a bunch of them into a box, walked down the street and delivered them to a family with little girls that had just moved in. Not only did it free up space for new books but it also gave the magazines a fresh set of eyes to enjoy them.
Image Credit: Jackie M Graham for eBay
So what does this all mean for YOU?
As you clean out the kids closet, the kitchen cupboards, the storage room, and all the other places that seem to be sucking the joy out of your home, think about those items in new light. If something doesn’t bring joy into your life, then it’s time to say goodbye. If it’s waiting for that just in case moment, then it’s time to say goodbye. If it has been upgraded and will no longer be used, it’s time to say goodbye.
Decide which items you can share with friends, neighbors, your church or other places and donate them. For those other gems that are in perfectly good condition but no longer loved by your family – sell them! We can all use some extra cash around the holidays for that turkey dinner, stocking stuffers, and new shoes for the kids that refuse to stop growing. If you don’t have the time (or the know-how), use services like eBay Valet, eBay’s professional selling service, to sell the items for you. Instead of trying to photograph, list, and figure out the best selling price, they do it for you, saving your time and your sanity.
Still not sure? Sit back and read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for even more tips and motivation for de-cluttering your life. and find a refreshing renewal in the art of having LESS! Also, print out this handy ‘KonMari for Kids’ guide (created exclusively for eBay), and use it to remind you of what you are doing and the why as you go through each room.
