The Year of Living Minimally – Week Twenty-eight

Did you make a resolution to declutter this year? Have you started? It can be a daunting project, I know.

Here are a few suggestions:

• For each new item you bring into your house, find one you can toss out (and by toss, I mean recycle if possible). You buy a pair of new sneakers. Get rid of the old ones. New dish towels? The old ones go.
• Don’t shop the sales. It’s too tempting. Shop for what you truly need. And purchase quality goods. A lot of the time, stuff is on sale because it isn’t selling – clothes that are out of style, linens that are of inferior quality.
• Say no sometimes! If it’s difficult for you to turn down requests for your time, then no wonder your life is cluttered! I was that person, but I’m learning. I can’t be everything to everyone everywhere. I used to feel as though I was letting people down when I said no. But I’m doing better.
• Get rid of one thing every day. I find this to be one of the best tips, especially if you’re overwhelmed with the prospect of decluttering. Just one thing each day!
• Don’t set a time frame. Yes, I know this series is my year-long blogging project, but I’m not going to stop living this way just because I’ll stop blogging about it each week. For me, it’s like Weight Watchers – a lifelong journey of trying to do better. I stumble plenty of times, but I always come back to trying.

So the beat goes on. This week I was triumphant against the temptation to buy stuff we surely didn’t need. Besides, I never would have heard the end of it!