Declutter challenge - Day 8
There is an important element in decluttering that we haven’t hit yet, and I’m glad we will tackle it today. We (at least some of we--like me) need to learn how not to create more clutter once we get our clutter down. Enter Day 8 of Apartment Therapy’s Declutter Cure.
DAY 8 - MAKE ONE EFFORT TO PREVENT CLUTTER FROM ENTERING YOUR HOME.
Taryn Williford has been a dream with all of her tips. Today's tip is the one that I need to take to heart. It is all well and good to get rid of clutter, but who wants to tackle the same issue continually. Taryn shared many things we can do to cut down on new clutter and invited everyone to try one today. I’m going to share a few, but you can always sign up at Apartment Therapy for the challenge.
The first seven tips involve paper. If bills pile up, see about setting up electronic billing so you can have less paper flow into your home. Cancel catalogs and cancel magazine subscriptions if you are letting them pile up. Alternatively, go digital with your subscriptions (great for the environment). Set up a shredder or a recycle bin (I use my paper bags from the grocery store to gather my paper and have an ink roller get rid of address and accounts) where you open your mail and open the mail rather than just set it down.
Other ideas include the one in one out policy. Whatever nonfood item you are bringing in, donate, give away, or sell a like item. For me this is probably books which are so hard for me to part with. I love my books! But I will try to do this at least for my fiction (and take advantage of the library more). You can also keep a small donation basket at the door, and as you come up with things that you are no longer using, get them in that basket and take a trip monthly to donate those items. Lastly, set up some buying freezes in your home. Pantry eating is excellent for cutting down clutter and saving money. There are a lot of tips we can follow to prevent clutter. You might have one I haven’t thought of or Taryn hasn’t shared. You can always email me here.
Sign up for the challenge at Apartment Therapy and, of course, stop by the blog. Here’s the link to other posts.
