Spring cleaning fever usually hits us here in the US during March and April. It’s also the season for yard sales and garage sales. So, what better way to get ready for those yard sales than to start streamlining now. Don’t worry, if you’re not into hosting your own garage sale, I’m sure a friend will gladly take it off your hands to make some cash.
Letting go of our stuff can be difficult for several reasons.
1. It’s sentimental.
First of all, if you have stuff lying around your house that’s sentimental, do what you can to showcase it!
• Do you have a box of photos from your grandparents? Frame a few and put them on the wall. Scan the rest or put them neatly in an album.
• Do you have souvenirs from a fabulous trip you took years ago? Put them in a memorabilia box and set it out as decoration.
But if it’s sentimental and you don’t want to showcase it, perhaps it’s time to let them go. It doesn’t mean the memories have to fade. Capture the moment for future reference and streamline your house so you can enjoy the here and now!
• Do you have trophies in an old box from your youth? Knickknacks from an old friend? Memorabilia from a special event? If you’ve been storing box loads of items to show your children one day, I know you don’t want to get rid of the memories.
• Perhaps there is another way to remember the event other than a big box in the garage. Get creative. Maybe you could take a picture of each item and put it on a blog or in a scrapbook with a story about the event.
• Did you pay big bucks for your “stuff” but you really don’t need it anymore? I can totally relate to this. About 5 years ago, I purchased an iPod. Then a year later, someone gave me a “better” one. Since I had paid hard-earned money for that original iPod, I wanted to save it…you know, in case I needed it one day. I still haven’t “needed” it and it’s worth about 2 cents now. The reality is, if I wanted to sell it, even at a steep discount, the most money I ever would have gotten out of that old iPod was back then. That’s really the way most things work now. Production costs are so low that the price point to purchase something new keeps going down. If you really want to streamline your life, get rid of anything you don’t need NOW…don’t wait until later or you will be sorry.
3. It’s just too overwhelming.
Sometimes we don’t get rid of the things we don’t need just because it seems too overwhelming. When you think about cleaning out an entire garage, it seems overwhelming. But when you think about getting rid of one thing every day that you don’t need, it seems feasible.
That’s where this monthly habit comes in. I want to challenge you to get rid of one thing each day this month. 31 things that you don’t need.
You may think that’s impossible; that is until you think about it for a minute. Let’s quickly brainstorm to come up with some ideas of things we may be keeping around our home but don’t need or use, or love.
1. Old magazines
2. Books we’ve never read
3. Expired coupons
4. Clothes that don’t fit
5. Duplicate items
6. Gadgets that are never used
7. Outdated paperwork (ex. insurance policies from previous years)
8. DVD’s never watched
9. Toys the kids have outgrown
10. Formal dresses that will never be worn again.
These are just ten top-of-mind ideas. I bet the majority of us could knock out the entire month just by getting rid of one magazine or book each day! If not, I’m sure you can come up with 31 random things to trash, sell, or donate.
Look at it this way. If you can get rid of 31 things that you don’t need, you’ll have 31 fewer things to clean or clean around. The chore of keeping your home clean and organized will be so much easier!!
Let it go and streamline your life!
Your assignment for today:
• Continue working on Habit #1 & Habit #2.
• Start working on Habit #3.
• Get rid of any and everything you can so you can streamline your life!
• Continue working on your Rainbow calendar..
