Sometimes it only takes a few words to remind ourselves that clutter can be avoided if we just took a couple of minutes to put away an item or make a decision about letting something go to the donation bin or the trash bin. Here are a few easy tips to help you get started:
- Lighter reading - Whenever you get a magazine in the mail, take a couple minutes to skim through the issue, tear out the articles that you want to read, and toss the rest of it in the recycling bin. When you’re stuck in line at the store or on the bus, pull out the article from your purse or totebag and catch up on your reading. Don’t let those magazines pile up!
- Bag it - Have you noticed bags in your pantry with half-eaten or forgotten snacks? When you get home from the grocery store, portion snacks into ziptop bags and keep them in a basket on the counter or cupboard. It makes packing lunches easier and gives you neat portion control.
- Packaged sheets - When putting away your linens, instead of putting pillow cases and sheets in different stacks and searching for matches later, place all the coordinating pieces into one pillow case so you have one package to grab from the linen closet instead of looking on separate shelves or bins.
- Faster returns - As soon as you realize that your purchase was the wrong size, wrong fit or just wrong in general, place the item and its receipt immediately by the front door or mudroom, or put it in your car. The longer it sits in your closet or in your house, the quicker you’ll forget and the sooner it turns into pricey clutter.
- Don’t take the giveaway - There are lots of promotions and freebies out there from companies wanting your business. It feels nice to receive, but in these cases, it only takes a few seconds to say “no thank you” to avoid clutter from things you probably won’t use and don’t need. If you do accept something like a t-shirt or hat, add them to your donation bin where it will be most effectively put to use.
