How to Stop Clutter Before It Starts

Sometimes I just sit back and wonder, how in the world the clutter crawled up on me. How did it get there, I thought I was organized and on top of it.   Apparently not, apparently I wasn’t as diligent as I thought I was.  I have to re-address How to Stop Clutter before it Starts again.  It feels like two steps forward, one step back.  This is just honestly the season of life I am in.

How to stop clutter before it starts

Stoping clutter before it starts is simply staying on top of the everyday organization.  You have to be diligent at staying organized as well as keeping track of what you need and what you don’t need.

1. Don’t buy things just because you don’t know if you have any more or you can’t find the items. Don’t add to your clutter.  Use items up before replacing them.  Also when you run out of an item re-evaluate if there is another item that you buy that would serve the purpose of both needs.
   We have just started using the Google Dot / Echo Dot.  You can make a grocery list, a want list, and even a wish list just by simply saying Ok Google, add this to my “grocery” list. When you are ready to head to the store, you can have it emailed or texted to you. 
2. Learn to say NO. Say no to things that come into your home.  I am guilty at this.  Very quick to allow things to come into my home that not necessarily helps with the organizational function of my home.  For example, I might be at a friends house and they have a beautiful bowl that they don’t need and ask me if I want it.  I have to refrain so many times because one,  I don’t need another bowl and two, it doesn’t have a place in my kitchen.  Say no to things that don’t have a place to belong in your home.
3. Drop the guilt of keeping items that someone gave you.  I have this one jar that I have that someone painted and gave to me.  It is cute and makes me think about this person every time I move it to get it out of my way.  initially, it was something that brought joy when I looked at it.  Now, I don’t have a home for it and it just keeps getting in the way.  I need to pass it on to a new home.  The giver will not mind and I have enjoyed it for season.
4. Take a break from shopping.  Even from Goodwill or the local thrift store.  Good deals don’t always make sense when you don’t need to replace something.  If you bring in another shirt to the closet but you have 20 others, you really are just adding more clutter and a crowded closet.   Walmart might have a killer sell on Rubbermaid containers but if you have 10 already, you don’t need to add to your collection. It will just fall when you open the cabinet because they don’t stack great.

Hopefully, these four clutter busters will help you stop the clutter before it starts.  I know I have already implemented 3 out of the 4 and working on the NO word daily.

Here is a post I wrote several weeks ago on 5 Quick Clean Up Tips When The Guests Are Gone.