Many of us are trying very hard to live a clutter-free life, but failing miserably. We inhale book after book, like Marie Kondo’s ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,’ ‘The More of Less’ by Joshua Becker, and The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson but nothing seems to help curb the chaos.
You may not know this, but one of the biggest culprits of mess is our shopping trips. We all need groceries, toiletries and work clothes, but often we come back with other things like too many glossy magazines, more snacks on sale than we have room for, and irresistible mugs that we don’t actually need. Here’s a challenge: try giving up shopping for a week and see if the clutter stays at bay. Here are six things you can do instead of going to the mall.
Handmade Greeting Cards
The thing about going card shopping is we’re often indecisive and buy several greeting cards when only one is needed. Why not put pen to paper and write a heartfelt note. Better yet, get crafty and draw, paint or make a collage for that special person in your life.
Make your own Banana Bread
Store bought muffins and loaves are so handy, but they come with lots of extra packaging and mess. Don’t trust yourself to make something from scratch? No worries, buy a box of muffin mix. The box is recyclable, and once you’ve made the muffins or loaves store them in the fridge or freezer so they’re out of sight.
Defrost a Meal
Take-out and delivery food options put food on the table, but often leave more of a mess than the one we make cooking dinner at home. Have a peek through your freezer and see if there’s a frozen pizza, lasagna, or soup that can be defrosted.
Borrow a Book
There’s nothing wrong with buying books, but often, we don’t end up reading what we buy because we’ve already got a pile to get through. Renew your library card and from now on, only borrow one book at a time.
Organize your Closet
Not everything in your summer closet has to get put away until next year. Take a really close look at your wardrobe and see if there are any summer pieces that can be mixed and matched with your fall closet to create brand new outfits.
Clean your Wallet
These days, with so many gift cards being exchanged, we’re often carrying around one or more and we don’t even know it. Empty your wallet and see if there are any gift cards you can use or gift to someone else.
Change won’t happen overnight, but a good start is to slowly incorporate good habits into your everyday life. By training ourselves to see the value in what we already own as well as evaluating need versus wants, we can create the lives we want. Less clutter means less mess and this translates to peace and happiness. For a truly clean purge, contact MOLLY MAID for our detailed cleaning services.
Photo by NordWood Themes
