Hey, what's up, welcome back to Simple Happy Zen, it's Vera here
and today you were going to get some massive decluttering inspiration
going. And we are gonna do kind of a minimalism decluttering challenge where I'm gonna share 20 things to get rid of before 2020.
I always like to do a
seasonal decluttering session myself. Because it feels really good when a new period is starting so you get rid of some of the old things
that are not serving us anymore, or that are holding us back.
So then we can start the year off fresh and have space in our home, our mind and our heart.
The things I share in this video are gonna be quite easy to
identify and let go of. But will give you really great results in terms of simplifying your space and
decluttering your home. The first category is clothing that you haven't worn for a year.
So even if it is seasonal clothing...
there is no excuse, you are just not really using it. And it can be because it just doesn't fit right
or you're just not loving it for one reason or another.
You may have heard this step before
So I'm gonna go at it from a bit of a different angle today. A while ago, a viewer
commented on one of my videos and shared the amazing tip to force yourself to wear all the things that you are not really
wearing anymore for a month. Because when you actually wear them out and you force yourself to do it...
you will quickly realize why it is that you haven't really worn them.
So maybe you just honestly forgot about them and you're just really happy to be wearing them again, but maybe you realize oh
Yeah, this was really uncomfortable or oh, yeah, this fit is just not really flattering, etc
And by actually wearing them and identifying the reasons behind it...
it'll be easier for you to let them go afterwards. Or actually start wearing them again.
Because it forces you to be a bit more creative with finding outfit options that work.
So with December, what you could do is just wear things that you have not worn for a while.
This season's clothing, and get rid of anything that you did not feel happy in. So that you can start off the year
2020 with a freshly decluttered wardrobe. By the way, small disclaimer, when I say get rid of something...
I mean try to get rid of something in a mindful way whenever possible.
So see if you could sell it donate it, re-gift it and
if that's not possible, see if you can recycle it before throwing it in the trash.
Second category is anything that is paper in your home that you're not going to use anymore. So this can be magazines
you're just not going to read, if you're really honest with yourself, or you already have read books
you're not going to read again, old birthday cards that hold no special memory.
Receipts that you don't really need anymore or old notebooks that you already filled up. For me
one of the best categories to declutter are things that are taking up a lot of space in your home and
that are really heavy to carry. Because once you do it, and once these items are out of your house
it'll be such a big reward and just a great feeling of all that space opening up and all that weight being out of your life.
Also think about paper manuals for things. Nowadays
you can find any manual basically online or
there's a video on YouTube on how to do something. So you can always look up
information whenever you need it, and there is really no need to keep paper manuals around anymore.
Speaking of things that take up space, next item on my list is old boxes, cardboard boxes and
packaging. So we used to save all the boxes in this house, from the TV, the stereo my
hairdryer, anything and they take up a lot a lot of room. So if you have that going on just honestly ask yourself
Do you still need them? If you have used your hairdryer for a year...
you are not going to return it. And there's really no need to keep the box around. A lot of people, myself included a while ago...
tend to keep around things that are actually broken. And we tell ourselves that we're going to get them fixed
someday. And we never do. So take a look around your space and get rid of all the broken pens, broken utensils
torn-up jeans that you're just not really gonna use anymore.
And if you find something that you really do want to get fixed, then make it a point to go and get it fixed before
2020 starts. Number five is kind of a similar idea and that is items that are unsold so unsold items.
Most people tend to keep them around for a really long time, weeks, months, years even.
Because they want to sell them someday and they don't make time for it.
So what I want you to do is go online and see what these items are actually going for. Because
sometimes we do tend to overestimate their value.
When you find that it is really worth it to sell them or
you just want to sell them because you are kind of personally attached to it, and you don't want to throw it out...
then make it a point to actually go and sell them this month. And if they don't get sold, then maybe it's a good idea
to just donate them to someone who can use them, or give them to a friend.
Because they are not worth anything if they are just sitting in your home in a box.
Number six is your pantry. Get rid of anything that is expired.
And if you find things that you kind of forgot where there, see if you can use them up and eat them before
2020 starts. With the holidays coming up
there may be some cooking or baking going on, and this is really nice to do with a clean and organized pantry.
Also
Don't forget your spices, your spice rack, if you have that going on.
See if there's any spices that you bought like a year ago that you need it for one dish
But you're not really going to use again.
Then it is okay to get rid of them and create more space.
Next item is related to that and let us see if you can declutter your freezer.
So if you find some yummy things in there
See if you can just defrost them eat them use them up.
And if you find like things like
a bag of peas in there that has been sitting there for two years and it's mostly just ice by now...
then it is okay to get rid of it and just make room for all the yummy stuff of 2020. Number eight
Most people tend to hold on to old socks and old underwear for a really really really really long time.
So see if you can give yourself the gift of only owning those underwear and socks that are comfortable that you like using.
That don't have any holes in them, and that you wouldn't mind wearing if someone happened to find out what you're wearing.
Next is old linen and old towels, that you're just not really using anymore or that are just
dingy or torn or whatever. And if you have a lot of them in your home actually using all of them
That's fine.
But see if you can identify which ones you are not really using and maybe give them another purpose. Like some sort of cleaning rag
situation, or actually get rid of them.
So I personally have two sets of sheets and I can use one when the other is in the wash and that's enough for me.
Number nine, beauty products that are just expired or
you're not using because they are not your color or they don't match your skin type, etc
It's a waste to keep them around, and if they are sitting there for a while they can also become a source of
bacterial growth. So do a quick
decluttering session in your bathroom and get rid of anything that you are not using. And if you have something in there
that's still a good product, but just not for you, then
I'm sure that you have a friend who wouldn't mind at all getting that from you.
We all have these spaces in our home where we wouldn't really want to show people if they ever came to visit.
Because it's kind of messy or cluttered and for a lot of people one of these places is underneath their sink.
So take a look at whatever it is that you are keeping there, maybes cleaning supplies or other types of supplies, and
identify which ones you are no longer using. And then it would be a really good idea to just grab everything out and
wipe it off with a damp cloth and then put only the items back that you intend on using in the future.
A lot of people have a second home that tends to get cluttered, and that is their car.
So it's amazing how many things people actually keep in there, and what kinds of things people keep in there.
So if you do have one, just take a look around your car and
identify everything that you are just not using or that would make more sense to actually keep in your home. And if you have any
old candy wrappers stuff going on, then get rid of that, too.
Next take a look at your kitchen gadgets. And you can divide them up into three categories.
So use all the time can be on the counter, then use sometimes can be in a drawer or a cabinet, and
hardly ever use - I think you get where I'm going with this - can be a sold donated or given away. Next category
that would be great to declutter are decor items that do not spark
joy for you anymore. And decor items really only have one function and that is that they make you feel something
positive whenever you look at them. Either it's happy or inspired or at
peace, whichever one it is, and if they just don't really do anything for you anymore
then they might fit better in someone else's home.
I don't know how or why, but my purse and my wallet always get cluttered after a while.
So take a moment to go through them and just get rid of old receipts that you're not using anymore.
Maybe old candies, or chocolates or granola bars or whichever things you keep in there.
that have been in there for a while. Or old cards that you're not using anymore, etc. If you're into arts and crafts or
hobbies of some sort, you may have a lot of hobby items lying around. And having too much of them can actually
hold us back from really enjoying them and using them often. And really focusing more on our hobby.
And if our hobby area is cluttered then it can also stifle our creativity.
So go through that area and all your items and see which ones you are not using or not using
enough.
If you're having a tough time deciding which ones to get rid of and which ones to keep
then you can try the number trick. And that works like this.
So you pick a number of items that you feel comfortable with owning.
Let's say that you pick twenty, then it is just a matter of picking your twenty favorites. And then getting rid of the rest.
Or instead of a number you could also choose a space
so let's say a box or a tray or a drawer and
then you can fill that up with your favorite things. And get rid of the rest. If you have a space in your home where
it's just a bunch of cords and cables all up in some tangled ball...
or maybe some old electronics even, that you're not using, see what they actually are.
And if you actually have a use for them because cables and stuff
They can make a space feel so messy and disorganized because they are really easy to store neatly.
So especially if you have a lot of duplicates, then it may be good to just keep one of each for example.
As a plant lover, this kind of breaks my heart a little bit...
but if you have any dead plants around, then there's really no reason for you to keep them. If they are really dead then
not going to come back to life. And a little tip here
if you're just not sure if there's still life in the little guy, then try moving it somewhere else in your home.
Because sometimes it's simply just not thriving somewhere because it's in the wrong place. Either
there's too much sunlight, or not enough sunlight. And it doesn't always make sense either.
So try to move it around and see if there are some life coming back in it.
But if it's really dead then it might be time to just get rid of it.
Next category is one of my personal favorites because it is so rewarding
after you've done this. And that is deleting all apps that you haven't used in the last three months.
Keeping your phone and your other digital devices if you have any
clear and simple and organized is a great way to practice
digital minimalism. And one of the ways to do that is with being very mindful of which apps are installed.
Confession time, I used to be really hooked on a phone game called neko atsume where you had to collect cats in your
digital yard, and it was such a fun game. But even after not having really used it for a couple months
I didn't want to delete the app because I didn't want to give up the progress that I had made.
But after having deleted it, anyway, it felt very freeing and my phone even started to work a bit faster, too.
So if you can just delete all the apps that you're not using it might even be a good thing for your phone.
Then number 19 is for holiday decorations.
And especially if you are in the habit of decorating your home for Christmas, then take this opportunity to also go through all your
decorative items and see which ones you are actually really excited about using this year.
And which ones you are just basically keeping stored away without really taking them out and enjoying them.
So make use of this opportunity with Christmas coming around and keep only the ones that you really really love.
Lastly, to really start off the year 2020 with a fresh space, then identify and let go of anything your home
that's carrying bad energy negative emotions bad juju, what
you want to call it. Things that just make you feel badly when you look at them, let go of them.
You cannot really start anything new
if you are still holding on to negativity from the past. In this category can be all kinds of things, and it's kind of personal.
maybe it is gifts from exes or things from past relationships.
Things that make you feel guilty when you look at them, or stressed. Anything that is just not contributing to your happiness.
Let it go and experience how good that feels. All right, that's it
I hope this video really inspires you to tackle some things in your home and start 2020 off right.
I would really appreciate it
If you guys could give this video a thumbs up.
And of course if you're not subscribed yet then feel free to do so. Have a wonderful day and I'll see you next week
Bye. Bye
