So, Christmas was only just over and, unsurprisingly, I got itchy feet. As much as I had fun putting up the decorations and enjoyed the twinkle and sparkle over the festive period, the house always feels a bit cluttered to me after the 1st of January! In one way, there’s a bit of disappointment in having to acknowledge that the celebrations are over for another year – Christmas is without a doubt the most hyped-up event on the calendar. On the other hand, the house always feels so much brighter and more airy when the decorations are boxed and atticed off. I always like what that reclaimed space represents in terms of New Year, new start.
If you’re like me and your living area isn’t very big, you’ll notice that even a few new Christmas goodies put extra strain on the already-at-a-premium space. With the decorations out of the way for another year, we got stuck into a bit of decluttering and reorganising.
We updated my husband’s wardrobe, giving what was suitable to charity and recycling the rest. We amalgamated the contents of two wardrobes into one, and we were able to give the spare free-standing wardrobe and extra hangers to a family member who just moved into a new home. We also passed on some useful electrical goods that we weren’t using.
Having reviewed the bookshelf we donated a dozen or so books to charity (I have my favourites that I flick through again and again, and I’m kidding myself if I think I’ll ever get around to reading anything that isn’t non-fiction). We cleared out old batteries, light bulbs, rechargers and headphones (these become obsolete and gather dust very quickly) and we disposed of them conveniently at our local recycling plant.
I also went for a run… jog……..walk……………. early in the New Year (although my in-laws got a great laugh out of it when I mentioned it on New Year’s Eve) and it was great for clearing the old mental clutter!
So, your turn. What do you need to let go of this New Year? Please share your comments below – I would love to hear your thoughts.
Decluttering and letting go….
Hi Breda
Happy New Year! Thanks for the upbeat inspiring post. I got my tree down Sunday 4th as had enough of the hemmed in feeling – the space issue though I too throughly enjoyed the holiday. Apart from that I just caught up with laundry backlog but now you have given me some ideas here. I never know where to start. So I am going to go through all electrical stuff, batteries, bulbs, Cameras etc in various spots around the house and declarer that stuff once and for all. I never thought of approaching it as a ‘category’ before – I would clear out a room or part of a desk/cupboard. I would put recital, spare cables/plugs (a lot of redundant stuff) to one side to recycle. But it never felt worth my while going to recycle small amounts so it would end up back in the desk – wherever. The idea of going through the whole house (& garden shed) & clearing out this ‘category’ of stuff will make a journey to the recycling spot well worthwhile!! Great idea. Thanks.
Hi Una, lovely to hear from you and thanks for the great comment! So glad you found the post of help and very interesting to hear that the tree was making you feel the same as myself! Sounds like you’ve created a fine plan for your decluttering and organising – best of luck with it! Breda x
This is really great for those of us who are trying to balance family life, work,
and school.
Thank you Mollie, glad you enjoyed the article. Breda
Really good and helpful website Breda
Thanks so much, it’s nice to get your feedback! Breda
I love your idea about purging old toys berofe Santa drops another bagful down the chimney. I work with a lot of moms and remind them of this before the holidays. With two little kids at home, I practice what I preach and do it in my own house, too!
It’s challenge staying on top of the kids’ stuff for sure, so great to hear that! Breda x