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This year I went on a journey towards being truly serious about decluttering our home of unnecessary items. I would conservatively say that we have reduced our belongings easily by 50% and I still feel that there is more that we can do this year. Is your dream to declutter your space this year and rid yourself of clutter forever? It is a common resolution and I am living proof that this is achievable, although I will always be a work in progress.
Today I want to share with you a few resources that have helped our family on the journey towards reclaiming our home- the transformation is so worth it!
Try the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge
I attribute the 40 Bags in 40 days Challenge as the kickstart towards decrapifying (that is totally a word!) our life. Each year White House Black Shutters shares a 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge that typically runs from March to April. During this challenge, you are encouraged to gather 40 bags of stuff that you don't need over the course of 40 days.
I never dreamed that I could gather that many belongings from our home, but it started me on a journey towards realizing how much excess we really did have. Each morning I started my day with a bag and tried to clear one spot in our house to create a more organized space. I did not typically have a plan, only a desire to remove anything that I saw throughout the day that we didn't need anymore. As each bag was unloaded, it made our space a little less cluttered and a little easier to upkeep.
Utilize this list to help you begin tackling different areas in your home and download the free printable to track your progress as you unload the clutter from your home.
This is an example of a space that needed attention in our home that I worked on in the Spring. With the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge encouragement, I was able to free our shed of unnecessary clutter and transformed it into a dreamy bonus room for our family. Who would have ever thought that this cluttered and embarrassing space could have ever been an oasis right on our own property?
Perhaps there is an area in your own home like this that with a clutter unload could become a cozy space for your family? Try this easy challenge to successfully achieve that goal!
Try Project 333: Experiments in Living With Less
Feeling inspired by my journey towards living with less, I began to turn my eye to my closet. In full confession, I had a lot of clothing in my closet and not a lot of closet space to house it. I started reading about fashion capsules and thought that minimizing my wardrobe while working on selecting key pieces that worked together would be a great way to continue my journey in decluttering our home of unnecessary items.
Have you heard of a capsule wardrobe before? A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing which is designed using only interchangeable items, in order to maximize the number of outfits which can be created. The aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing. This is usually achieved by buying what are considered to be “key” or “staple” items in coordinating colors.
Project 333 is what I am doing right now which is a minimalist approach to fashion that incorporates a 33-piece capsule wardrobe. Participants can have 33 items in their closet that they wear for three months. You are allowed to set aside 3 items that you can weave in as long as you weave items out, keeping the item number to just 33.
Although I have found the planning of my capsules to be a little stressful, once I execute them well, I have discovered that I have plenty of options in my closet to wear and actually get more compliments than I did when I had a closet that was overflowing.
You can view my current capsule as an inspiration for creating your own. My best advice though is to really create your capsule around YOU and not a capsule that is just copying someone else's style so you feel your best!
Try the A Bag a Day Challenge
You would think that after participating in the 40 Bags in 40 Days that our home would be completely clutter free. I fully admit, I am a work in progress and that I still have a ways to go. This year I am participating in the A Bag a Day Challenge from Inspired Room which is a 12-month decluttering plan to help you reclaim your home.
I like that this challenge isn't focused on organizing, but simply on ridding the excess from your home. With a beautiful outlined plan in place and the gentle encouragement of the beauty of Melissa's stunning home, who wouldn't want to rid their homes of the clutter?
Over the snowy holiday, I got rid of six bags of clutter and four bags of trash in our home. It was so freeing to let these items go and reclaim corners in our little house. I loaded these up in the car and took them over to the Goodwill donation bin, conveniently just down our road, and knew that these items would be put to good use in their store.
I hope you will find this post encouraging and hearing feedback from family and friends about our clutter-free spaces makes me even more proud of the journey we have taken towards a life with less.
I hope these ideas inspire you to declutter your space and reclaim your home! What are some of your favorite ways to declutter? Leave your ideas in the comments below!