REDUCING CLUTTER AND ORGANIZING ON A BUDGET
December 1st, 2022
While scrolling boards on Pinterest or flipping through decorating magazines, you might find yourself wishing for a picture-perfect house. But your reality might be quite the opposite of that cozy, perfectly organized, and clutter-free home of your dreams. Most of us don’t have endless budgets for installing designer closets or purchasing matching baskets and bins. So how can you achieve that flawless look on a budget?
We’ll let you in on a little secret: Never accumulate so much stuff that you have to buy more stuff to store it! Instead, follow these steps to get organized on a budget.
Declutter first. Don’t even think about organizing until you’ve gotten rid of things you no longer need, like, or use. If you haven’t used something in more than a year, give it away. And if you’re on a budget anyway, why not turn your decluttering campaign into a garage sale? Might as well make some money while you’re at it!
Divide into zones. Avoid distractions by decluttering one room, or even one area of a room, at a time. Focus on a closet, then a bookshelf, and then a desk, and so on. Take one box for trash, one box for items to donate or sell, and one box for items that should be relocated, and don’t allow yourself to leave that zone until it has been cleared. No walking around the house putting things away! As you clean out drawers, shelves, baskets, and bins, you will likely find that you have plenty of room to organize now that you’ve reduced your possessions.
Don’t try to do it all at once. You’ll drive yourself crazy and risk burnout. Tackle one or two zones per day until you’ve decluttered the entire house.
Now, organize. Group like objects together and store them where it makes sense. Seasonal items that are used once per year can be placed in the attic, basement, or storage shed. This is the one time that you should consider investing in new containers if you need waterproof bins to protect your belongings. Rather than giving into temptation to purchase more cute, decorative baskets, make your own from shoe boxes and contact paper. Scan Facebook Marketplace or other resale sites for shelves and other cheap materials, but only buy what you truly need.
Avoid clutter in the future. So many of us shop when we’re bored, or because there’s a good sale, or we think we might need something someday. But we can reduce clutter in our lives, while saving money at the same time, by only shopping when we truly need something.
If you need a secure place to relocate excess treasures out of your house, give us a call to discuss to discuss our month-to-month small storage unit options. We can help you through any transition period so that you keep the things you love and eliminate the stuff that’s weighing you down. At Ranch RV & Self-Storage, we’re committed to friendliness, cleanliness, and peace of mind!