April – Declutter Your Life in One Month

I am by no means a minimalist and I don’t entirely intend to become one either. I do, however, have way too much stuff and doing a big spring cleaning can feel really good. This month I’ve decided to clear out a few things from my life and I think you should too.

I broke up the month in 8 different categories, 2 per week and am required to get rid of at least one item per day. I set up 3 boxes. One each for Donations, Selling and Undecided and two bags one for Garbage and one for Recycling that I kept going the whole month.

My categories are:

1. Shoes/ Accessories
2. Electronics/ Miscellaneous drawer
3. Makeup/ Toiletries
4. Clothes
5. Paperwork/ Receipts
6. Kitchen and Storage closet
7. Books/ Living room
8. Computer Files / Undecided Box

Great Work!

Now, what to do with all of this stuff?

1. Clothing Swap

I love getting my friends together on a Sunday afternoon with some tea, cookies and a pile of clothes to share. It’s a great way to find new homes for your things and find some new items to add to your own closet. After the swap, all left over items go to the donation centre.

2. Donations

There are a lot of great places to donate your previously loved items. I suggest doing some research on where to take your items as not all thrift stores have the same values. My favourite places to donate are the local Women’s Shelter and a small not-for-profit thrift shop run by volunteers where all proceeds get donated to charities.

3. Recycle

Many Items can be recycled. Like old electronics, papers and some textiles. Check where in your city you can drop off items to be recycled or try to re-use and re-purpose things on your own.

4. Online Forums

Use Craigslist or Kijiji to sell unwanted items that are still in good condition. It’s a great way to make some extra cash if you are willing to put in a little extra effort. Also, check Facebook groups and other forums for local Buy and Sell pages that you can advertise things for free or for sale to others in your neighbourhood.

5. Consignment Store

If you have a lot of good-quality higher end clothing, a consignment store might be your best bet for getting some money and letting someone else do the work to sell. Just note that most places have strict policies about what they sell, for how much and when and usually the sale cut is around 60/40 for them.

Things to inspire:

1. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo *Follow me on Instagram for a giveaway coming soon @missnaomiivy
2. Throw Out Fifty Things – Gail Blanke
3. The Minimalist’s Series – I love their podcast and I know they have written a couple of books. Definitely worth checking out.

Doesn’t that feel good? Comment below with your biggest declutter category.