Easter has come and gone for this year. I enjoyed spending time with family and of course I ate far too much chocolate. It was also our wedding anniversary – 7 years! Paul and I enjoyed some time together … catching a movie and dinner.  I managed to squeeze in a few projects, which I hope to show you all in the coming weeks. This weekend also marked the end of the 40 bags in 40 days decuttering challenge … so what next? As a final wrap up I thought I would share my tips for keeping the clutter under control … after the challenge ends.

1. A home for Everything

Things without a place to call home can quickly become clutter. Everyday household items like toys, papers, craft projects, etc tend to wander, gather mates along the way, and end up as clutter. Establish a home for everything or a dedicated clutter reserve, such as a baskets or files to keep the clutter within boundaries. I set up a dedicated magazine holder to deal with the inflow of school certificates, artwork etc as part of the challenge (see here) and this has worked a treat!

2. organised chaos

I found the areas which needed the least decluttering, were those where I had already set up an organising system. I great example was our desk drawers. The drawer organisers had kept me from randomly throwing things in … consequently very little decluttered was needed. This also applied the chest-of-drawers in my bedroom, where I had used dividers to keep it my smalls organised (sorry no picture … a girl needs some secrets).

3. Cut the Ties

Free yourself from the clutter and pass it on as soon as you can.  For items which still have some life left in them, you may want to consider selling them on line (I like selling on ebay). Hold a yard yard or garage sale, or try the local car-boot sales. Your clutter will be gone and the cash will comes in handy. Otherwise you may like to donate your clutter to charity or pass them on to friends and family. I’ve already given a lot of Miss E’s baby clothes and toys to friends and family who have little ones.

As the saying goes … one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

4. Make a Date to Declutter

I intend to make decluttering a regular accordance. Did you just hear my husband gasp in horror? If the truth be told, Paul has been very supportive throughout this challenge. I think he’s enjoying the benefits of having a clutter free work bench in the garage, where he can now also park the car with ease. My next declutter will be a 30 day challenge starting 1 August 2015 which will coincide with our annual hard waste collection. This is a council collection which picks up household items which don’t fit into the normal rubbish bin.

And now that my 40 days is over, how did I go? Well I have to say I’m very pleased. The only place on my list I didn’t get too was the pantry. What about my goal of organising the garage and spare room? Well check them out for yourself…

I hope your decluttering has gone as well as mine. I learnt a lot along the way … I hope my tips for keeping the clutter under control provide me with the strategies I need to keep the clutter monster at bay! You can also find my 5 top tips when decluttering here. Thank you for joining me on my journey.

What tips do you have for keeping the clutter under control at your place?

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Tuesday: One Project at a Time, The Scoop 167, Do Tell Tuesday

Wednesday: Wow  us Wednesday, Creative Spark, Wow me Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Work it Wednesday, Centrepiece Wednesday

Thursday: Your Turn to Shine, Create It Thursday, Handmade Hangout

Friday: Frugal Friday, Creative Collection, Show Off Friday, Link Party Palooza, Best DIY Projects

Saturday: Show me Saturday, Found & Foraged, Saturday Sharefest, DIY Sunday Showcase, Saturday Sparks, Skip the Housework

Sunday: Silver Penny Sunday, Sundays at Home, That DIY Party

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