Decluttering for Autumn
I am a huge advocate of decluttering. I will declutter here and there around my home every week, and I also aim to ‘reset’ each room every evening before bed (it doesn’t always get done, but it gets done more than it doesn’t!).
“Decluttering, and the process of being mindful about what I then choose to bring into my clean & clear space, has given me more time, more money and more energy.”
How to declutter your home when you feel overwhelmed, by Sarah Stewart on Your Next Level Self
Decluttering and the changing seasons
Spring is typically a time when I will do a ‘proper’ declutter… somewhat similar to a Spring clean, and then Autumn is another time of the year which works, for me, for another ‘proper’ declutter.
I’m usually spending more time in my home in the cooler months… less galavanting in Verity (my campervan)… and so it’s a great time to take stock and think about the belongings that are in my home.
With the change in seasons it’s also a good time to have a look at my wardrobe, and see if there’s anything that can be donated, sold etc. Creating some additional funds ahead of Christmas gift purchases is also useful (& the looming larger energy bills!).
I’ve a few ‘corporate’ outfits in my wardrobe that I just haven’t needed since leaving my paid employment last year, and so I think it’s time for me to let them go.
How to declutter for Autumn
Here are a few of the things that I’ve been doing this month:
Return all my books to my bookshelf, aside from the one that I am currently reading which is by my bedside. I love books, and have a tendency for them to pile up beside my work station as I refer to them whilst writing.
Declutter the Halloween decorations box that we’ve taken down from the attic. There were a few broken items that needed recycled, and I gave the box a clean out. My home is now covered in spiders, skulls and pumpkins ahead of my daughter’s Halloween movie night that she’s planned with a few of her friends.
Checked the use-by dates on the food in my cupboards; every time I do this I manage to find something that’s past it’s date! I’m making an effort to have less food in the cupboards, because I do feel that much gets wasted.
Take stock of what’s in my freezer; I’m also working on reducing the amount of food that’s frozen so that I can defrost my freezer and give it a clean.
I’ve sectioned my wardrobe into items I wear, and items I no longer wear. Over the last month I haven’t touched the pieces in the ‘no longer wear’ side… so I think it’s safe to let them go. I’ll get them listed on eBay, or take them to the donations area at the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice. There are a couple of items that I no longer wear, but I want to keep them as I think that my daughter may use them when she’s older… so they’ll get wrapped up for safe keeping and put in the attic for now (I’ve got a fabulous pair of rainbow wedges in the attic as well as some leopard print boots!). That was one thing my mum regretted, was not keeping her clothes from when she was younger.
You can read more on my love of decluttering here, and the different approaches that I use.
Let me know your thoughts - are you a yay or nay for decluttering?
