The Five D’s Of De-Cluttering | Family Economics

By Trisha

In my home there are a few piles, overstuffed closets and disorganized drawers that are driving me crazy. Enough to make this mom go into an OCD (out of control de-cluttering) outrage. This is when I begin tossing everything out - even things that a month from now I will wish I still owned.

So, before we get into an OCD outrage, let’s start by choosing an area of our home that is driving us crazy and begin with the five D’s of de-cluttering.

Before you begin you will need either four boxes or large garbage sacks to assist you as you begin the five D’s of de-cluttering

• Delete one-third of your stuff:  My children don’t jump for joy when I announce it’s time to delete one-third of their stuff.  However, if you have ever gone on an extended trip and only packed the bare necessities you quickly realize how much of what we store in our homes we really don’t need or use. So delete one-third of your stuff, starting with the items you have not used in the last two to five years. I can guess that is about one-third of your stuff. Now, continue on with the next four D’s of de-cluttering.

• Deliver to its home:  As you begin cleaning out each room in your home you will come across many items that either don’t belong in the room or need a home. Label one of the boxes or garbage sacks with “deliver” and then insert all the items that need to be delivered elsewhere in your home. Once you have finished de-cluttering this room you can begin your delivery process or create a new home for these items.

• Dollar makers: Yes, it’s true you might be able to make a few dollars from the items you de-clutter. Label one of the boxes or garbage sacks with “dollar makers” on it and then place in it all of the items that you can either sell or take to a consignment store. There are plenty of options to selling your items, including online outlets, garage sales and local consignment stores. Get ready to make a few dollars.

• Donate often: When I de-clutter I come across items I know my girlfriends could use or local charities would like to have. So, I label one of the boxes or garbage sacks with “donate” on it and then place all the items that can be donated to individuals or charities in it.

• Dispose: We have broken items in our homes. So label one of the boxes or garbage sacks with “dispose” on it. Insert all of the items that need to be recycled or placed in the trash.

Now that you have accomplished the five D’s of de-cluttering on your first room be sure to take care of those four boxes or bags by delivering the items back to their homes, designating a time to make your money with your sellable items, dropping off your donations and dispose of your recyclables and trash. Now, it’s onto the next room to begin de-cluttering.

How do you de-clutter your home?