10 Things to Declutter in 10 Minutes

Happy New Year, lovebugs!! I don't know about you, but the new year always motivates me to have a clean slate. A fresh start. A less cluttery home. It's January Purge time. Last year we worked on one project each month. This year, I've got a quick list of 10 things you can declutter in 10 minutes. Some of them may take a little longer the first time you tackle them, but then after that, you'll be set! I'm feeling really good about this list...and you will too. :)

1. Your kitchen utensils.
Y'all. Last time I decluttered by kitchen utensils I discovered that I had 10 wooden spoons, 5 spatulas, 4 slotted spoons, 3 pair of tongs, and a dozen other random stirring spoons. I do not need 30 kitchen utensils...and neither do you. Go through those kitchen drawers and pull out your favorite cooking gear to save and toss the rest. You know you have that 1 favorite wooden spoon you use exclusively anyways.

2. Your cleaning supplies.

When it comes to cleaning supplies I am a firm believer in less is more. I have about 6 cleaning products that I like to use and that's it: glass/window cleaner, mutli-purpose cleaner, toilet cleaner, Clorox wipes for quick cleaning, Magic Eraser, and a homemade cleaner of vinegar and Dawn dish soap. And pssst... here's a little cleaning secret: I use toilet cleaner gel for the entire bathroom and it is a cleaning game changer. Just trust me.
 

3. Your phone.
Go through those apps and delete the ones you don't use and organize your favorites into folders. Also, go delete some of those photos off your camera roll. I love my children, but I don't need 20 pictures of them eating ice cream. One picture will do. (Confession: This is my least favorite one on the list because it is overwhelming to me. So I have to tackle this decluttering job a little at a time. But I feel really good when I can download the newest software update because I finally have enough room on my phone!)

4. Your makeup bag.
Dear Makeup I've had for 15 years,
I wear you once a year. You are very pretty, but it is time to let you go. The basics are all I need. Please forgive me. It's not you, it's me. Ok-it might be you a little. But you are still pretty.

5. Your jewelry.
Bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Oh my. My jewelry drawer looks like someone dumped it all out on the floor, swirled it around, and threw it back in. It is making me anxious just thinking about it. Time to go through and keep my favorites and donate the rest. And I'm going to sort them by color (turquoise, pearls, black, sparkly, etc.) so I can find bracelets to coordinate with my outfit in a jiffy. {How much do you love the word jiffy right now? I bet you love it a lot.}

6. Your toiletries.
That bottle of lotion you've had turned upside down, savoring the last drops of fragrant goodness...yeah, use it up so you can move on to the bottles you already have stashed away in the back of your cabinet. Yes, I know you <3 your toiletries, but that stuff has a 2 year shelf life at the most. Time to use it or lose it, mamas!

7. Your checkbook.
Or whatever method you have of keeping track of your moolah. If you don't have a system for tracking spending...get one! I'm an old fashioned checkbook register kind of gal. And I will tell you that if I wait too long to see where we are on our spending for the month, then it's already too late and we've probably blown the budget. And that pretty much makes me start to care less about being on a budget in the first place. This is not a good thing (wahhh...why won't my money tree grow???). A quick check of our receipts makes a major difference for us and I bet it will for you too. :)

8. Your commitments.
Check your calendar and make sure you have have some empty days. If you have something every night of the week for a month straight, it might be time to start saying no. My hubby and I have to be intentional about planning down time for our family. We just enjoy our life so much more when we have a few quiet days built in to our schedule. The older our children get, the busier we are, so I foresee this is something I am going to need to work on even harder for my little family in the future. Repeat after me: It's ok to say no.

9. Your junk drawer.
Yes, I know. I'm a meanie...making you organize your junk drawer when for goodness sake...it's called a junk drawer for a reason right?!? Trust me, I bet that junk drawer has some hidden treasures you forgot about. I can always tell when my junk drawer needs to be decluttered...when I can't close it without things falling out the back end and getting lost forever. You know what I'm talking about.

10. Your gift card stash.

Did you know $1,000,000,000 in gift cards go unused in America every year? Ok. I just totally made that number up, but I read somewhere that it's a crazy amount that never get redeemed. We like to organize our gift cards into 2 categories (restaurants and shopping) and put them into 2 separate ziplock baggies. It's faster and easier to find what we have when we need them. So take inventory of your gift cards and start using those bad boys. It's like free money, people!!

Happy New Year and Happy Decluttering!
XOXO,
Michelle