Why decluttering is good for you:

• Getting rid of clutter is a good opportunity for you to reevaluate how you want to live in your home. Eliminating unused and unnecessary items will simplify how you live and help to create more quality time for you and your family.

• Releasing yourself from clutter frees up space and brings a cool, calm order to your rooms. It has been proven that when one’s living environment is organized it reduces stress and contributes to general well-being.

• De-cluttering creates more open space to do beneficial things for yourself such as yoga, reading, crafts or starting or reviving a hobby you enjoy. These activities enrich our lives and make us who we are—without them, we simply move through life and do not really experience it.

How to Begin:

1. Take a good, long, look at your home with fresh eyes. What made sense to hold onto five or ten years ago may not fit in with your lifestyle or your décor today. If that is the case—get rid of it.

2. Get your family involved in the process. Set up systems throughout your home right where clutter collects. For instance, put a basket for shoes by the front door or designate a bin for library books and videos that need to be returned.

3. Focus your efforts. For dramatic, visible results, de-clutter one room at a time and complete it before moving on to the next. You will get a sense of accomplishment as well as the inspiration to continue to clear out the rest of your home.

4. Pare-down paper piles. Discard junk mail before it gets into your house. Also, buy a paper shredder, request that your bills be sent by email and limit the number of catalogs and magazines that you receive.

What to do with items you no longer need or want:

• Donate—Give your discarded items to a charity such as Goodwill or to one of Habitat for Humanity’s Restore sites which sells donated home accessories and appliances to fund the construction of local homes. You can also donate books to nursing homes and toys to homeless shelters.

• Consign—Contact local consignment shops, antique malls and used furniture stores to see if they will sell your unwanted items. Usually the consignment shop will take a portion of what the item sells for in addition to a service fee

• Repurpose –Instead of discarding a piece of furniture that you own or purchasing a new one, get creative and use it for another purpose. For example, that old TV cabinet that you no longer need might make a great linen cabinet or a place to keep office or scrapbook supplies.

De-cluttering your home is not as difficult as it seems, and having fewer things in your house means less things to organize and more space for you and your family.