Decluttering is one of the best ways to get a real taste of freedom in your mind and home. Clutter – even if organized – can be frustrating and confining. A pile here, a pile there – everywhere a pile! Stuffed drawers, avalanche closets and trip hazards – can we be real here? I know what it is like. Does anyone else have a special dumping place for things to “take care of later”? It’s time to declutter our homes. 

True Confession

I am currently in love with farmhouse decor.  I’m not sure I ever won’t be. But I really love the original items – not ones that have been reproduced into what looks like it could have been on an old farm, although I have some of that, too.  It is interesting to me to hold something old in my hands and wonder who used it or loved it years ago. What was their life like? Was it a hard life, but a good one?  When we have gone to auctions or thrift shops, I have been a sucker for the old, the rusty and the well-loved.

I don’t believe there is a 12-step program for this, and as a result I “collected” things all over – in the basement, in a room on the main floor, and in storage buildings. More than I would ever have room to use for decorating. So it sat there, doing absolutely nothing. Does this maybe sound familiar? I can’t be the only crazy one! But now for me to keep something, it must be an item in which I am truly fascinated or is part of my family history – like the items shown below. There is now a lot less need for me to declutter.

5 Reasons to Declutter Your Home

Freeing yourself from clutter is a very rewarding experience. And through decluttering, I have found the top 5 reasons listed below to be 100% true. 

Decluttering gives you mental freedom.

You might be surprised at how free you can feel in your mind and in your world when you get rid of excess clutter. Remember when you tried to find that one item, and what should have taken 5 minutes turned into an hour of frustrated searching? Remember how you made several new combinations of words you shouldn’t say? Now imagine what it would have felt like to locate that item quickly and then go about the rest of your day. No frustration or rise in blood pressure. Decluttering frees your mind.

Decluttering gives you physical freedom.

I mean, all I wanted to do was get to the bottom drawer of that one dresser. First, I removed the top boxes, etc. from the pile in front of the dresser. Because I didn’t want to make a big mess that had to be put back, I pulled out the rest just enough to reach down there. So there I am, bent over the rest of the pile, teetering on one leg to reach the bottom drawer handles. As I rummage through the drawer with one hand, my other hand knocks the pile and it all goes tumbling down on my foot. Sound familiar? 

Decluttering gives you more time.

You won’t need to spend an hour or more looking for something. You will have more time to spend doing things that are really important. More time to finish the mental list you had going for the day. More time to work on the actual project rather than wasted time finding the tools and supplies you need for it. And that brings us to the next reason…

Decluttering can save money.

Have you ever looked and looked for something you need and know you have, but you can’t seem find it? If you really need it, that means a trip to the store to purchase that item again. Been there, done that.

Decluttering can make money.

Sometimes we save things, even though we don’t have a use for the item, because we feel it is worth something. It sits in a box or bag somewhere.. forever.. and ever. You don’t need it. You don’t want it. You might even think it’s ugly, but there it sits. Why do we do that? There are plenty of ways to sell something these days – garage sales, marketplaces online, For Sale sections of the classifieds, word of mouth. You might also consider donating items to a local charity or an organization like Goodwill.

Keep What You Need

It is important to remember that the idea behind decluttering, is not to give away or sell things you truly enjoy or really need. It is to get rid of the excess – the things you just don’t know what to do with, the stuff people give you that you can’t use or don’t like, outdated things that you would never use again – things kept around for any reason other than you really like it or really need it.

Decluttering frees you and gives you more space, less frustration, and more time to do what is enjoyed or important. It could also quite possibly give you some extra cash in your pocket! Need some simple steps on how to declutter? You might want to read 6 Easy Steps to Declutter Your Home.

Did you know that even according to WebMD, clutter is bad for your physical and mental health?