How To Declutter Quickly And Stop Buying Stuff

Well, I’m talking about how to declutter quickly and stop buying stuff today. You know, stuff, we don’t really need. You may remember me talking about my 15-minute timer trick. If you look at your home, whether large or small, it can be overwhelming to know where to start to declutter quickly. There is something about looking at clean horizontal counters, dresser tops, kitchen counters, etc. I LOVE having nothing sitting out on the counters. Yes, I have the toaster and my cooking utensil holder, and of course the phone.

Where I live, we must keep our home landlines otherwise I would be sitting on the coffee table to talk to anyone who calls me on my cell phone. We have had this home for 13 years now and nothing has changed as far as the cell service goes. Our daughters come to visit and their service works fine in our home, but if we drive into town we can lose service more than once along the way. I really wonder what cell phone service would really work here in Southern Utah.

Anyway, back to how to declutter quickly. The picture below gives me anxiety, luckily my house doesn’t look like this. Yikes!

Declutter Quickly

Grab some black 33-gallon garbage bags for trash or broken items, and some clear bags to donate stuff or sell at a garage sale. Yes, boxes work great as well. If you haven’t worn something in a year or more, I say get it out of your closet and don’t look back. Donate it while someone else would still buy it at a thrift store. Let it go and you will feel awesome, I promise.

You can use a timer if that would help you get started decluttering. I have the same kind of timer my mom had growing up. This is like the one I use: Minute Timer Next, turn on some music, or some upbeat audibles you can listen to while you start the process of organizing one room at a time.

This is one of my all-time favorite audible books: You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jan Sincero. I have given the hard copies to several friends, I like it that much. I will caution you about the language, but it’s a very upbeat book. I have listened to the audible book at least 10 times because I love it.

If you have some music you love, crank up the volume and start decluttering one drawer or closet at a time. It feels awesome, I promise.

Declutter Quickly-Stop Buying Stuff

One thing about decluttering is how great you feel when you see less in a closet or less on horizontal shelves and countertops. Now, this is where we need to be disciplined by not buying more stuff to replace the junk we let go of by selling or donating. Let’s be honest here, how much stuff do we really need? Very little, sometimes I look at stuff and say “Why did I buy that?” Good grief!

Now when I shop for anything, I think to myself “Will I be donating this stuff in a year?” First of all, where I live, you can rarely find much of anything at the local stores, so I typically shop online. I spend less gas driving around looking for something. I need only to realize it’s not going to be in the stores here. I’m hopeful I can find it, but the odds are against finding stuff I need in our small town.

I buy a lot on Amazon because it saves me time and money 99% of the time. One thing to keep in mind is we need to stop buying stuff we don’t need. Period. It’s so easy to just order online, but I want you to think about what you buy, think hard whether it be at the brick-and-mortar stores or online. Do I really need this or will I be donating it a year from now? I have laughed with my daughters about this statement as well as with friends.

Things To Think About

Instead of buying stuff, maybe some of these things may work for you and your family to bring simplicity and happiness into your life rather than thinking you need the stuff to make you happy.

Gift-giving: slow it down, trust me, less is best.
Teach pioneer skills to your family and friends, it may save their life.
Share your love of making bread with everyone you know.
If you sew, teach others.
If you can piece a quilt like my great-grandmother (and myself) teach others the joy of seeing those fabrics that were once a special dress or shirt incorporated into a quilt.
If you can cook in an awesome Dutch Oven, teach others how to do it.
Invite your neighbors to a potluck at your home, it beats shopping and bringing stuff home you will eventually donate to a thrift store.
Share your time, energy, and laughter with friends and neighbors.
Visit the elderly, they love to talk to you, I promise.
Please get to know your neighbors, people need people.
Be kind to one another and listen to your tone of voice when you speak to others.
Send notes of kindness to people you love, you may not get another chance to mail one to them.
Think about what you buy before you buy it, you may not need it.