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Reader, do you know how to spot the toxic clutter in your home?
**HINT**
IT NEVER STARTS WITH WHAT YOU SEE!
The toxic clutter is usually what is hidden! Not the piles of stuff you see. It's what is hidden that is taking up storage and not allowing you to have the space to store what you need to store (i.e. the piles of stuff in your desk and counters - granted some of that may be junk mail that you haven't gone through or kids artwork that you know you're not going to keep - then yes get rid of that stuff).
Toxic clutter is the things that remind us of our past failures, the money we've spent and wasted, gifts we didn't like from people and we feel guilty for decluttering. I promise if they haven't asked to see it in a year they're not going to! Let go of the guilt and declutter it!
If somewhere down the line they do ask to see it, be honest with them and say "I'm sorry but I just didn’t have the space anymore" or "It just didn’t fit my style/decor anymore" You're allowed to get rid of gifts! It's OK! Everyone does. Even the person who gave it to you.
One piece of advice (I forget who I heard this from - I didn't come up with this idea but thought it was genius), put the items that you are decluttering in black (or opaque) garbage bags.
This way you can't see the items in the garbage bags and second guess yourself. Also, as soon as you're done decluttering put the bags or boxes in your car right away, so it's out of sight out of mind, and make a reminder that the next time you're out to stop by a donation site.
I can not tell you how many times I've put items in a mostly clear garbage bag and then, a few days later, seen a piece of clothing or something that I changed my mind on, kept until my next decluttering, and never used or wore it.
If decluttering makes you feel 'wasteful, ' let me ask you this: "How is holding onto something that you're no longer using not wasteful?" Wouldn't it be less wasteful to give it to someone who can actually use it?
Or if you're afraid to let go of something you spent a lot of money on. Are you saving ANY money by holding onto it? If it can't be resold, you have to cut your losses sooner or later. Trust me, I know how hard this is.
When I was in my 20s I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on expensive makeup and skincare (looking back, the amount of money I spent, makes me cringe). But that stuff expires and you can't resell it or anything.
I held onto makeup and skincare that was years expired because I couldn't bring myself to just 'throw money away,' but the truth of the matter was that money was already long gone, holding onto those items did nothing but take up useful space.
It was also hard because a lot of the items looked very pretty too. But I eventually came to terms with it and let it all go. I did end up keeping very few items for nostalgic purposes, like the classic red Channel lipstick 💄. But will likely get rid of that soon too.
If you're interested in watching my makeup declutter video that I made back when I did YouTube videos (I may eventually get back to doing those, but not right now), click HERE or on the video below.
So I challenge you to go around to the hidden areas in your home and give yourself permission to get rid of that toxic clutter!
If you're debating on decluttering an item, one thing that Cass from Clutterbug said that I like is to ask yourself, "If someone broke into my house tonight and stole this would I miss it or would I replace it?" If the answer is "no" to both of those, then it's got to go 😊
I'd love it if you replied to this email and sent me photos of everything you are decluttering! And if you're OK with it I'd love to share your wins on my Instagram too! ❤️
P.S. If you have yet to fill out the survey that was sent out earlier this week, you can still fill it out to get entered to win the $25 gift card to Amazon! Just click HERE to fill out the survey and be sure to enter your name and email address at the bottom to enter the contest!
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