How would you feel if you were told you had to move house next week?

Aside from the potential nerves you might experience about moving somewhere new, how would you feel about packing and moving all of your belongings?

For most of us living in developed nations, we would feel utterly overwhelmed and fearful by such a situation.

Over the last century, manufacturing has become comparatively cheaper. We can buy a lot more things with a lot less money (relative to the inflationary factor). Think about the toys you had as a kid and compare them with that of a child of today. Contrast this with what your grandparents used to have when they were children.

The average house size has more than doubled since the 1950’s while the average family size has progressively decreased. The business of extensions, sheds, storage facilities is a huge and booming business. We have so much stuff nowadays and we need a place to store it.

When you declutter, you gain a new perspective over each and every item that you purchase. You spend less time looking after your ‘stuff’, more time enjoying what you have, and you don’t spend time wishing you had more things.

Here are 3 tips to help you declutter:

#1 Wardrobe- Sift through your wardrobe and take out all the clothes you would never wear again. Next do another sift with the filter ‘Would you wear it today?’ I understand that there are seasons and we can change sizes at times, but… with all that taken into account, would you wear it again? Some items might be considered high value jackets. eBay or Gumtree might give you a few extra dollars for those if you wanted. Otherwise take those items to the nearest thrift store to donate.

#2 High Value Items- What do you really use and what is just sitting there collecting dust? Some items we have sitting around have cost us a huge amount of money yet we cling to them while they devalue and decay. Caravans, motorbikes, unused furniture, boats, musical instruments, appliances, kayaks, televisions, computers, even an unnecessary car. You may not want to part with them, but think of the dollars you will retrieve and the space that will be cleared.

#3 Paperwork, cards, souvenirs, memories- Don’t clear out what is really precious but consider doing a cull on what mementos are excessive. When Hayley and I were first married I had instantly inherited boxes of trinkets and souvenirs. Just to give you a taste of the items she had collected, boxes of roller skating trophies, stuffed toys and even a container of cat fur from her deceased childhood pet. Gross! Most things you can just get rid of, some you should keep and others you should photograph and then say goodbye to. It might not save you money, but it will save you space. With saved space, who knows? Maybe you could live in a smaller dwelling?

If you apply some of these tips, hopefully you’ll have a few extra dollars in your pocket, you’ll save money with your new formed spending habits, you’ll feel liberated of possessions and your home will be neater.

Many, many more tips to come so stay tuned!