John Downs
Clutter can take up a lot of space at home – physically and emotionally.
It’s important to learn not only how to let go of your stuff, but how to prevent it from building up in the first place.
Here, we’ve rounded up 12 smart ways to avoid clutter at home.
1. Don’t bring junk mail into the house. Take it straight from the letterbox to the recycling bin.
2. Think again before taking any freebies home.
3. Organise electronic delivery of your bill and bank statements.
4. Open mail next to your filing cabinet and a bin. That way you have to act on all mail immediately or it gets binned.
5. Set up a charity box next to the front door and in your car.
6. Make a budget and stick to it, cutting out any unnecessary purchases.
7. Set up one-in, one-out rule for toys, books and clothes.
8. Request and give experiences (like movie tickets) or consumerables (like food and wine) as gifts.
9. Consider every item you buy as another item you’re adding to the clutter in your house.
10. Have a place for everything and put things away.
11. Use apps like Evernote to scan documents instead of keeping paperwork on file.
12. Realise it’s never too late to change the way you hang on to things.
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
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Easy ways to declutter your home
The 8 habits that drive professional organisers crazy
Clutter crisis: The one item Australians can’t throw away
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