We had the most magical Christmas ever! Up at 5am, my husband putting together the toy kitchen we bought for our youngest daughter just to see her toothless grin. We started the day in matching Christmas PJ’s that I bought from Children’s Place for our entire family. We read the Bible, pray, and talk about Jesus because our faith is super important to us. It was magical, exciting, fun, and it’s our favorite time of the year. UNTIL IT’s NOT! And our space is filled with boxes, and toys, and toys from previous Christmas’ and all the things are piling up and there’s no space for anything. No room to even walk. Sound familiar?
So how do you minimize your space after the holidays? Where do you even start!
Decide a day/week that works for you to take down Christmas decorations. I like to give myself a week to take down decorations. I started the day after Christmas this year, but do what works for your family. And each day, I take 10-30 minutes to put things away.
Get rid of Christmas decor that were unused, broken, or that you just don’t love anymore. Donate it to a friend, or a Buy Nothing group, or sell the items on Facebook Marketplace, Offer Up, Poshmark or Mercari.
After getting rid/decluttering/taking down Christmas decor, go through last years kids toys, your clothes, kids clothes, and papers/receipts. Make a pile for keep, donate, sell. And actually donate the items that you put in the pile. In the past, I would try to hold on to things, that I hadn’t worn in ages. Get rid of it, if it no longer brings you joy or if you can’t fit it, it has holes, or you just don’t love it in this season of life. I sell unwanted items at the local consignment shop, and I just started getting into FB Marketplace. Give yourself a time frame that you are going to donate and sell the items, so the items don’t just take up space in your home.
Think about what you want to feel when you walk into your space/home. Is your space set up to bring you joy or anxiety? Without spending money, what would make the space bring about the joy, peace, or feeling you want to experience? Do you need to clear off your counters? Do you need to add flowers or plants? Do you need to take out some things that are just collecting dust that no longer serve a purpose? Your space should make sense for you and your family, and if it doesn’t, start creating it TODAY!
Take 10-20 minutes each day for one week to declutter/minimize one space in your house. It could be a drawer. It could be a counter. It could be a closet. It could be a bathroom. A lot of times, we get overwhelmed because we don’t know where to start, so we don’t. Just set the timer for 10-20 minutes, and choose one area per day. After a week of practicing this, you will feel so much better and gain traction in creating the space you envision!
I love minimizing/decluttering in the new year! If you’re not following me on Instagram, I share a ton of tips with an amazing community of Minimalist Mamas.
Until next time friend!