Whether you are a minimalist by choice or forced to reduce your possessions because of limited space, you may benefit from these ideas for making space in your home by reducing clutter, optimizing the space that you have, and creating versatility in your storage areas. Keeping things simple can be a rewarding venture, both physically and spiritually.
Many people who rid themselves of excess possessions find that their life is less cluttered, less complicated, more predictable, and more comforting. Minimalists report that it is much easier to organize and the simple life has many rewards.
Simplifying your life can even have financial rewards. As your priorities shift from buying things that you like to only buying things that you need, you’ll notice yourself getting pickier about what you buy. You will not want to clutter up your limited or organized space, so you will only buy things that fit, are of a high enough quality to last, and that you know you’ll love. Buying only quality products may seem more expensive, but the money you save on frivolous spending and replacing junk will more than cover the few investments that you make.
Once you’ve decided to go minimal, it is time to get rid of the excess. Trim the fat, so to speak. Go through different areas of your house and concentrate on one area at a time. Ask yourself as you go how much you use certain items. Is it enough to warrant keeping it forever? Is it worthy of your limited storage space? Can you donate it to charity, friends or family? There are usually problem areas in the home that are actually unnecessary. Declutter your counter spaces, shelves, kitchen drawers, bedside table, and cabinets.
When you’re done, assess how much space you actually have. You may want to set goals for yourself. For example, you may decide to implement the two week rule with your wardrobe. Force yourself to choose your favorite two week wardrobe for each season and toss the rest. Choose two weeks of casual clothes, two weeks of work clothes, and two weeks of dress clothes. Keep fourteen pairs of socks and underwear, a brown belt and a black belt, and so on. If you add new clothing to your wardrobe, you have to get rid of something older that you don’t wear as much.
This may seem like a small amount of clothes, but you may be surprised how much space those two week wardrobes can take up. You can minimalize the space that your clothes take up by using space saving hangers, like slim velvet hangers. These specialty hangers allow you to hang a lot of clothing in a small space, without sacrificing quality like you would with wire or plastic hangers. By saving space with your space saving hangers, you can make room for more storage in your closet. You may decide to get rid of bulky dressers and keep all of your clothes in a closet system that effectively manages the space that you have.
Save space, save time, save money, and reduce stress by minimalizing your home this year.
About the Author: Rick Miller is on the staff of Only Slimline Hangers, a leading online resource for velvet hangers which are space saving hangers, non slip hangers and slim line hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyslimlinehangers.com.
