Someone asked me recently what to do with all those boxes of electronics and appliances. You may have been lucky enough to get some great presents for Christmas and now you have some boxes hanging out taking up space. So the question is...do I have to keep them? And if so, for how long? This is not a yes or no answer so let's break it down. 1- Do you own the item still? If no...GET RID OF IT! If yes...see number 2. 2- Does the item have a warranty? If … [Read more...]
Live Within Your Means
"Live within your means." We often hear this quote when talking about finances but why can't we apply this to our homes? I hear the same thing from my clients no matter the size of their house. "I'm running out of room." "I don't have enough storage." "We need more space." I would like to challenge that thinking and suggest that many you need to embrace the space that you have. Acknowledge the amount of space you have and accomodate your stuff to fit that … [Read more...]
Let It Go
Today is a great day. You have just decluttered your home. Or maybe you purged your closet and really only kept the things you love. Maybe you decided to thin out the piles of children's toys. That is awesome! Give yourself a pat on the back. You have done a great thing. You are moving forward with making your life more peaceful and less cluttered. But wait! You now have a pile of perfectly good tchotchkes, clothes or toys. These things are worth REAL MONEY. … [Read more...]
The Great Toy Purge
I had a reader ask me recently "Julie, how do you get kids to purge their toys? We are moving in the next month and I NEED to get my son's toy area reduced!!" Such a great question. It's usually easy for us mother' to purge toys. Things that relatives have given our children that we hate or are too noisy. Toys that we don't see our children enjoying and playing with. Large toys that take up lots of room. These are easy for us...but what do you do when your child is … [Read more...]
Do It With Me: Spring Clothing Purge Challenge
I came down with a fever today...a spring cleaning fever! If you know me well...then you know I actually don't like to clean at all. So when I get the fever I purge closets. Today I decided it was my turn to purge things out of my own closet. I have had a stack of those "too small" clothes sitting in the top of my closet for way too long. It was time to just let go. I also had 50 hangers worth of things in my closet that I just needed to let go of...they were … [Read more...]