Maintaining My Decluttered Home

 

“Are you still decluttering your home?”  Why, yes I am!  To maintain my decluttered home I am trying to be mindful of what I am bringing back into it.  One of the things I am doing is to make regular trips through my home and gather up items I am not using or no longer want and I am always amazed at how much stuff I still come up with.  Last month I packed up a box and a trash bag full of items and dropped them off at the thrift store.

 

I am working on gifts to refill my empty gift cupboard.  So far I’ve made a journal and some note cards using all items I already had on hand in my craft stash.  I am also trying to make the items I need before buying anything new.  Recently I needed some greeting cards and I used some I had already made.  I also needed to wrap a few gifts and used gift bags, bows and tissue I had in my gift organizer.  Slowly, but surely I am making great progress thinning out that organizer.

 

This was such a fun project

My day planner and daily journal for 2025 I made myself rather than purchasing something,  Using notebooks, one spiral and one composition, and other supplies from my paper crafting stash I was able to tailor make them to my preferences and it didn’t cost me a thing.  I do know day planners and journals are really expensive.

 

This past Christmas I decorated my home solely with items I already had stored in my bins and I even found a couple of things that ended up in the donation bag.  I did not buy anything new.  With that being said, however, I did decide I wanted to up my game as far as décor for some of the other holidays that are coming up, but instead of heading to the store I’m challenging myself to make new things from what I already have in the house.  I loved my little Valentines décor this year.  A garland I made last year from baker’s twine and papers I already had.  This year I added the XOXO that I bought last year at the dollar store and spruced it up with acrylic paint and glitter hearts.  Again, these items I already had on hand.  Who knows what I’ll end up adding next year, but I’m pretty sure it will be homemade.

 

Last month the thought occurred to me to add a first aid kit to the car.  Instead of ordering one online or buying one at the store I went through what I already had in the bathroom and made a short list of items I still needed.  A box of bandaids and a roll of tape was really all I was short on so I picked those up at the dollar store.  Instead of buying a special container or pouch I simply used an extra freezer container I had in the pantry that had never even been used.  I sure couldn’t buy a first aid kit for $2.50 (the price of the bandaids and roll of tape) and other items I already had are now going to get used.

I am related to Katharine so I thought I should read her book

I am not buying books or puzzles this year.  Instead I am borrowing them from the library.  As soon as I am done reading the books or working the puzzles I simply gather them up and return them.  I love not having to store shelves of books or stacks of puzzles because I know I'm not going to read those books again or work those puzzles either. 

 

I love my uncluttered home! 💖

With a little bit of thought and creativity I am able to make a lot of what I need or want and spend far less time and money purchasing more stuff.  In the process things are getting used rather than sitting on shelves or in drawers taking up space and not living up their full potential.  I feel like not using the items we’ve already bought is just as wasteful as buying more crap we simply do not need.  What are your thoughts?