Quote by Fumio Sasaki

With the first month of the year behind us and warmer and lighter days on the horizon, I can’t help but feel a little hope for Spring. Traditionally a time for decluttering and deep cleaning, I’ve decided to begin early by moving items on.

I’ve currently created a three way declutter option that works for my family, my hope is this post will help you to do the same.

Sell it on: My favourite option (because people often come to your door, which means I can make money from my sofa) is facebooks market place. I will offer to drop off locally, or people can come to my home to collect, for certain items I ‘consider’ posting, working electronic items are great to sell, as often charity shops won’t accept these, although I never post these as they can get easily damaged in the post.

I’ve recently been late to the Vinted party to sell clothes as I don’t find they do well on Facebook but I am no expert. Either way, on average I’ve made between £400 and £800 on Facebook my selling items on each year. The downside is that all my friends that follow me have to look at my old rubbish (sorry)

Charity bag: I constantly have a bag for the charity shop on the go, after a while if it hasn’t sold on Facebook I’ll pop it in the charity shop, smaller items and things I think are more ‘charity’ will also go in the bag. We then drop off a small bag about once a month and know that our items that are in good condition will have a new lease of life whilst raising money for charity. The trick here is to have the bag ready so that it’s easy for you to pop in and not have to to think twice.

Sometimes it’s gotta go: Some items have had their day in the sun, have faded and need to go to the tip, items that are broken and no use. We keep this pile in our shed and this journey happens about four times a year. In an eco world where reuse and recycling is big this can often make people feel guilty. It’s worth mentioning that often the tip will recycle these items and our refuse place has a ‘to good to go’ section where people can pick up bits for free. Free cycle.com is also another site where things that need a little love are often collected by locals for free. However, sometimes things come to the end of their life and thats ok.

The main reason I’m a huge advocate of decluttering is that we don’t need it all, we hugely over consume as a society and I often find that decluttering can become a form of self care, the joy I receive from pulling out a cupboard of junk, going through it (sometimes laughing at the memories) and then reorganising and putting some items back, often makes me feel good. A clean and clearer cupboard often means my head becomes a little clearer too. I also feel good handing a bag of items over to the charity shop knowing they’ll find good homes and a new lease of life.

There are other websites you can sell on, from eBay to depop, and some people prefer a traditional boot sale is the way to shift items…find what works for you, but I urge you to release the items that no longer serve and embrace a little more space in your home rather than over flowing cupboards that resemble a game of Tetris. I promise you’ll feel better with less stuff and perhaps a little more cash in your back pocket.