Archive for category: Decluttering

One of the biggest challenges of living a clutter-free lifestyle is giving and receiving gifts, and now that season of birthdays, weddings, and parties is about to start, the struggle becomes real. Most of the time, we receive gifts that don’t quite satisfy our needs or expectations, but, out of respect for the gift-giver, we accept them anyway.

But how can we effectively deal with unwanted gifts that don’t serve us any purpose? In this article, we will share some practical tips to declutter unwanted gifts.

Be upfront about not wanting gifts

If you’re planning a party or any other event, your guests will likely want to spoil you with a little gift. If you don’t want this to occur, you must be honest about it and add a little note to the invitations specifically saying “No Gifts Please.” While some etiquette experts advise against it, we don’t see a problem with mentioning it politely. To make it more cordial, you can add a message like: “Your presence is your present.”

Give people alternatives

Even if you specify that you don’t want gifts, there will always be people keen to skip the rule. In these cases, you must give alternatives that don’t take up space in your house. You can, for example, suggest that your guests donate to a charity in your honor.

Return the gift

If all of this fails, there are other options you can consider. If you have the gift receipt, why not bring the item back to the store and either exchange it for something you like or get cashback instead? Ultimately, it’s your choice what you do with a gift. By returning it, you have the chance to get something you really need and avoid cluttering your house with purposeless items.

Make a donation

If we are honest, most of us already have everything we need. So why keep collecting and offering random items to people who likely don’t need them? An honorable and thoughtful way of letting go of unwanted gifts would be donating them to local charities, thrift stores, schools, and shelters.

Sell or Re-gift your unwanted gifts

In addition to donating, you can also sell the items or give them to someone else as a present. You probably have a birthday or party just around the corner, so take the opportunity to make someone happy. Besides, doing so saves time and money and simultaneously avoids additional trash!

Nowadays, most people yearn for more sustainable and minimalist lifestyles. However, weddings, birthday parties, and special celebrations like Christmas usually fill up our houses with gifts that have no value or utility. If that’s your case, don’t feel pushed to keep gifts you don’t love or don’t use solely out of guilt. That will land you in a house full of clutter and disorganization. Deal with unwanted gifts by saying thank you and letting them go. And if you need help during the process, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for a free consultation.

When decluttering your home, it can be challenging to decide who to gift your beloved possessions. Whether you have collected valuables along the way, received important gifts from friends or family, or kept sentimental items throughout your life, most of your belongings hold significant meaning. Giving these items away can feel like gifting part of yourself or your story to your family. This is what makes these moments so special and why you should be intentional about having conversations with your family about what they may or may not want.

Your family does want something

It can be tempting to believe that your kids and relatives don’t want any of your belongings. But it is important to note that it can be awkward for a close relative to ask for an item you value. So they may have never shown interest out of respect for you. But if you were to breach the topic with them, they might have some surprising answers for you.

Ask your family what they want

Have you ever given someone a gift that you were so excited about, but their reaction was not at all what you had hoped? On the other hand, have you ever parted with something you considered junk, only to find it was someone else’s treasure? As you start to declutter your home, it is a good practice to ask your friends and loved ones if there is anything they would like to keep. Their answers may surprise you.

You might find that the things you love the most are not the things your family wants. For example, you may learn that your daughter wants your garden shovel, instead of your jewelry collection, because it reminds her of the times you spent together in your garden. This is why it’s important to have difficult conversations with your family, even if it feels daunting to discuss the gifting of your precious items, along with your mortality.

What if they reject my gift?

Keep in mind that it isn’t personal when someone declines a gift from you. If you offer something you have an emotional attachment to, but your relative says no, ask them what item they believe would help keep your memory alive. When they answer, ask them why they chose that particular item. Their answer may be something you haven’t thought of or even considered, but it will open up the door to a great conversation. And, you will know the gift you gave is meaningful to your loved one.

If you are passionate about some key items going to certain people, preface your gift by sharing why it is so important to you that they receive this gift. If sharing your jewelry with your daughter is important because you want the pieces to stay in the family line, share that with her. It will mean so much more to her when she knows how important it is to you.

Create something new

Remember that things can be upcycled as well. Upcycling is when an item is transformed, updated, or repurposed. For example, old t-shirts can be used to make blankets or gift wrap, dresser drawers can become flower planters, and books can be used as floating shelves. If you’re creative with your ideas, the list is endless.

And, as always – if you need some support or assistance in this process, please reach out. We’re here to help.

After hours of sorting, discarding, scanning, and filing, you have a neatly organized home or office. But that’s just the first step. Organization is a continuous process that requires regular maintenance. A professional organizing company can keep your closets, filing systems, and other storage areas clutter-free by performing tasks such as:

• Maintaining filing systems
• Swapping out seasonal clothing and other items
• Archiving receipts, bank statements, and other documents
• Maintaining an inventory of supplies

Basic Home or Office Maintenance

Even the most organized home or office can quickly become disorganized. Repetitive tasks such as processing mail can be time-consuming. While you’re living your life or running your business, your supply closet has gotten out of control and your calendar has needed updating. Without help from a professional organizer, basic home or office maintenance can end up low on the priority list.

With regularly scheduled check-ins, the professional organizers at ClutterBGone can stay on top of maintenance tasks. Your home or office will stay organized and run smoothly.

Maintaining Filing Systems

A well-maintained filing system is crucial for a home or office. You don’t need stacks of paperwork that could have been shredded months ago. Maybe you have items that can be scanned or stored in the garage or a hall closet instead of piling up on your desk.

With regular maintenance, you’ll have documents and other items at your fingertips when you need them. Instead of searching all morning for a misplaced receipt or phone number, you’ll have time for more important things.

Seasonal Updates

From mudrooms to bedroom closets, changing seasons bring new organizing needs. Gardening tools replace snow shovels and t-shirts replace heavy sweaters. Swapping out seasonal items can be a tedious and time-consuming task. A professional organizer can update your closets, entryways, and mudrooms and keep them organized.

Archiving Documentation for Tax Preparation

Archiving documents and paperwork for tax preparation is an ongoing task. Bills, receipts, invoices, and other relevant items keep coming all year. A professional organizer can archive relevant files and paperwork on a regular basis. Your documents and paperwork will be efficiently categorized and organized as you receive them. When tax season arrives, you can have peace of mind knowing that you can readily access those important items.

Maintaining Inventory of Supplies

You don’t want to reach for postage stamps or a pen and discover that your supply has run out. With today’s hectic schedules, it’s easy to put off replenishing supplies. You don’t always have time to check how much paper you have or to make an extra trip to the store. Besides organizing your home or office, a professional organizer can monitor and maintain an inventory of your supplies. That way, your neatly arranged drawers or closets will always have what you need.

Continuous Support to Help You Stay Organized

Remember that sense of calm you felt after that first decluttering? ClutterBGone provides continuous support to keep your home or office organized. Contact us today to find out how we can help!

Organizing and decluttering possessions is a great way to reduce stress and improve the look of your home, along with many other benefits. But some things are more difficult to remove, such as the box of memorabilia tucked into a closet. Our professional organizers know that sentimental items can be the hardest to part with. We also understand that you don’t have to say goodbye to all of it. Here are suggestions for dealing with sentimental items while decluttering at home.

Why Sentimental Objects are Hard to Part With

A common fear among our clients is that tossing something that stirs up memories will somehow erase those recollections and the attached legacy. But those memories will not disappear when you let go of items that hold sentimental value. You will still remember the past, and those people, even without the memorabilia sitting in that box in the closet.

We’ve also heard people say that keeping their mementos is harmless. And that’s true if it were only one or two. Often, though, there are many small things, and when put together, they take up a lot of space. Your home becomes a storage space and holding onto numerous sentimental items can detract from their specialness.

You Don’t Have to Throw Everything Away

Let’s make that very clear. We are certainly not saying to toss all the memorabilia. Instead, we suggest:

Choose One Item per Event. Let’s say that you have five items from your college graduation in a box. We suggest choosing the one that means the most to you to symbolize the event, rather than keeping all five. This process pairs down the belongings while keeping a sentimental item per event.

Use the Item. Yes! You might be waiting for a special event to use the crystal wine glasses you received years ago from your grandmother. But what better way to honour her and her memory than by using those glasses often?

Donate to Help Others. For those keepsakes that you don’t use, think about whether it might mean more for someone else to use them rather than having them collect dust in your closet. If another person can love something the way you once did, or the way the person who gave it to you did, that can be comforting and special.

Take Photos. Consider taking photos of mementos and printing them to put into a keepsake book. Then, give away the physical objects. This way, you can look at them any time you want to reminisce, and the book takes up considerably less room than all the items.

Letting Go is Empowering

When you let go of excess items, you embrace a minimalist lifestyle. It can feel like a weight is lifted when an excessive number of items no longer surround you at home. Last of all, we want you to remember that the memories associated with the sentimental objects still exist in your heart.

If you’re not ready to give up something, we suggest putting it aside for a year. Then look at the item again and see if you’re ready to let it go at that point.

Our organizers offer support and suggestions for decluttering but never pressure you. If you are finding it difficult to organize the home, reach out to us today for a free consultation.