Pets have clutter too, though to be fair it’s not really their fault. We buy our pets useful accessories, nutritious food and toys to entertain them, but if some of these items aren’t being used then they become clutter.

Dubious Accessories

How many cat owners have bought their cat a soft comfortable and expensive basket, only to find that their moggie would rather sleep in a cardboard box? Come on, it can’t just be me! Cats, and other pets, have minds of their own and just because we buy them an accessory doesn’t mean that they will deign to use it.

Unused baskets, fancy collars which are fiddly to put on, extending leads which extend too far or not far enough, bowls which tip over and brushes that you can’t be bothered to use; all these things are clutter. Don’t store them, ditch them!

Toy Madness

We like toys (cars, mobiles, computers, etc) so we assume that our pet will too. Pet shops are full of novelty toys to entertain your pet, for heaven forbid it should ever get bored! No longer is a simple ball enough; we have to have flavoured rubber bones, plastic chickens, or a tennis ball on a rope for your dog to fetch and chew on.

Whilst cats must surely need squeaky mice to pounce on, balls with bells inside to chase and catnip flavoured toys to chew on. Even rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters can have a selection of toys to entertain their little minds; so we buy plastic rabbits with bells inside for them to swipe with their paws, or tunnels for them to swarm down like furry Commandos.

It’s not enough for fish to simply swim around their tank, they must have a Roman temple to swim under, or a rock formation to explore. They need a Spanish galleon as a landmark so they don’t lose their way, or a palm tree so they can dream of tropical waters. In the end, however, your fish may run out of good old-fashioned space.

This is all well and good but how many of these toys actually get played with? Many pets have a favourite toy which they continually play with and ignore the rest, so why keep the rejects? My children’s rabbits used to ignore their plastic rabbit toy, so in the end we removed it from the cage on the grounds that it was clutter.

So why are we keeping these rejects? Forgive me if I’m wrong but you bought them for your pet rather than yourself, so if your pet doesn’t like them then maybe you should play with them instead!

Medical Miscellania

Medicines are the next category which can clutter up the lives of our pets. Left over antibiotics which we think might be useful one day, a few grains of flea powder left in the bottom of the packet, a tube of ointment for skin complaints; we paid a fortune to the vet for them so we can’t bear to throw them away. But has it occurred to you that these medicines are probably out of date and could do your pet more harm than good?

Not So Fabulous Food

Do you have ten tins of dog food that you bought on special offer, but which your pet refuses to eat? You can’t bear to throw them away as it seems like throwing good money down the drain; so they sit in your cupboard taking up space, destined never to be eaten until they become out of date and in desperation you ditch them. If your dog doesn’t like your fabulous bargain then face facts and give the food to an animal charity or a dog-owning friend. At least then it won’t be completely wasted.

My children spent their pocket money on Christmas presents for their guinea pigs one year. They bought apple and carrot flavoured biscuit treats and excitedly presented them to Cameo, Stig and Chocolate on Christmas morning.

You’ve guessed it, after an exploratory sniff the ungrateful rodents turned their noses up at their present and went back to eating their usual diet of hay and mixed cereal. We couldn’t bear to throw the treats away and every few weeks would re-present them in the hope that the little critters would have a change of mind. They didn’t of course, so in the end we were forced to throw them away in disgust.

Do Your Pet a Favour

We’ve covered some of the many categories of pet clutter which fill the lives of our little furry friends, so do your pet and yourself a favour, de-clutter; then try not to fall into the same trap again.

A useful guideline is to buy for your pet and not for yourself and this way you should avoid some of the worst excesses of pet clutter mania.

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We love our pets and indulge them as if they were our children. Some of us even buy our beloved pet a birthday or Christmas present and we won’t hesitate to buy any item that we feel would add to our pet’s comfort or happiness. The end result of all this love is clutter.

Pampered Pooches

How much does your pet own? Do a quick inventory and you may be surprised. The typical dog, let’s call him ‘Fido’, may own several food and water bowls, a selection of snazzy collars and leads, a blanket, a basket and plenty of balls and rubber bones. In addition to this Fido may possess a whole array of medicinal items from special shampoo to keep his fur soft and fluffy, to flea powder to keep those annoying critters at bay, to worming powder to keep him healthy. Then there’s the food; tins of meat and bags of dried food all take up precious space in your home.

Cat Clutter

Your Cat, let’s call him ‘Fluffy’, may have a similar array of possessions to Fido but will also need a cat carrier for those visits to the vet. Whilst kittens will need a scratching post if you want to save your furniture from harm, as well as a litter tray.

Small Pets Can Have Big Clutter

Small pets are no exception to the rule. Rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters require a cage, which will cost a lot more than the pet itself! They will also need food bowls, water bottles, blocks to grind their teeth on, grooming tools, special shampoo, outdoor runs, indoor runs, tunnels to play in, wheels to run on, and a pet carrier for visits to the vet. You will also have to find room for bags of woodshavings, hay and dried food for your little rodents.

Fish will need a large aquarium, with an expensive filter, as well as food and various tools for scraping algae from the tank, so that you can actually see your scaly friends.

Pet Presents

If you feel the need to buy your pet a Christmas or birthday present then your list of pet possessions will grow. I’ve seen Christmas stockings for cats and dogs, special Christmas blankets, rubber chickens, chocolate treats and specially flavoured bones to tantalise Fido’s tastebuds. Your guinea pig can be treated to specially flavoured biscuits and little log cabins to sleep in as gifts, while fish can be given bridges and models of the Eiffel Tower to grace the bottom of their tank.

Pets Have Clutter

The culmination of this buying frenzy is clutter. Your pet’s possessions will multiply if you aren’t careful, until your cupboards and utility room are full to overflowing with Fido and Fluffy’s possessions.

De-Clutter Your Pet

The solution is to get out all, and I mean all of your pet’s possessions and lay them on the floor. Make two piles, those which get used and those which don’t. The items which don’t get used and this includes duplicates, could be given to a friend who has just acquired a pet, sold, or given to a charity shop. This will immediately free up precious space. But don’t fill up the space once you’ve got it.

Pets, like children, appreciate time and attention more than material goods, so show you love your pet by cuddling it and looking after it, not by going on a spending spree.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

What do you do at the weekend? Have a lie-in, slob around in front of the telly in your dressing gown until lunchtime,  potter around the house a bit and then meet your friends at the pub in the evening? It may be relaxing, but is it a weekend well spent?

Some people see their weekend as pure relaxation, but I see mine slightly differently. I do spend time relaxing, but I also see the weekend as valuable time to prepare for the week ahead; because if you prepare for your working week, then it’s much less painful when it actually arrives.

Master Your Mess

And I don’t mean an officers mess, as I’m sure they’re always tidy! The weekend is a golden opportunity to tidy, neaten and organise all the mess that holds you up, slows you down and infuriates you during the working week.

If you put away in the right places, all the objects that are lying around in the wrong places, then you’ll be able to find things quickly when you need them… and when you’re late for work you need to be quick.

Morning Madness

We all have scenarios where we’ve overslept, run out of shampoo, spilt our morning coffee and then misplaced our car keys. As a result we arrive at work flustered, frustrated and in entirely the wrong frame of mind. If this happens to you every morning then you need to read this blog very badly indeed!

By keeping all your possessions (or as many as humanly possible) in the correct places then you will actually be able to find them when you need them. Imagine the joy of that. Your working week will go much more smoothly; you will feel in control, on top of things, and master of your own life.

Prepare For Greatness

Relaxing is all well and good, but if you spend all your free time relaxing and none of it organising or preparing, then your life will be more chaotic than it needs to be, and you will miss opportunities because your head is in the wrong place.

Did Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great spend all their spare time lolling around relaxing? I very much doubt it. They wouldn’t have achieved all that they did if they had mislaid their swords or their battle plans in the heat of the moment. Being disorganised could turn your ‘Waterloo’ into a ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’!

Even if you don’t aspire to great deeds then at least aspire to greater competence in your everyday life. Make your weekend count and you will forge ahead of those who don’t.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

It’s not just homes and offices that become cluttered; our finances can become cluttered too. If you do a fiscal audit and de-clutter your finances, then you will save precious money and precious time.

Ancient Saving Accounts

Many of us possess several savings accounts. We opened them in a fit of optimism, intending to put money aside every month for a rainy day, or a better future. Often we go off the rails and stop saving after a few months, or we find another account which offers a better interest rate, but we neglect to close the first one.  These unused accounts are doing us little good and are cluttering up our finances.

Close all of the savings and bank accounts that you don’t use and that have just a few pounds in them, in order to tidy up your financial life. Just have one good savings account that pays a favourable rate of interest and start saving regularly; even a small amount will do.  If you have enough savings to want to spread them around a little then open a second savings account. But only have accounts that you actually use.

Dormant accounts are pointless, clutter our minds, and if you have to fill in a tax return will make it more complicated than it needs to be.

The Credit Card Stack

If you have enough credit cards and store cards to shuffle them, then you have too many. Most people only need one credit card, or two at the most, and any more is asking for trouble. The more cards you have, the more tempted you may be to spend on them, and the bigger problems you would face if you did!

A credit card is useful for emergencies and for buying goods on the internet, but it’s when we start using them to buy things we can’t afford that the trouble starts. What happened to the good old days of saving up until we could afford something and then going out and buying it? We could do a lot worse than adopt this sensible philosophy to spending!

Naughty Store Cards

Store cards are even worse as they tend to have very high rates of interest. The shops lure us into taking out their store cards with the promise of a discount on our shopping. Once we are in possession of it we are exposed to temptation, as we are faced with a store full of delightful and pleasing goods we cannot really afford.

The less cards you have the less likely you are to get into debt,  you wallet won’t be so heavy that it weighs down your pocket or bag, and your finances will be simpler.

Forgotten Standing Orders

How many standing orders and direct debits go out of your bank account that are unnecessary?  Are you paying out every month for a gym membership you never use, a magazine you never read, insurance you don’t need, or a charity you no longer support?

Stop! Just because the money goes out automatically we don’t appear to notice it, but it’s still happening. Why waste money on things you don’t need or use? Cancel the direct debits and standing orders you don’t use and you will save money and de-clutter your finances all at the same time.

Don’t Automatically Renew

Another big money waster is allowing things like car insurance to automatically renew. Being lazy will cost you money. All the best deals are reserved for new customers and loyalty doesn’t pay. This applies to most types of insurance; so shop around every year at renewal time and find the cheapest quote for similar cover.

It’s not just insurance that could be charging you too much. Check with your utility company if you are on their cheapest tariff and if you are not ask to be put on it. If that still sounds too expensive then shop around for a cheaper quote from other suppliers.

A Pecuniary Audit

Carry out a pecuniary audit and de-clutter your finances. By streamlining your bank accounts, your credit and store cards and your direct debits, you will save a surprising amount of money, and your finances will become so simple that even you will understand them.

Just don’t spend the money you save on clutter!

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

I’ve written several blog posts about de-cluttering your home and your life after Christmas, so now it’s time I wrote a post about de-cluttering your schedule.

We’re extra busy at Christmas, but the rest of the year can be hectic too. Many of us spend our time rushing around, making lists, planning and worrying. We’re too busy to relax, to spend quality time with our partner or children, or to look after our mental health. Well it’s time to stop and take a breather.

It’s time to assess your life and work out which areas you can improve, to give yourself more time, more space and lighten the burden that we all seem to carry.

Assess Your Life

Which areas of your life do you find particularly stressful? Is it lack of time, lack of money or lack of space? Most of these problems can be helped by de-cluttering your schedule and your life.

Lack of Time

If lack of time is your main problem then you need to work out which activities you can drop. Do you have too many hobbies? Or an evening class that is draining your time? Do you volunteer at your children’s school or with a charity? Do your family rely upon you too much to do things for them?

If you are feeling stressed and jaded then it’s time to step back. Drop one or more of your activities and free up some regular time in your schedule to relax and have some ‘you’ time in which you do something for yourself. This could include a long luxurious bath or shower, relaxing with your favourite film, or an early night with a good book.

This will give you a chance to rest and recharge your batteries. You will feel a lightening of your load if you de-clutter your schedule in this way, and will be better able to cope with what life throws at you in the coming year.

Lack of Money

De-cluttering your schedule could mean doing less shopping which will immediately save you money and time. Or it could mean dropping a hobby or voluntary role in order to free up time, in which you could think about getting a part-time job, selling some unwanted possessions on eBay, or some other way to earn more money.

When you are short of money you need time to think, assess your options and take appropriate action, and you cannot do any of these things if you are continually rushing around in a stressed state.

Lack of Space

De-cluttering your schedule will free up time for you to de-clutter your home. Apart from moving to a bigger home, the best method I know to gain more space is to de-clutter. Get rid of everything you don’t use, including furniture. Sell it, give it away, or take it to the local recycling centre, but get it out of your house.

You will have more space, will spend less time on housework and will feel less stressed if you’re not surrounded by clutter.

De-Clutter Your Life

De-cluttering you schedule and your life this January could make 2013 the best year of your life. We all get the desire to start afresh in the new year, so don’t wait for those feelings to wear off; de-clutter your schedule now and begin to reap the benefits straight away.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

Christmas is coming and it’s time to deck the halls; but what condition are your Christmas decorations in? Do you need to de-clutter your embellishments and cull your adornments?

What State Are Yours In?

We only get them out once a year and usually at a time of great stress, so it’s not unusual for our Christmas decorations to be in need of a bit of tender loving care.

Every year we succumb to the glittering lure of new and shiny doodads to hang upon the Christmas tree. Every year we find ourselves buying new sets of twinkling lights to festoon our windows and even our gardens. But do we ever go through our mass of old decorations and look at them in the cold light of day?

Disreputable Decorations

If you did then you might get an unpleasant surprise. Tatty tinsel, pitiful paper chains, broken baubles, and wretched wreaths… are the vast majority of your decorations disreputable?

I’m not suggesting you go on a wild spending spree as I’m sure you have plenty of new and shiny ones already. Just de-clutter your collection of dilapidated, squalid and threadbare adornments. Once you’ve binned your balding tinsel and your battered baubles you can take a fresh look at what’s left. You may have less quantity, but the quality or your embellishments will be immensely higher and you will free up some precious space in your storage area.

Blackpool Illuminations

Nothing looks more cluttered than too many Christmas decorations. Go for a less is more approach this year and be sparing with your garnishings. Don’t get a seven foot Christmas tree if you have a small room, or it will loom over you for the entire holiday and get in everyone’s way. Lights can look pretty, but don’t get carried away or you will end up with an approximation of the Blackpool illuminations!

The Christmas season tends to introduce a lot of clutter into your home anyway in the form of gift shopping, rolls of wrapping paper, piles of cards to be written and posted, and all those bizarre items your children bring home from school at this time of year!

Keep It Simple

By decking your halls with too many decorations you will be adding to the cluttered appearance of your abode. Clutter is always a stressor and by the time your home fills up with people on Christmas day, you may well be feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

Be sparing with your Christmas festooning and your rooms will look less cluttered, will have a more peaceful feel, and you will feel less swamped by all your festive activities.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

Everyone says that Christmas is about children, and anyone who has kids will know the truth of that. Adults may open a modest pile of gifts on Christmas morning, but it’s when the children get started that you know you’re in for the long haul!

The Land of Plenty

Children get inundated with presents at Christmas for two main reasons; they seem to expect it and parents don’t want to disappoint their offspring. Watching your child’s excitement on Christmas morning can be one of the best aspects of the day, and it helps to make up for all the hard work and expense.

The Reckoning

But when the excitement and festivities are over comes the reckoning; a host of new toys, games and gadgets to house in an already crowded child’s room.

The best way to prepare for Christmas is to de-clutter. All children have a few favourite toys which they play with continually, along with a room full of toys that just seem to gather dust. As children grow and mature however, old favourites will become discarded for new ones. In addition, once they start school, peer pressure will become a factor and they often want whatever their friends have got.

How many ‘must have’ toys have been bought due to peer pressure; which affects parents as well as children! And how many of these ‘must-have’ toys or gadgets lie discarded by the next Christmas?

The possessions which your children no longer play with are clutter to them and to you, but your child can often be reluctant to give them away.

Out of Sight Is Out of Mind

I’ve found that one effective technique is to offer to pack unused items into boxes and put them away in a cupboard or the loft. This way they are not under your feet, it is easier for your child to keep their room tidy, and it frees up space for new Christmas presents. Once the toys have been packed away for six months or a year, your child may have out-grown them anyway and it is likely that they will be more willing to part with them.

Pound Signs

Another technique that works well for me was to offer to sell some of my children’s toys on eBay. My son’s eyes lit up at the thought of acquiring some money for the toys he never played with and he willingly selected some which he was happy to part with. Car boot sales can also be a great way to sell excess toys.

Fairs Fayre

School fayres which need donations for toy or book stalls are also useful for persuading children to part with clutter. My children’s primary school used to allow them to wear mufti if they took a donation for one of the stalls; and as no child wanted to be the only one in uniform, they were keen to select some offerings; just make sure you persuade them not buy even more clutter at the fayre!

Emulate Ernie Wise

Finally we could all learn something from the comedian Ernie Wise. His comedy partner Eric Morecambe always joked that Ernie’s wallet was covered in cobwebs because he so rarely opened it. If you’re suffering from last Christmas’s clutter then don’t make the same mistake again! Buy less for your child and you’ll be solving the problem before it happens. Children have too many toys, games and gadgets; which is why most of them never get touched after the first enthusiasm wears off. Christmas has become very commercial, but you can redress this trend in your own family. Make the celebration more about playing games, eating a lovely meal together and having fun as a family, than about receiving gifts.

Start De-Cluttering Now

The trick is to start early. Once Christmas is upon us we will be manically busy shopping for gifts, writing out cards and putting up decorations, so you need to de-clutter now!

Every toy, game or gadget you remove from your child’s room will free up space; your child won’t find tidying such a chore, and will be able to better enjoy the toys that are left; there will be room for their new gifts, and you will feel a lot less stressed during the festive period.

While you’re at it, de-clutter the rest of the house too. You are much more likely to experience a calm, relaxed and joyful Christmas if you make room for it in your home and in your mind.

I initially wrote this blog post at the request of the website Mojomums.co.uk and it was published there in November 2012. It remains my copyright.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

Most of us like to keep abreast of fashion when it comes to our clothing. We read fashion magazines, we observe what celebrities are wearing, and what people in the street are wearing, and we notice the new trends appearing in clothes shops. But are you a fashion victim? And is this causing a clutter problem for you?

Are You A Slave To Fashion?

Those of you who slavishly follow fashion will find that you have to go shopping quite frequently, because fashions change frequently. Those of you who are influenced by what celebrities are wearing will probably spend the most on fashion, but we are all guilty of not wearing perfectly serviceable clothes because they have become unfashionable and we don’t want to appear out of touch.

Who nowadays actually wears out their clothes? Not many people. Most of us stop wearing clothing because it’s out of date; last year’s styles; and heaven forbid we should look old-fashioned!

Clothes Glorious Clothes

The problem is that apart from spending a lot of money which many of us can’t really afford, we begin to have so many clothes that we could set up shop. We run out of wardrobe space, drawer space and every kind of space. We start to fantasize about walk-in wardrobes and begin to eye the spare room in a predatory manner. In other words, our clothes start to take over our homes and are beginning to become… clutter!

I’m the last person to suggest that you should swan around in old-fashion clothes. People do judge us by what we wear and if our clothes look out of date, then people assume that we are also out of date in our knowledge and our ideas. In addition, clothing is not just about impressing other people, but also about how it makes us feel. Having the right clothes on can make us feel good and can give us confidence. So what’s the solution?

Enjoy Then Eject

Solution One is to follow fashion but to ruthlessly sell or give away clothes as soon as they become out of date. This way you will only have in your wardrobe what you actually wear, you won’t run out of space, and you will be able to find what you need without rifling through ten years worth of attire!

Solution one will solve your space problem and your clutter problem, but it won’t solve the problem of the amount of money you are haemorrhaging on your buying sprees. If you have plenty of money then this isn’t a problem; spending money is good for the economy and supports shops, clothes designers, and a whole host of other related services.

Unfortunately though, many us can’t afford to spend as much as we do on fashions and our spending in this area could be depriving us of financial security.

Convert Into A Classic

Solution two is to stop following fashion quite so ruthlessly. Instead, focus on classic styles that will date much less quickly. Examples of classic styles of clothing are trench coats, riding-style boots, blue jeans, chinos, simple black dresses, plain white shirts and traditional cashmere sweaters. This type of clothing never really goes out of fashion. You can then add fashionable accessories to jazz them up and ring the changes.

Solution two will save you money as well as cutting down on your clothes clutter and is my recommended solution. It is also a good way to stand out because your simple, timeless elegance will set you apart from the fashion slaves.

Save Money, Time and Space

Whichever solution you adopt, you will find that your clothes clutter decreases. You won’t have to waste money on new wardrobes, chests or even rooms to store your attire. In addition  if you adopt solution two you will find that you are less likely to run out of money before pay day; not to mention the time you will save and the shoe leather you will conserve, in not having to spend so much time shopping.

Don’t let fashion add to your clutter problems; you can look good without storing enough clothes to outfit a department store. Start now, you know you want to!

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

We’re often reluctant to give our clutter away, because we’re convinced that it’s worth something. But for most of us this theory just doesn’t add up. If we calculate the economics of clutter then we’ll understand the true value of our junk… and it’s not worth very much.

What’s It Worth?

Start by finding out how much your house is worth and then calculate the amount of square footage it contains. If you don’t know then call in an estate agent and get it valued; it’s knowledge that’s useful to have.

Now assess the value of your clutter. Even if you overestimate the value of your unused possessions (and you probably will), then I’m willing to bet that it doesn’t equal the value of the space it is currently occupying in your home.

The Value of Clutter

Let’s say the clutter in your garage or spare room is worth two hundred pounds; I’m being generous here as you’d probably have to pay someone to take it away! How much would it cost to add a garage or spare room to your home? A lot more than two hundred pounds, and yet your car is sitting in the rain because your garage is full of junk and you can’t use your spare room for the exact same reason.

It Doesn’t Add Up

It doesn’t add up whichever way you calculate it. We all think that possessions are worth having but the space they occupy is actually far more valuable.

Occupation of square footage isn’t the only way that your clutter is costing you money. Every time you buy more bookcases, cupboards or shelves and every time you pay to have extra storage fitted into your home, then your clutter is costing you money.

The value of the bookcase is probably higher than the second hand value of the books is contains. The cost of the cupboard is probably far greater than the clutter is contains.

Economic Insanity

What about those of us who move to a bigger house because they need more room for their possessions, most of which they never use? Does that make economic sense? Or those of us who indulge in even greater insanity by renting a storage facility for their clutter. These expensive activities carried out purely to house our clutter are really costing us, and yet it all seems to make perfect sense at the time.

It Pays To Do The Maths

It pays to do the maths. When you calculate the economics of clutter you will see that it’s just not worth it. Those sums will never add up to financial gain or common sense. Understand the value of your space and your time, and understand that your clutter is by and large, worthless.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi

Are you on the clutter carousel? Do you mindlessly acquire things you hardly ever use without even thinking about it? Well it’s time to step off, because once you’re on the clutter carousel then you’re going nowhere fast.

The Clutter Carousel

One example of the kind of mindless behaviour which keeps us circling around our clutter is to automatically replace items when they break, regardless of whether we actually use them.

Yesterday my microwave broke and my first thought was that I’d have to go and purchase another one; but then I stopped to think.

The microwave takes up a lot of counter space in my kitchen, is fiddly to clean, and I would have to spend a minimum of thirty pounds to replace it. I use my microwave for heating baked beans and baked potatoes. I never use it for anything else.

So does it justify the space it takes up, the time spent in shopping for a new one, and the thirty pounds I would have to spend to replace it? I think not. The broken microwave is destined for the recycling centre and I’m already planning what I can use my new kitchen counter space for.

It’s Broken, So What?

How many broken gadgets do you replace that are so little used you could easily manage without them? Do they really need replacing? Or could you find a better use for your space, time and money?

And let’s not confine this exercise to broken gadgets. What about the perfectly good items which you rarely or never use? Just because they work doesn’t mean that they deserve the prime spot they occupy in your kitchen. Why not sell them and gain money as well as space?

Identify the Squatters

Look around your kitchen, and your home as a whole, and identify all the possessions which you rarely use. If you could do with extra cash (and let’s face it who couldn’t these days!) then why not free your home from the presence of these squatters? Unused items are doing nobody any good whilst items which gets used twice a year don’t really justify their position either.

There could be someone out there who would love, cherish and use your unused possessions. Whilst you could be gaining some spare cash to buy something you really would benefit from. Or better still, put the money towards a holiday or a rainy day.

Stop Chasing Your Tail

Step off the clutter carousel; stop mindlessly acquiring and keeping clutter and think about what you actually use and what you actually need. Then you can start to travel in the right direction, instead of circling around your clutter like a dog chasing it’s tail.

Clutter.co.uk - Getting Rid of Clutter with Clutter.co.uk by The Clutter Expert Lynne Mashhadi