So, we’ve finally seen some summer at long, long last and –
what do you know? – it’s already less than 100 days to Christmas. As I write
today it’s exactly 99 days until December 25 to be precise.
But before you panic and start drawing up gift lists and menus,
how about some seasonal preparations that will bring you real dividends in the
form of more space and extra Christmas spending
money? Try my 99-day declutter challenge.
It’s very simple. All you have to do to start is choose one
unwanted item that’s taking space in your home, and dispose of it today. And do the same for every day from now until
Christmas. Of course you can choose to get rid of more than one item at a time if you
want to, but if you make a pact to get 99 or more unnecessary items out of your
life by December you’ll have much more space, not just to hide the pressies you
need to keep a secret till the big day, but to store the gifts that
(hopefully!) you’ll receive.
A good place to start is with turning out the unwanted gifts
you had last year – come on, I know you’ve got at least a couple lurking
somewhere! I had a big clear out of my
bedroom cupboards and drawers at the weekend, and found three presents I’d
forgotten about and clearly won’t use. Now they’re listed on eBay and with
luck will bring in a few pounds to my own personal Christmas savings club.
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| Make space for this year's Christmas presents by clearing out your clutter |
Alternatively you could identify someone who would
welcome them as a gift this year – saving on your festive pressie spending at the same
time, but if you can’t clearly remember where something came from in the first place,
don’t risk embarrassment and offence by unwittingly passing an unwanted gift
back to the friend or relative who gave it to you!
What about the books you’ve read this year that are now overcrowding
your living room shelves? Give them to a charity shop and give yourself the
warm glow of knowing that someone else can enjoy them and you’ll have helped a
good cause at the same time.
Putting away your summer clothes and looking afresh at your
autumn/winter wardrobe offers another clear-out opportunity. If there are summer clothes that you didn’t
wear – not just because the weather wasn’t
right but because they don’t fit any more or are looking dated – don’t waste
storage space putting them away for another season, give them to a charity shop
or clothes recycling bank. And likewise, if you dig out your winter togs and are wondering what that
moth-eaten woolly or crumpled cardy is still doing taking up space in your
wardrobe, let it go!
If you’ve got children, start noting what toys and games
they have stopped playing with, and they too could be recycled to make way for
the new treats Santa will bring in a few months.
As the next few weeks go by, weed out your kitchen, bathroom
and spare room cupboards, and don’t forget those clutter-magnets, the garage,
loft and the shed. You never know what forgotten
stuff you’ll discover that could make fab Christmas gifts for somebody else –
or bring in some much-needed festive dosh!
If you'd like professional help with clearing your clutter this autumn, Clarify Interiors covers Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, or get in touch with one of my colleagues in the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers, which has members all over the UK.
