The benefits of decluttering are important to keep in mind, but it’s no surprise when we let it slide. That said, whenever the New Year approaches (aka the first “I’ll start Monday…” excuse of the year) I think forward to what I want to accomplish this year. Obviously my big goal for the year is making a success of this blog so that I can stay at home with my children, but another big one is to finally declutter our home.

We bought our house two years ago and while I can say we’re “unpacked”, unpacked mostly means “shtuff shoved into the spare bedroom.” I have two weeks off for the holidays and I plan to make the most of them. It’s my goal to be clutter-free before the new year, one final resolution for this year if you will.

Being clutter-free is important for a number of reasons, especially if you have young children who are at eye-level with the clutter. I can almost guarantee that if you have toddlers, their tendency to tantrum is directly related to the amount of clutter they’re surrounded by.

That said, if decluttering falls to you, then I very much encourage you to focus on YOU.

Decluttering will go a long way to help your mental and physical health.

Living clutter-free means…

Less stress. Less stress means a stronger immune system which means less doctor visits (and bills).

Making money

Making money selling stuff you no longer need. I have a post on how to hold a successful garage sale, but there are many other avenues to explore. Resale groups on Facebook are a favorite of mine, but there’s also Amazon (great for reselling books), Ebay, and Craigslist.

Benefits of Decluttering

declutter benefits

More free time

Just pause for a moment and think about how much time and energy you spend dealing with the clutter. Exhausting, isn’t it? By taking the time to declutter, you’ll not only have less stress ,but you’ll have far more time. More free time means either more time with your families or more time to find ways to live thriftya win either way.

Letting go of the past

Many of us are nostalgic to a fault (myself included!), but the more that we hang on to, the less room we have to keep bits of new memories. By letting go, we’re able to focus more on the future and lead a more purpose-driven life.

Motivation to declutter more

Being motivated to tend to other parts of our lives. Once the house is clean, I know I’m always then eager to clean out our minivan. Similarly, once our living space is decluttered, we are then inspired to “declutter” other areas (whether they be physical or mental).

Make room for the good things coming your way and you’ll find you have even more energy to do other things that’ll keep you moving forward.

Have VS Need

Knowing what you have versus knowing what you need. Can I share a bit of an embarrassing story with you?

The morning before my son’s birthday party, I received a bulk toilet paper order from Amazon. Due to the mad chaos that was trying to ensure the house was “party ready”, I ended up tossing the box into our spare room instead of putting it away like I should have. When it came time to needing it, I knew I had it, but had no idea where I’d put it. Time and money were both spent before I stumbled across the box in the spare room.

Mental energy

When you remove the clutter from your home, you grant yourself the energy and space to focus on what’s truly important in your life. Clutter, even just a small amount, can be mentally draining. When you’re already overwhelmed or overworked, losing the stress that is clutter can make a world of difference.

How’s the clutter situation in your house?

Is it a goal of yours to rid yourself of the mess or have you resolved to “just deal”?

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Thrifty Guardian was founded as a way to help parents lead richer lives through money saving tips, side hustle ideas, and parenting advice (including fun DIYs and recipes!)