The biggest hack to keeping your home & closet clutter free
News Flash: while this might seem a bit counter intuitive, it’s true that the biggest organization hack starts when you are out of your home. Living in the capitalist economy that we do, you are subject to sales & marketing wherever you go. Whether this includes free samples or intentional shopping trips, you have to stay on your game to avoid bringing unwanted clutter back home.
By being diligent and carefully evaluating the usefulness of something before you pick it up will help lighten the load of how much you then have to organize back at your house.
This looks like:
Skipping the free samples/ swag items when you are at conferences/ in the beauty aisle/ etc- yes samples seem like a good idea at the time, mostly because they are free (which triggers an psychological impulse response in our brains) and often because a human is handing them to you. The human connection and not wanting to disappoint someone else immediately makes you feel guilty for saying “no.” But you have to ignore the feeling of guilt especially to someone you just met or risk feeling guilty for bringing more clutter into your home that you likely won’t use anyway, and will end up throwing away. Saying “no” upfront might seem difficult at first, but will save you in the long run.
Reconsidering any subscription box services sending you things periodically that you didn’t curate yourself. Subscription box services sold you on the excitement of newness but likely you can’t keep up with it all. Ask yourself honestly, are you actually using and/or enjoying all of the things you are receiving? Not only will canceling these subscriptions save you big money in the long run it will save you from having to organize away more clutter, that you didn’t even pick out for yourself.
Not buying more household items until you are truly almost out (canned goods, hygiene products, etc)- Don’t go to places like Target/ Costco on a whim- limit your trips to once a month or even once a quarter and make sure you are sticking to your list of items you actually use so that the fancy displays and/or and samples don’t catch you off guard.
What about when you are actively shopping, you wonder, let’s say for new clothes? Here are four of our favorite questions to ask of oneself while in the dressing room, getting pulled in a million directions by the feel of the lush fabrics and the spend-inducing scents of luxury, or perhaps when you are online and loading your cart with the potential of newness. You can avoid closet clutter before splurging out of habit, by asking yourself:
Would I pay full price? We all love sales! But before you buy you better ensure that you love the product more than the price tag. By asking yourself “would I pay full price?” before you buy makes it easy to discern. If “yes” and you’re getting it half-off, go buy a latte (*in your reusable mug) to celebrate. If the answer is “no” and that you only really love it for the sale price, then skip it.
30 Wears Challenge? When trying something on ask yourself if you think you will realistically wear it 30 times (which would be roughly once a week for about 7 months)? If the answer is no, reconsider what is holding you back from a confident “heck yes” to the 30 wears and look for something more in line with that.
Is this forever? Don’t buy it if you are thinking that you plan to recycle it down the road or give it away. Only buy if you wholeheartedly see this having a good, long life in your closet and you intend to keep it.
Can I find better? If you didn’t answer confidently to these questions keep shopping for less, but better.
Looking for more conscious consumerism tips? Download our free Intentional Retail Therapy guide now.
Grace has never been into the status quo, and loves to think outside of the bag. She has a passion for ethical and earth friendly apparel and accessories. And is inspired by minimal living and the organization necessary for living joyfully with less.
