My dream of a decluttered home

Spring may be on the horizon, even if we're expecting weather in the form of the beast from the east. My thoughts are already turned to de-cluttering my home. I'm so tired of being surrounded by stuff. Most of said "stuff" is not needed and just gathering dust, in all honesty, I could do with hiring a skip and having a mass sort out! Main areas that are needing organisation are;

-the downstairs cupboard
-books
-DVDs (I can't actually remember the last time I watched anything on a DVD!)
-clothes & shoes
-toys


My main outlook will be "is it needed?", "has it been used in the last six months" - if I answer no to any of those questions I really need to question myself as to why on earth I'm keeping it. I am guilty of keeping hold of things "just in case" and in reality its this mentality that is draining me and cluttering up my home.

Staying on top of home organisation is usually very hard to do when there is just so much stuff and homes that feel unorganised is normally due to the quantity of stuff. Do you really need 46 reusable bags (I honestly think that's how many are stuffed in my downstairs cupboard?) or books from your degree whilst in university? No. No, you don't.

So, once I'm rid of all the stuff, it will be time to organise.

This weekend I spent time organising said DVDs and books and I ended up with three of the big blue IKEA bags to take to the charity shops. Three. That's just in the living room. It really does baffle me how we can end up holding onto things for so long. Now my sideboard is clutter free and contains only things we need/want.

Having a dedicated space to organise all my stationery supplies has been a godsend. A few months ago we received a beautiful desk which is perfect for my blog work and bullet journal. Inside the main draw, I have gone through and sorted my stationary, only keep materials that are in good condition. Being an avid bullet journal lover, it's easy to get sucked into buying too much - so many beautiful pens, I can get carried away... However, now having them organised I can see what I have and what I need to replace at our local stationary supplier.

My ultimate goal is to live in a home filled with things I use and love, a space that makes me happy and does not add any unnecessary stress.

Chatting with fellow bloggers, here are a few of their top tips to decluttering your home;

Lyndsey at Me Him the Dog & a Baby says "Be strict! If you haven't used something for a certain length of time, get rid!".

Katy at Katy Kicker says  "Focus on hotspots first. End tables, bookcases, sideboards, kitchen sides etc. Find a home for everything. Don't throw items you don't want out, instead donate to charity, offer to friends or family, recycle or give away on Freecycle/selling pages."

Sarah at A Few Favourite Things says "Separate items into boxes of throw, keep, donate and sell. Work through each room systematically then go through each box at the end to make the final decision on items".

Jenni at Life with Three and Me says "My rules: If it's clothing - Does it still fit? Did you know you even had it? Sentimental Could someone else benefit from the item? I moved house and couldn't believe how much I had hoarded over the years, a thorough declutter really helped."

I would love to hear your tips on organising your home and decluttering.

K Elizabeth xoxox

*Collaborative Post