Lifestyles by Estelia……….  Eliminating the Mystery (and Angst) of Decluttering.

If you’re feeling guilty or intimidated by the thought of a tackling a thorough decluttering project, here are a few tough questions to ask yourself.  And, Dear Readers, I trust you’ll answer them honestly!

• Is this something that adds value to my life?  If it does (i.e. holiday decorations and pieces of art), then keep it.  Simplifying your life is about removing the things you don’t love or use in order to use and appreciate the ones you do.
• Is this something I regularly use?  You probably have things around the house that you haven’t used in years.  When going through bags and boxes of unused things, ask yourself:  When was the last time I used it?  If you can’t come up with a recent example, then toss it or donate it immediately.
• Would my life be easier if I got rid of this?  When you eliminate extra stuff and organize what you have, you’ll find that your life gets easier.  You can locate things you need quicker and find that you don’t have to buy things you don’t need.
• Am I keeping this as an obligation?  Wedding gifts typically fall into this category.  Even though you don’t have any use for it, a wedding gift is usually tied to a pleasant memory, making it difficult to discard. Don’t think of it as betraying a memory – instead think of it as sharing a good memory with others.  Get rid of it and move on.