Serious Help For Serious Clutter Bugs

As promised, here is the first installment in the Home Organization Series. While I am far from perfect organizationally, I'm always happy to share what works for me.

Basement, Attic & Garage

Serious Help for Serious Clutter Bugs

Basements, attics, garages and any "out of the regular living space" places tend to accumulate extra junk fast. Who doesn't like to say "let's put this out in the garage -- for now". It really feels like we did something to clean up the house, doesn't it?

Most of us don't even know what all we are storing in our basements, attics and garages or why we are storing it. It is nearly impossible to find anything. After hours of digging through box after box we finally find some long lost treasure and are disappointed to discover it's been damaged by mold, animals or just good old fashioned time.

One of the easiest ways my husband and I keep these out of the way places from getting cluttered is to stop adding stuff. I know, it sounds way too easy. But how do you think all that stuff got there in the first place? One box at a time. We try very, very hard to never think "I'll just set this here for right now and then do something with it later". Later never comes.

Basements, attics and garages are great for storage, but in order to utilize these areas to their fullest potential it is helpful to plan out storage areas. Sit down and think about all the things you need to store in these areas and make sure you designate an area for each type of storage. For example, in the attic you may want an area for seasonal clothing, Christmas decorations, extra linens, luggage, etc. In the garage you may want to store tools, lawn and garden equipment, camping and sports gear, etc. Mark off where these items should go. Install hanging rods, shelving or use clearly labeled boxes.

By now you've probably come to understand most of the stuff you are storing is junk. Not junk in the sense that it's absolutely worthless and unusable. Junk in the sense that you haven't used it in a long time and have no plans to use it in the near future. Come on, let someone else enjoy your stuff. You won't miss it and likely they will even pay you for it.

You've got a mountain of stuff, don't you?

Does the thought of figuring out what to do with all of that stuff make you sick? How on earth will you be able to get rid of it all?

Well, one good way to do it is hold a yard sale. It would be a giant undertaking. Not interested in such a giant project this fall? I completely understand. Neither am I. Here's what I'm doing:

Each week I pick out 5 things to list on Craig's List (you could also use Ebay or your local paper). I take photos, write a quick description, pick a fairly low price and list away! Craig's List is completely free, plus it is much quicker and less hassle than selling on Ebay. Over the years, I've been able to weed out a lot of excess belongings this way.

If you are having a hard time getting motivated to do this, try setting a financial goal for yourself. It is entirely likely in a very short amount of time for you to earn enough money to pay for Christmas expenses, a weekend getaway, a mortgage payment or start your emergency savings fund.

Think about how good it would feel to not only get rid of the clutter but also to say to your spouse --

Don't worry about the mortgage this month, I've got it covered!

Want to take a romantic anniversary trip?

Don't you worry if the car breaks down, we have extra cash to cover it!

I'm going to pay cash for every single Christmas gift this year!