31 Things to do before Christmas – Out with the Old

(This is #7 of 31 in the 31 Things to do series)

Out with the Old.... getting rid of stuff you no longer need.

This is one of my favorite steps in the whole series since I don't like clutter. Too much stuff around me makes me feel out of control and antsy. Before Christmas gets here and you have to find a new spot for all the junk, I mean stuff you will probably be getting, it's a good idea to start weeding out the old stuff now.

This is especially true for kids because they are usually the ones who end up with the whole kit and kaboodle for Christmas. Get them involved in the purging process. Some kids will be even more motivated if you allow them to sell some of their stuff at a garage sale.

You've probably heard of the 3 box system --- toss, keep and donate. Well I would even add a "sell" box, so you can earn some extra cash from some of those items. You may even be able to come up with a good chunk of your Christmas budget that way. I'm all for donating but when money is tight, you need to bring in some extra cash when you can.

One of my personal favorite writers on the subject of decluttering is Flylady. She even has weekly and daily tasks to help you better organize your life throughout the year, not just for Christmas. I love systems so her style is right down my alley. I haven't been on board with her system for a while now, and it's starting to show. But as Flylady says, you are never behind, just jump in where you are! I think it's time for me to check her out again myself.

Another site I just found which has a list of 18 five-minute tips on decluttering is zenhabits.

Both of these sites have tasks you can do in just a short period of time, 15 minutes or less, which is good news for all of us with the attention span of a flea or just simply time and energy deprived.