Stop Clutter Before It Comes in the Home

What happens when you love to shop BUT hate to organize? Or you don't have the time or the energy to deal with what you buy?

Nowadays, the internet is packed with "great deals." Every few months, there is a Prime Day, or Black Friday, or Boxing Day… These never-ending sales offer a parade of fantastic and enticing products with prices that can't be beat. And, of course, our instinct is to snap them all up before the sale is over, or they sell out.

Ah, but here is the problem: All those "great deals" becomes clutter when we bring them into the home. What looked like a fantastic deal online suddenly looks a lot less great when we don't have a place to put it, or need to purge something else to make room for it. What happens most of the time is the new items stay hidden in a bag in the closet, where we let more and more "deals" pile up!

And that's the issue in a nutshell (or overstuffed closet): Too much stuff, with no place to put it, leads to clutter and chaos. This does not allow for a stress-free and organized home which we desire. Our desire to buy things to make ourselves feel good only leads to discomfort. 

Can we keep this from happening? Of course. Before you buy something, you simply need to ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a place for it?

The funny thing about ordering things online is that you don't get to see the item beforehand. If you were in a store, you might see the size of an item and think, "Hm. It's a little big." No such luck with online sales. All you get is a photo to go by, then a gigantic box delivered to your door!

So, you need to do a little more work. See if you can find photos of the item with other things around it as a size reference. Take a look at the dimensions of the item. And then ask yourself the crucial question: do I have a place to put it? If not, best to let that deal go by until you do. 
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• Do I love it?

A sale price can often short circuit the voice in our head that says, "Is this something that you really want?"

When something is being sold for super cheap, you might make the purchase before you even ask yourself if you love the item or not. I find a good rule of thumb is this: would you buy the item if it wasn't a great deal? If not, then don't buy it. And even if you do, ask yourself if this is something that would genuinely bring joy into your life long-term. If not, don't buy it.

• Am I willing to toss something else to make room for this item?

So, you really love an item and are seconds away from clicking the "Buy Now" button. But hang on for a minute! Ask yourself this simple question, "Am I willing to toss something else to make room for it?"
This is one of the only real ways you can keep clutter under control, especially when you are hurting for space in your home. You need to take a look around your space and decide if there are things in it that you would replace with something else. If so, then it might be a good idea to take advantage of the deal! If not, well, don't worry. There will be another sale in a few weeks where the item will probably be even cheaper. 

• Will I really use this item, and if so, will it be within the next 2 months?

Just like I said, there is ALWAYS a sale coming up. A great deal today might be an even better deal tomorrow. So, the big question when you are thinking about buying something is, do you need this item RIGHT NOW.

If you don't, then my advice would be to wait until the next sale to purchase. Why? First, because you might take on some decluttering before then that will clear away some room for it. And second, you might get it at a better price. Heck, you might decide that, in the end, you don't need it at all. 

The bottom line is that, even if a deal seems too good to pass up, you still need to put it somewhere. The floor does not count as a storage place unless its furniture, so I always suggest you not allow bags to be piled up on the floor (or in the closet).

By asking yourself the above questions before you buy, you'll learn over time that the best way to stop clutter is before it even enters your home. But if the clutter is already there and you're looking for a way to cut down, I can help there too! Click here and schedule a maintenance check with me, and we can get your home back under control!