Decluttering tips!

Not that I'm a guru on this, I'd just like to share the good stuff I learned lately, which made my life a lot easier, when it came to cleaning and decluttering. These can help you too especially if you're planning to de-congest your room/house!

1. Too many plastic bags? Fold plastic them into triangles like this. (But a primary solution for this is to USE CLOTH BAGS WHEN BUYING GROCERIES - save not only the effort in folding, but also the environment. DID YOU KNOW, that if you're a Shopwise member, you can double your points every time you use their bag? Because of this, I get around free P600 worth of groceries a year!)

2. Revisit your stash/pantry before going to the grocery store. Especially if you keep them in places you seldom check, like hanging cabinets or storage boxes -- You might find the stock you need! (ex. sinigang mix, sachets of whatever...) I oftentimes fail on this -- several times I bought something I already have, like a pack of black pepper, sugar, etc. It's actually ok to stock up things, but this isn't cool when there are expiry dates. and hey, they take up space too!

3. On refrigerators: group small things and put them in medium sized plastic containers. Example: 1 group - candies, chocolates and other individually packed sweets. another group - butter, honey and jam sachets. another group - leftover garlics, onions, ginger and other spices. This will not only save up refrigerator space and make the searching a lot easier, but this will also eliminate funky odors (or odors mixing up with other items like water!)

4. Related to #2 and #3: throw away expired items - self explanatory :P

5. Donate clothes/shoes not used within one year! This is just my personal rule though -- I read from somewhere that anything not used in 6 months must be disposed!

6. Tissue paper from your first date, dried flowers from a valentines day, letter from a highschool friend, college notes, event name tags -- if you don't plan to keep them in scrapbooks, albums, or the like, STOP BEING TOO SENTIMENTAL AND THROW THEM AWAY!

7. Cosmetic/Toiletry items that you tried for just a few times -- THROW THEM AWAY! (or donate to a friend/relative who may be interested, but when you decide to do the latter, do it NOW)

8. Bills and Receipts more than 2 years old -- THROW THEM AWAY! (Shred those with confidential data, and of course make sure you're not throwing away warranties)

9. Do not give yourself a reason to hoard, therefore do not buy those plastic storage boxes unless really really really necessary. Likewise, do not stock mishmash of items under your bed!

10. Practice makes perfect! Do all the items above on a regular basis. As for me, I do a monthly general cleaning of my house. I noticed that throwing away things used to be a really hard task. There used to be a lot of contemplating before I decide if something has to be kept or thrown. But now, even before I think that "hey I can use this for... [insert whatever excuse here]", I pack them neatly in a bag, for anyone else who can probably own, recycle or resell it ...then I shoot it in the bin! problems solved.