Tag Archives: clutter

Feb14

Spring Clean Your Way To a Healthy Mind

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Spring Clean Your Way To a Healthy Mind

We’re only going to whisper it, since it’s still pretty chilly out there, but…spring is just around the corner (!!!). And you know what that means: no, not lazy Sunday strolls hand in hand with your loved one, we’re talking spring cleaning! But don’t worry, because we’re going to be talking about it in a different way. Specifically, how you can use your spring cleaning as a way to reach a healthier state of mind – for both yourself and your family. That’s right – we’re suggesting you declutter your home, get rid of the mess, and adopt a minimalist lifestyle, both in your home and in your mind:

A Calm Mind: It is easy, all too easy, to acquire a large number of material items in the 21st century. Things are cheap so we buy them without much of a second thought. We have space and a need to hold on to signs of our success, so we hoard our items. But by hoarding our items, what are we really doing besides clogging up our home and denying ourselves of a pure mind? Take a look around the house, gather everything that hasn’t been used in the last 6 months (unless it’s sentimental), and contact samedayrubbishremoval.com.au to take it all away. We can’t function with stuff piled up around the house. When it’s gone and things look orderly, you’ll find it much easier to adopt a happy, carefree state of mind.

Space for Passions to Grow: Have you ever had to live without a television or the internet? If you did, you’ll remember the feelings of boredom, and then shortly after those feelings were replaced by a burst of creativity. Boredom brings out the best in us, it really does. It’s an opportunity for passions to grow and for us to do things that we never usually do. Getting rid of your junk is the same as getting rid of the television and changing the wireless internet password. With an empty home, where will your imagination take you?

Bringing the Family Together: Decluttering isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your partner and children, too, both on a personal level and as part of the family. With less distractions, you’ll find yourself naturally gravitating towards one another. Instead of living “alone together”, under one roof but decidedly different lives, you’ll be able to enjoy the rich and joyful moments of a calm space together. You’ll find you’re more interested in playing childish games with your kids, and they’ll naturally feel calmed by the serene surroundings you’ve created during the spring clean.

Boosting that Confidence: Maintaining a neat, uncluttered, orderly home also has one more benefit: it will boost your confidence. That’s a certain confidence we can draw from being in control of our surroundings, of knowing that we’re not tied down by the things that we own. Everything in your home has a purpose, you have already decided that. Instead of being owned by your possessions, you own them – and you’ll soon find this control seeping into other areas of your life, too.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan24

Clearing Out The Cobwebs: How To Clean Up Your Home

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Clearing Out The Cobwebs: How To Clean Up Your Home

Spring creeping up around the corner can only mean one thing: Spring cleaning! Here’s how to make the most out of your spring cleaning sesh to get your house spick and span in no time:

Throw Things Away: If your closet is full of things that you never wear any more, it’s time to wave goodbye to them and get rid of them. Not only will this free up space but it’ll also allow you to see the things you like and want to wear more often. If you donate them to charity, you’ll also feel as though you’ve done something to be of service. If you can’t decide which clothes you want to keep and which ones you want to throw away, why not turn around the hanger every time you wear something? By the time a year is up it’ll be obvious which clothes you haven’t worn in a long time and which you don’t need any more.

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Cleaning out my closet 8)

Declutter: If you feel overwhelmed by how many things are on the surfaces inside your home, it’s time to start getting rid of them. In busy family homes it’s easy to let clutter pile up – but this can make you feel even more scattered and disorganized, and what’s more, frustrated at the state of your home. Marie Kondo says that you should throw away everything that doesn’t spark joy in you – and you probably should at least clear up the possessions cluttering up your house that either aren’t beautiful or that don’t serve a purpose. Put them all in a box and if they aren’t claimed by a family member in a week, trash or donate them – you could even go for skip bin hire!

Assign Chores: If you’re the only person doing any cleaning, you’ll get very resentful very quickly. Make a rota to ensure that your partner does their fair share and give your kids jobs to do in return for their pocket money. If you have a pet, it’s important to make sure you take turns with feeding and bathroom breaks.

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 Perfectly decluttered!

Do It Gradually: The worst thing about cleaning is when you have an entire day of it ahead of you. If you work full time it’s very easy to resent a Saturday morning spent scrubbing out your bathroom sink. It often makes it easier to bear if you clean gradually as you go along – this means that you won’t have any huge jobs left hanging over your head that you’ll have to devote an entire weekend to. If you do something small every night when you get home from work, like changing all the bedsheets, doing a couple of loads of laundry, or throwing out all the old food from your fridge, it’ll seem a lot more bearable come the weekend.

Hire A Cleaner: It is absolutely not admitting defeat if you hire a cleaner. Sometimes cleaning just isn’t a top priority – and sometimes it shouldn’t be. You should be enjoying spending time with your kids and your partner instead of worrying about the state of your oven or bathroom. If you have enough spare money, then hire a cleaner to at least give a good once over of your home. Just make sure that the surfaces are free of clutter before they come and you’ll feel a lot more happy and content with the state and cleanliness of your place!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan6

We’ve All Got Them! What To Do With Those Unwanted Christmas Gifts

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We’ve All Got Them! What To Do With Those Unwanted Christmas Gifts

We’ve all been there. At some point, we’re bound to open gifts that we don’t like or we’ve already got. If you’ve got a pile of unwanted presents, here are some handy suggestions.

Unwanted Clothing: If you’ve got items of clothing that don’t fit you or suit your style, don’t just throw them into the wardrobe and let them sit there with the tags still on for years to come. If you’ve got the receipt or the labels are still intact, take them back to the store and get a credit note or an exchange. You might as well get something that you’re going to wear. If you can’t return it, consider reselling it on an online auction site or hitting up a store like Plato’s Closet to see if you can sell it there.

Regifting: If you’ve got more than one of the same item or you’ve been given something that you won’t use, consider regifting it. There’s nothing wrong with passing on presents as long as they’re suitable for the recipient, and they’re in pristine condition. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of regifting before – but shhh, don’t tell. 😉

Donating To Charity: If you were spoiled by friends and family and you’ve got a few items lying around that you don’t want to keep, consider donating to charity. For many people, the holidays are a lonely time, and it’s nice to give to people less fortunate.

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Wikimedia Image

Host a Beat The January Blues Party: January can be a sobering month, especially after the frivolities of the festive season. It’s cold and dark outside, and everyone’s feeling a little low after the holidays. If you’re keen to cheer everybody up and shift some unwanted gifts, you could host a beat the January blues party. Get everyone together, put a playlist on, lay out some food and drinks, and organize an exchange of white elephant gifts. Your spare presents will find a home, and your friends will leave in good spirits.

Have a Clear Out: There’s no better time of year to have a clear out than January. We tend to accumulate a lot of stuff over the holidays and it’s a good idea to declutter and free up some space. Get rid of all the trash and then have a look through your cupboards, wardrobes, and shelving units to see if there is anything you want to throw out or sell. If you’ve got a lot of items in good condition, you may be able to make some money. Gather everything together, and organize a yard sale. Send out some fliers, put some signs in the driveway, and say bye bye to your unwanted holiday clutter.

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Flickr Image

Most of us get at least a couple of unwanted gifts each year. Perhaps you’ve got items that don’t fit or suit you or you’ve got the same presents you got last year. If you have got unopened presents lying around, don’t just throw them in a cupboard or put them in the bin. There are lots of things you can do to make use of your gifts. Donate them to charity or give them to a friend or family member who would appreciate them. Sell them online or have a clear out and host a yard sale when warmer weather permits. Happy weekend!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan3

Surrounded By Clutter? How To Carry Out A Post-Holiday Clean-Up Operation

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The holidays are done and gone, and before we know it, Christmas Day will be a distant memory, and we’ll be back to the grindstone. Although most of us love the festive period, it does have its downsides. With family and friends popping in, mounds of gifts and wrapping, and days running into one, it can be tough to keep on top of cleaning. It’s easy to get swamped and end up with piles of dishes on the counters, boxes and rolls of paper everywhere, and tons of laundry to get through. If you’re surrounded by clutter, and you have an endless list of jobs, here are some tips to help you conduct a post-holiday clean-up:

clutter.pngFlickr Image

De-Cluttering: Don’t even think about trying to vacuum the carpets or dust your furniture until you’ve got clear surfaces and floors. There’s no point in trying to clean around piles of laundry or navigate the hoover around new toys, games, or mounds of books and DVDs. Start your clean-up with a de-cluttering session. Before you start trying to find places for Christmas gifts, have a clear out, and throw away anything you don’t want to keep. Take new items out of their packaging, and create a pile for recycling. Make another mound for the trash. Get everyone to tidy their own rooms and you’ll get the job done in no time. Once you’ve got your piles sorted, load the car and take a trip to the nearest waste disposal site. If you’re throwing away items that are in good condition, you could host a yard sale or take a bag of stuff to a local thrift store.

Cleaning: Set aside an afternoon to get the house in order and you’ll feel much better afterwards. Allocate chores, such as doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, and vacuuming the entire house. If everybody pitches in, you’ll be finished before you know it. Once you’ve tackled the pots and pans and hoovered the carpets, wipe down the kitchen and bathroom surfaces with disinfectant spray. Then, you can move on to polishing wooden sideboards, tables, and chests. Mop the floors and light some scented candles. Open the windows or use a fan to circulate the air. If you don’t already have one, look out for bargains in the January sales. You’ll find a host of tower fan reviews online.

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Flickr Image

Once you’ve got your home in tip top shape, the last thing you want is to let things slide and end up back at square one. Try and keep on top of tidying and cleaning. Don’t let dishes pile up or dust gather on the stairs. If you wash up every night and vacuum every couple of days, you’ll soon find that you spend a lot less time cleaning. Take the trash out and use diffusers and candles to give your home a fresh, clean smell. It may not seem like the most exciting way to spend the day, but you’ll feel much better after you’ve given your home a good spruce. There’s nothing worse than heading back to work on a miserable January morning knowing that you’ve got an endless list of chores to wade through on your return. -____-

Jan19

Perfumania

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Perfumania

Hii everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope you all are having a fabulous week so far. As I tried to clean through some clutter over my winter break, I found that a lot of it lied in the abundance of perfume that I have. Over the last year or two, I’ve refined my taste to just a few specific scents and have found no use for the extra overflow of fragrances in my collection. This has left me with a lot of barely used and brand new perfume that I haven’t the faintest clue what to do with. So I figured, why not post them on the ol’ blog to see if any of my readers are interested in buying some of them. Take a look:

Photo on the left:

  • Victoria’s Secret: Very Sexy Now – over 1/2 bottle left, originally $24
  • Victoria’s Secret: Sunny Brights Sun Blissed – almost brand new, originally $14
  • Victoria’s Secret: Sparkling Citrus Lemon Escape – almost brand new, originally $14
  • Victoria’s Secret: VS In Paradise Ocean Bloom – almost brand new, originally $14

Photo on the top:

  • Harajuku Lovers: Baby – brand new, originally $25
  • Britney Spears: Circus – over 3/4s full, originally $35
  • The Body Shop: Strawberry – almost brand new, originally $12
  • Victoria’s Secret: Sunny Brights Sun Blissed toilette – almost brand new, originally $20
  • Victoria’s Secret: Sparkling Citrus Lemon Escape toilette – almost brand new, originally $20

Photo on the bottom:

  • Juicy Couture: Peace, Love, & Couture – brand new, originally $60
  • Juicy Couture: original fragrance – 1/4 bottle left, originally $60
  • Gwen Stefani: L.A.M.B. – over 1/2 bottle left, originally $65
  • PacSun: Kirra – brand new, originally $20

But wait, there’s more! I also have a container full of high end perfume samples. There are twenty-one samples in all and will be three for a dollar for those who are interested! You also might find some of these added on to your purchase as a freebie treat!

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It really is Perfumania here on lifewithlilred! If you are interested in any of these fragrances or have any questions, feel free to email me at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com. All of the prices, shipping, etc. will be figured out by me and you! 🙂 What is your favorite fragrance? What is your least favorite scent? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov14

Letgo App

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Letgo App

Heyy everyone and happy Saturday! Usually I’m not big on “apps” or technology in general (ha!) but I found a handy little download for smartphones or iPods that has proven to be very beneficial in my effort to clear up some closet clutter. I decided to give the app, Letgo, a try after my semi annual closet clean out. The app is basically like an online garage sale where you can post pictures of your items, a brief description, and price, then whomever is interested in buying it can message you to make an offer.

I’m not really keen to going to resale shops like Plato’s Closet because I feel like you never get enough money for your items and they often pass on some really nice pieces. I also felt like I wanted to give making some money off of my more used items a shot because despite their wear they were still in fairly good condition. I like that this app lets you control how much you would like for each product you list and gives your not so “next to new” pieces a chance at going to another owner.

Thanks to the Letgo app, I was able to get rid of five pairs of shoes yesterday that have been sitting in my closet for months waiting to go to a new home. I had a brief meeting with my customer in Starbucks where she looked at the shoes that she was interested in from my listings, picked the ones that she wanted, and paid me the price that I determined. I made some quick cash (much more than I would ever get if I brought them to Plato’s), eliminated some clutter, and met someone who wanted to meet up again to look at more of my items. Score!

I’ve always toyed around with the idea of selling items online but I never knew how to go about doing it. Letgo makes the selling process so simple because your listings are shown to people who are within a 15 or so mile radius from you so it’s easy to find a good public meeting spot that is within a short driving distance for the seller and customer. I drove about seven minutes to meet with the darling lady and her daughter that I sold to yesterday and made enough money that the trip was worthwhile twenty fold. You can’t beat that!

I can’t recommend Letgo enough and you can download the app on their website at: http://us.letgo.com/en !

^^^ It seemed appropriate!

I hope all of you are having a great start to your weekend so far! Has anyone used the Letgo app or anything similar? What was your best purchase or sale story from a resale shop or app? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah