Avoid holiday clutter! Black Friday is Coming!

With holiday products now available in most stores, and a major sales weekend coming up, it can be hard to refuse the allure of buying and accumulating more. This is especially true when many of us have the excuse of buying gifts, hosting parties, and feeling stressed. However, there is a way for people to prevent themselves from overbuying and adding more clutter into their lives over the holidays.

Take stock of what you already have

Before you even step into the grocery store or shopping centre, make sure you take a look around your home to see what you already have. This can save you from buying duplicates of anything or buying unnecessary items. For example, if you are doing holiday baking, check your pantry or the back of your cupboards for any leftover ingredients from the year before, or anything else that you can still use. This will keep you from buying another bag of sprinkles or more icing when you don’t need it.

In terms of holiday gifts, this is also a good idea, especially if you have been buying for people throughout the year. Sometimes it can be easy to forget a small item you may have purchased for someone back in March, so check all your usual storage areas and take a look at what you have already purchased for the people on your list.

Stick to the list

Now that you know what you have, make a list of what you need. This will help you stay on track while doing any shopping and curb any temptations to buy impulsively. Start by making a separate list of what food and drink items you  need for entertaining. Go through each dish you have on your menu, and what ingredients, condiments, serving dishes, and utensils you might need. To stay even more organized, group your ingredients into different categories based on the aisles and sections of your grocery store. This way, you can go through the store and get exactly what you need and prevent you from doing any unnecessary browsing through aisles where you don’t need anything.

For your gifts, make a list of everyone you need to buy for, and what they all need. For example, is it a small Secret Santa gift with a specific price limit? Is it a stocking stuffer, or a major gift? Is it for a co-worker, or a close relative? When you’re putting together their list, keep in mind what your relationship is and what kind of gift you want to give them. This will help you formulate gift ideas or know what to choose when you’re doing your shopping.

Know your limits

Holiday shopping can be expensive, so make sure you know what your budget is! Having your budget in mind can help keep you from overspending. Knowing what money you have to spend on gifts can also help when formulating your gift-giving list, and keep you from overbuying your gifts. When you’re shopping, keep in mind that you also want to reduce the clutter in other peoples’ lives, not just your own. So try and think of gift ideas that are not only cost-effective for you and within your budget, but also something useful and practical that your friends and family can actually appreciate.

The holiday season can be a big shopping holiday – but this year, try to avoid the temptation to add clutter to your home and spend more than you have. Consider your shopping needs carefully before you head to the store, know what you actually need and what you already have, and make sure you follow your budget. This way, you can enjoy the holidays without any shopping or financial regrets when the season ends.

Home inventory: How can it help you?

What is a home inventory?

It’s a catalogue or list of all the items in a home, right down to the last drawer. Everything from jewelry, to art, clothing, shoes, bags, toys, and so on. Included with each item listed is a short description, what it’s worth, and what it looks like. This can take the form of a physical copy or a digital file, and it is important for everyone to have one. With an inventory list, people can keep track of all their assets. Keep in mind that this could also include items not in a main residence, like items in a vacation home, trailer or storage unit.

This may seem like a unessential activity, but a home inventory can be very useful in the event of a fire, natural disaster, or incident that requires a person to have proof of what they own to submit for estate or insurance purposes. When these incidents occur, they are usually without warning and require people to prove what they own in order to get anything back for what was lost. During a difficult time it can be hard to try and think back to everything that was in a home, and in most cases, an insurance company will not just take a person’s word for it and still require proof of the items owned (especially for high value items or heirlooms like jewelry). As a result, it is important to start putting together a list of possessions and finding a safe place to store it so it is protected and easily accessible. It is also a good idea to let a family member or friend know about the list and where it is stored so they can access it in case of an emergency.

How to create a home inventory

At minimum, the easiest way to take an inventory of a home is to take a video of every drawer, shelf, cupboard, and closet in every room of the home. Film everything that is in the home. Once everything is captured on film, upload the video file to a drive or storage cloud so it can be accessed from anywhere. Consider sharing the link or providing access to a family member or friend, so someone else can find and use it easily. However, this is only one simple way to create an inventory, with only basic information. The best way to create an inventory is to go through each item one room at a time. Take a picture of each item and save it in a file along with a title, description of what it is, and value or approximate value. This file can then be added to a drive/cloud storage, or printed and stored somewhere safe. Don’t forget to keep updating it with any new possessions added to the home!

While it may seem that something like this is not necessary, there are many different events or tragedies that can occur at any given time that will require people to know what they have in their home. Take the time to look over personal possessions and put together an inventory to be prepared for anything that may happen.

Minimalism: Read more about it!

Need some inspiration on changing your mindset? Before you start your next big organizing project, we recommend taking a look at these minimalist bloggers. Browse through their posts to learn more about how you can live a more simple and organized life.  

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but you can start changing the way you live by learning from these minimalists: 

Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker 

One of the more famous minimalist bloggers, Joshua Becker's blog offers insights into living with less – from how it can positively impact your life, to how-to guides for decluttering and minimalizing your wardrobe. For those who are new to minimalism, his post on Minimalist Living provides a great break down of what it actually means to live a minimalist lifestyle. 

The Minimalists by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus 

Inspired by their own experience of changing to a minimalist lifestyle, Joshua and Ryan’s blog provides great advice on how you can apply minimalist principles to the different aspects of your life. For people who need some help getting started, or want to encourage friends and family to try, check out the 30-Day Minimalism Game post and see how well you do! 

Be More with Less by Courtney Carver 

Courtney’s lifestyle blog is focused on living with less stuff to make more time and space for the things and people you love. A popular topic on her blog is how to minimalize your wardrobe, especially for people who may have a difficult time parting with their clothing or saying no to another purchase. You can read more about Project 333, her fashion minimalist challenge, here. 

The Tiny Life by Ryan Mitchell 

At the Tiny Life, Ryan talks about more than just living minimally – he also covers topics related to living in tiny homes and homesteading. All of his posts touch on how you can live a simpler lifestyle whether it is through the size of home you live in, the items you buy, and how you consume them. The extensive blog is updated regularly and contains a wealth of knowledge on how you can change your mindset and lifestyle. 

Miss Minimalist by Francine Jay  

Francine’s Miss Minimalist blog covers topics related to living a simple life – everything from your wardrobe, home spaces, office and more. On Monday’s Francine highlights real minimalists in her segment “Real Life Minimalists” where readers can learn about the journey of others who have changed their living habits to live simply.