12 May 2016
 Categories: , Blog

When your family lives on a strict budget, it's easy to fall into the habit of hoarding possessions in case they're needed in the future. With this sort of attitude and behaviour it doesn't take long before your family home is filled to the brim with clutter. If you're ready to say goodbye to your hoarding lifestyle and bring a little order to your domestic chaos, check out these three tips for decluttering your frugal family home.

Discard excuses

The first place you need to start when decluttering your family home is in your mind. If your decluttering efforts are going to have long term success, you need to abandon all the excuses and explanations you have for clinging on to all your redundant possessions. If you find yourself holding on to things that you have an emotional connection to, it's time to get practical- keep your family heirlooms and a few beloved keepsakes on display, but free yourself from anything you don't use, like or need. Do you have cupboards full of items that you keep 'just in case'? Perhaps you justify hanging onto something because you 'paid good money' for it new, and even though it's worn, broken or unused now you can't bear to part with it. Now is the time to make peace with your old hoarding excuses, and move forward with a vision for a comfortable family space. Find a balance between your frugal nature and creating an organised family home that makes daily frugal life easier and more enjoyable.

Start small

Keeping up to the demands of everyday life in a frugal family is time-consuming enough, without trying finding the time and energy for a large-scale decluttering mission. Starting small and chipping away at your decluttering efforts each day will help you to maintain momentum without getting overwhelmed or feeling defeated. Get the kids involved in the process too- try spending five minutes each day as a family choosing items that are no longer needed. This is a great opportunity to discuss the benefits of decluttering and frugal life with your kids, empowering them to live a simple life free from the stress and debt that can come with owning lots of possessions. Once everyone in the family are on board with the decluttering process, it will become a lifestyle instead of a once-off overhaul.

Donate, Sell and Toss

Don't feel like you need to run out and get the latest storage solutions to help you declutter your home- think of this as an opportunity to get organised without spending money. A great way to work as a family on decluttering your home is the four-box method: label four boxes keep, relocate, toss and donate/sell. As you go through each room of your house, sort objects into one of the boxes. Encourage your kids to place items in the donate/sell and toss boxes by allowing them to spend the money received from any sales on a special experience in the future, such as a trip to the movies or sleepover party. Rather than discard your 'toss' box into your weekly rubbish bin, consider hiring a bin for responsible, quick and easy disposal of your clutter.

To help make your decluttering mission quick and easy, contact a local bin hire company, such as C. Fulton Pty Ltd, today to hire recycling bins for a competitive price.