Merry Christmas!!! I know decluttering is probably the last thing on your mind today so I'll keep this short :)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed during the month of December with all the stuff that enters your home? The trick I've found helps me is to declutter throughout the month. Will you join me in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge?
Each day this month I'll share some decluttering tips and ideas so you can end the month with the same number of items in your home (or maybe even less!) than what you started the month with.
Today I'm sharing tips on decluttering your empty boxes and gift wrap.
Today's Suggested Decluttering Task
Your items "in" number probably just skyrocketed today, but if you've been decluttering all month you should have lots of space for all the new gifts. And if you haven't been decluttering, it's never too late... once things settle down, go ahead and find some things you don't need any more and let them go!
One way to make your home feel less overwhelming today is to get rid of all the unnecessary things like garbage and recycling. It's amazing how much of that is left when the dust settles after all the gifts are opened. Once you clear it all away, you can have more space to enjoy all your new gifts.
Here are a few tips on decluttering boxes and gift wrap:
- Recycle all empty boxes and packaging once the gift has been removed (double check for tiny parts that may be inside first!). Exception: only keep boxes for very expensive items that you may need if there is ever a problem and you need to use the warranty (although many people recycle those too... a lot of stores will honour a warranty without the original packaging).
- Relocate any holiday gift bags, gift boxes, bows, tissue, etc. if they are in good enough condition to re-use (donate or give them away if you don't have space to store them all year)
- Recycle or toss all the gift wrap, gift boxes, bows, tissues, etc. that are not in good enough condition to use again or that you don't have space to store.
- Toss all those twist ties, bits of snap ties, pins, tags, etc. that came with your gifts
- Gather any manuals, gift receipts, instructions, etc. that you want to keep or may need to reference later. Recycle the rest.
If you are planning to get organized in the new year and happen to have a lot of boxes, you could pretty them up and use them as organizing containers. See this post for ideas.
Note: don't keep them unless you have specific ideas of where you will use them... this is not an excuse to keep clutter :)
Decluttering My Boxes and Gift Wrap
My Progress in the #NetZeroClutter challenge
So that puts me at 0 items today in / out in the #NetZeroClutter challenge and --384 overall. I'll update my in and out numbers in the next day or two :)
What's Next For You?
Take some time today to declutter your boxes and gift wrap. Or anything you'd like to declutter! Take some pictures and share your progress on social media using the hashtag #NetZeroClutter. Let me know how you're doing in the challenge so I can cheer you on!
Sign up to receive my blog posts by email so you get each day's post in your email inbox every morning. You can unsubscribe after the challenge is over if you don't want to continue receiving my blog posts by email.
I'd also love for you to join our 365 Items in 365 Days Facebook group as you do this challenge! You'll be able to share with others what you're decluttering and feel encouraged and inspired by everyone else who is also decluttering!
If you'd like more decluttering ideas, you can check out my Decluttering/Purging Tips & Ideas board on Pinterest.
So that's today's post in the Net Zero Decluttering Challenge! I'm enjoying doing this challenge and I'm excited to have you join me. I love hearing all the stories of how much more you're enjoying your holidays because you're not overwhelmed by all the stuff in your home!
How many boxes and gift wrap items did you let go of today? Doesn't it feel great to get rid of that stuff so quickly? Now you can enjoy your gifts with your family without all that clutter around!
Merry Christmas!!
Happy
I link up at these great parties - Check them out!
Here are all the posts in this challenge in case you missed any or want to share some with your friends or family!
