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 more toys, games, puzzles, etc. now that you know what gifts your kids received for Christmas.
Today's Suggested Decluttering Task
Today we're practicing the one-in-one-out rule! Or if you're trying to declutter a lot you can make it the one-in-three-out rule. Or one-in-seven-out rule. Whatever works!
We're also helping our kids apply this concept too.
So if you're putting away Christmas gifts and aren't sure where to fit them all, find a few similar items to give away.
Here's how it works:
- If you received puzzles, donate a few old ones that you've done several times or that your kids have outgrown (make sure all the pieces are there first!)
- If you received games, give away some games you don't play as often or that are too young for your kids now
- If you received new video games, sell some that haven't been played for several months or that your kids have outgrown
- If you received movies or music, donate or sell some older ones
- If you received new electronic devices, sell or give away the outdated ones (don't forget to remove any personal information first - and don't forget to declutter the cords and chargers too)
- If you received toys, donate some of the toys that haven't been played with for awhile or that your kids have outgrown.
See how that works? Now you can easily find homes for the new items without cluttering up your home! If you sell some of your old belongings, it will help pay off those credit cards bills in January too :)
Decluttering More of My Toys, Games, and Puzzles
Here's what they gave away:
These are camping toys my son received as Christmas and birthday gifts several years ago. He loved them and played with them a lot at the the time. But he hasn't played with them much in the last couple years and wanted to give them to his cousins to play with while they're still young enough to enjoy them. That's 30 toys decluttered.
He's very sentimental and doesn't like to give away his toys. Especially when they are gifts. He worries that the giver will be upset that he isn't keeping them. But he's starting to understand that he can't keep everything. I was very proud of him when he brought these out. He actually said he's been thinking about giving them away for a year! And the time was right now.
My daughter said several times that she didn't have anything to give away right now... until she saw what my son was giving away. Then she decided she was willing to give away some of her princess toys that she used to love and play with but that she hasn't played with for quite awhile. She also wanted give them to her cousin before she outgrows princess toys. 11 toys decluttered.
It's sad to see my kids growing up and leaving behind their little kid toys :( But I can't seem to keep them from growing up... and I do enjoy seeing them experience each new stage of life. And since they keep moving on from their old toys... I am happy to see them being willing to let some of them go.
My Progress in the #NetZeroClutter challenge
Our pantry will be full for a while as we consume the food gifts, but we have space in our drawers to add the new clothes, we have room in the kids' bedrooms or the basement for the new toys, and we're just working out how we'll fit the new PS4 into our basement entertainment area.
We also received money so we're still going to add a few new items, but for the most part our "in" numbers are done. I'm hoping to add to our "out" numbers a little bit still in the next few days.
I didn't count all the gift wrap and boxes we decluttered the last few days... but we made a point of recycling some gift boxes that had been used several times and were getting a little worn.
So that puts me at +96 items today in the #NetZeroClutter challenge and -288 overall. I'm actually quite impressed that we have let go of more than we received this month!
What's Next For You?
Take some time today to declutter more toys, games, and puzzles. 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 toys, games and puzzles did you let go of today? How can you keep your playroom from becoming cluttered?
Happy
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Here are all the posts in this challenge in case you missed any or want to share some with your friends or family!
