While the holidays are usually an enjoyable, festive time of the year, they can also be busy and include a bit of extra stress. And clutter creates even more stress. Rather than waiting until January or February, the best course of action is to declutter FOR the holidays and not after. This way, when you inevitably acquire more food, toys, and other gifts, they won’t add to the clutter and overwhelm you. Before you start planning food for your annual party or gifts for your kids, take care of these 7 things to declutter for the holidays
7 Things to Declutter for the Holidays
1. Holiday Decor
You’re already bringing your holiday decor down from the attic or hauling it up from the basement. Before you start decorating is the best time to sort through it all and donate anything you don’t love or no longer use. Rather than keeping these items permanently in storage, they can bring someone else some holiday joy. And as a bonus, you’ll get some extra storage space back.
2. Gift Wrapping Supplies
There’s a good chance you have a few almost finished rolls of gift wrap or smaller pieces that won’t wrap around any gift. Get rid of any unusable supplies and take inventory of what you have before you buy anything new. Plan to use up the leftover bits of gift wrap, bags, or tape, and make a list of what supplies need replenishing and stick to that list.
3. Seasonal Clothing and Gear
As you transition to your cooler weather wardrobe, do a mini-declutter of your winter clothing and gear. Donate any coats you no longer wear or have outgrown and only keep an amount of gloves, hats, and scarves your family will realistically use. This is also a great time to declutter any holiday party specific clothing you may have. You know, those sparkly dresses from holiday-parties-past hiding in the back of your closet.
Before taking your donations to your local thrift store, check with churches or homeless shelters first. They’ll get your donations straight to those in need without adding a price tag to it. Blankets are also welcome donations if you find you’ve accumulated too many.
4. Medicine Cabinet
The holiday season is, unfortunately, accompanied by cold and flu season. Check the expiration dates on medicines in your cabinet and appropriately discard anything expired. Before waiting until anyone gets sick, replace the most commonly used medications to avoid 10 p.m. trips to your local pharmacy–i.e. cough medicines, decongestants, antihistamines, pain and fever reducers, and any nighttime formulas favored by your family.
5. Kitchen Pantry
Whether you’re hosting multiple gatherings or having a quiet holiday season at home, you’ll probably end up doing some sort of cooking or baking. Go through your pantry and throw out expired products. Sort through your dried goods and replace expired items before cooking or baking day so you’re not running out to the store for fresh ingredients.
6. Kids Toys
If you have children, they’ll likely be gifted new toys during this time of year. And if you’re already drowning in a sea of no-longer-played-with toys, it’s time to pare down the pile before acquiring new ones. Involve your kids in the process and encourage them to donate their toys to children who aren’t as fortunate.
7. Your Expectations
It’s easy to build up your hopes for your “ideal holiday season” as you plan and commit to events. Before the season gets away from you, take a step back and let go of any unrealistic expectations you may have. Otherwise this time of year that you usually enjoy will fly by without feeling like you’ve experienced it at all. Instead of trying to attend or host every event and live up to the highly advertised “perfect holiday season”, focus on your loved ones and time well spent with them.
After completing your declutter for the holidays, you may have a whole lot of things that need to be taken to a donation center or thrown out altogether. If you’re looking to save some time, give Moving U & Junk U a call. Our junk removal crews provide friendly, professional removal services. We’ll get your items where they need to go whether that’s to a local charity or a recycling facility. We’ll take care of all the heavy lifting for you and make your unwanted items disappear.
3 Steps For Quick And Easy Junk Removal
- Get Your Price
Our all inclusive pricing is volume based. We’ll give you an estimate for your removal ahead of time so you know what to expect on the day of your pick up. - Schedule Your Junk Removal
We know you probably want this junk removed as soon as possible, so we’ll always try to accommodate with same or next day service. But even if you’re planning removal for a month from now, give us a call, text, or email. We’ll schedule your junk removal so you don’t have to worry about it. - Say Goodbye To Your Old Junk
Our friendly junk removal crew will give you a call half an hour before your arrival window to let you know what time you should expect them. They’re also trained movers, so they can safely remove the junk from your home. Wherever it is–basement, living room, loft–we’ll remove it from there. You won’t have to lift a finger (except maybe to show us where the junk is located).
Bonus Step:
If you have any other items you need removed, we can remove them along with your holiday clutter. Some of our most popular removed items are:
Ready to get your junk removal quote? Give us a call or text at 484-301-2442 or email us at info@movingujunku.com
