The Joy of Less: 10 Creative ways to Declutter your Home—and your Life!

It's true: less really is more! By owning fewer possessions, we gain more time because we have fewer things to keep clean and organized. Life is more relaxing because we have fewer debts to worry about and we don't have to work as much. And we end up with more money because we're spending less. Here are some tips on de-cluttering your life.

1. *Get rid of one item every day. Make it an unbreakable rule. Over time you'll notice a big reduction in the stuff you don't really need.
2. *Clear out your closets. Line up all your clothes hangers in the same direction. Then every time you wear something, hang it with the hanger in the opposite direction. After six months, you'll see which clothes never get worn and can be given away.
3. *Sort into four categories. Set out four boxes and label them Trash/Recycle, Give Away, Keep and Relocate. Every time you see or use an item, decide which box it should go in.
4. *Download product manuals. Instead of keeping a drawer full of manuals, download all the manuals from manufacturers' websites, keep them on your computer, and recycle the hard copies.
5. *Set out a basket labeled with each family member's name. Keep them in a central location. Whenever you find an item where it doesn't belong, put it into the correct person's basket.
6. *Open mail next to the recycling bin. Put junk mail directly into the bin rather than letting it pile up.
7. *Buy something, give something away. Don't let anything new come into the house unless something old goes out.
8. *Scan documents and store on your computer. Use a scanner or your phone's camera (APP: CamScanner) to make digital copies of documents you want to save, then recycle the originals.
9. *Rearrange a room. Just by moving furniture around, you'll discover lots of things you can relocate or get rid of.
10. *Set a good example. Only give gifts people can actually use, like coupons for services or food items.

Hope this helps. Kupina Mortgage Team | www.kupinamortgage.com