Hello there again my friend! Welcome to this week’s #romancingthehome theme, which is… decluttering and storage tips and tricks! Perfect for the start of a new year, don’t you think?!

Now, my family and friends know that I am not the most tidy person in the world. It drives both my mother and my mother in law nuts, I’m sure! Luckily they love me enough to overlook it 😇. You may then ask yourself, “why would I listen to this crazy who is a self-confessed messy pants? 🤔”. Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because I’m learning. I’m really trying to turn over a new leaf – it’s out with the old with hopefully not too much new coming in!

So, without any further ado, here are my tips and tricks:

1. Watch TV

Yes, you read that right! If you have Netflix, I would highly recommend that you check out at least one episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. This is what got me up off my butt and emptying my cupboards to sort, purge and organise. Once I had binge watched it, of course! Yes, she is a little bit quirky and no, I didn’t follow all of her suggestions, but there is just something about the whole show that motivated me.

2. Let your older kids help

My daughter is 10. Her cupboard was in as bad a state as mine (which was horrendous). I made her pull everything out of her cupboard and pile it onto her bed. I then gave her the task of creating 3 piles:

• Keep
• Donate
• Trash

Once we had cleared away the Donate and Trash piles, I gave her storage bins (we bought purples ones, her favourite colour) and showed her how to fold her clothes, based on the technique shown by Marie Kondo.

The result?

• Her cupboard is sorted neatly in a way that makes sense to her
• She knows where everything is, so there is no need to ask Mom where her favourite pants are
• She has taken on the responsibility of putting her laundry away, so there is less for Mom to do

I’m really happy with the way that this solution turn out!

We followed the same method with her toys and her desk, with the same results. The best part of it all is that I got to once again witness my child’s giving heart. She couldn’t wait to put things in the donate pile; it means so much to her to give to others.

3. Kitty litter trays

Yes, you read that right too. I was looking for cheap storage bins, because I didn’t want to spend any money on something as boring as storage bins. So, off we went to Store & More where I found the cheapest bin option being kitty litter trays, at 30 bucks a tray! They were just the rights size for my bras, as well as my pillow cases.

I splurged a bit more for the kids’ storage bins since I needed something just a little bit deeper and narrower to fit into the cupboard and drawers. The cheapest ones I could find for them were 50 bucks a pop. I needed a minimum of 8… 💸💸💸 It was worth it when I see it now, but I still can’t help but think that if I had kept old shoe boxes, I wouldn’t have had to part with any 💸.

4. Plan to take at least a day out of your schedule

I didn’t think that it would take me too long, because I didn’t think that I had too much stuff. I am laughing at my naivety now! My closet alone took me about an hour and a half, with other hour and a half spent on my 4 year old son’s cupboard.

That was nothing in comparison to the toys. Oh, the toys 😭. My kids had slept out at their grandparents the night before, so I started on my son’s toys at about 8:30 in the morning. I felt that it was easier to do his while he wasn’t there. His toys took me to after midday. Midday people! What??!! I then allowed myself a 45 minute lunch break before running out to fetch them quickly. We started with my daughter’s room and the linen closet at about 13:15. I don’t want to lie to you; I think that we finished after 17:00. That was a full work day! I also woke up so stiff the next morning, it felt like I had had the toughest gym session ever!

I still need to tackle the kitchen and the office areas, but that will probably only happen next month once we have completed a few smallish projects. I can’t wait to show you those either 😉

I’m sure that you could do with some more tips and trick though, as well as some pretty storage ideas. You know, stuff that’s not kitty litter trays 😂.  So, please go and check out my #romancingthehome friends for some more awesome storage inspo (because, you know, storage inspo is a real thing – just ask anyone who has watched Tidying Up!):

• Ramona – Ruffles and Rust
• Talia – My Shabby Shack
• Kylie – Our Unique Home

Now it’s your turn to share; what are some of your best decluttering and storage tips and tricks? I can’t wait to hear from you!