Clutter Busting Challenge July 2015 Part 3

I didn't purge much this week.

My purge pile:

You may be interested in:
Clutter Busting Challenge July 2015 Part 1
Clutter Busting Challenge July 2015 Part 2

No Spend July Day 23: Family Night

 Have a family night at home. You can entertain your family with the stuff you own that never gets used. You can play board games, watch movies, do crafts, or ride bikes. If you have things to entertain your family that doesn’t get used or they don’t want to play with anymore now is the time to get a little help sorting though them to head out the door. Get out that kitchen appliance that lingers in the cabinet and have some fun. Do you have a fondue pot, a donut maker, a sandwich maker, a waffle maker, or a s’more warmer? Drag them out of hiding and have a fun night with the family. If it feels overwhelming and you don’t want to use them it may be time to let them go. Pack up any that didn’t work out or you don’t want to use and donate them.

Family night is a good way to strengthen family relationships. It’s a nice time to talk and learn about what they like and don’t like. Sometimes having a family night can give you clues as to the things you own that are time to pass on to another family.

What can you do on family night?

No Spend July Day 22: Get Crafty

You probably have painting supplies, paper crafting supplies, fabric crafting supplies, glues, stickers, fancy scissors, sketch books, markers, crayons, inks, sparkles, how-to books, and more. Owning the crafting supplies does not make you crafty but using them does. Pick at least one day each week to drag out your supplies and get busy. I doubt you’ll use up all your supplies this summer, or even this year for that matter but you’ll make a dent in your stash. Spend time doing something you enjoy but may not take the time to do very often.

 

Make a list of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) in each category of crafts you do can be a helpful. You can take a simple craft that is easy to do on-the-go when you leave the house and have one out to work on at home. The perfect craft stash is the one that is empty when the craft is done!

If you have little ones, paint, color, cut and glue with them. Let them use the “good” stickers. Drag out the pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and styrofoam balls. Make memories and have fun.

Remember to take pictures!

No Spend July Day 21: Time to Clean the House!

Home, the place we go to for respite, sleep, celebrations, food and basically where we spend most of our lives. You may have visions of a perfect house or you are more casually comfortable. There is one common issue, it must be maintained. Now how clean is relative but in general we have to clean, we don’t want to do it, we procrastinate about it, complain about it and guess what? It still needs to be cleaned!! Our goal is to clean it, maintain it and then clean it again when necessary as fast as we can! We should love and care for our homes but not feel chained by them. Our home should be our sanctuary from the world. It may take time for it to feel like it can truly happen if the chores have build up but working on it consistently over time will get you there.

Having a cleaning routine helps us maintain our homes so that we have more time for the fun stuff! There are many cleaning routines on-line to get you started or you can make a list and create your own. There is no magic routine that will clean your house for you but you can pick one that works best for you and your family.

Spend some time picking up the room that needs the most work. Grab your dust rag and cleaning supplies and get to work. If all you have are 10 minutes today, maybe you will have an hour tomorrow, or 30 minutes the day after that. Make a list of what needs accomplished in each room and do 5 things per day. Do a 15 minute room rescue everyday and see how much progress you make in a month. Do whatever motivates you to keep working. Once you get your room finished you can spend time on upkeep so it doesn’t get as overwhelming again.

What room needs to be cleaned the most? Do you have a cleaning routine? What can you do to make your home your sanctuary?

No Spend July Day 20: Cleaning Products

 Most of us have too many cleaning products that we have bought over the years.  The cleaning bug hits and we load up on cleaners forgetting that we already have a collection at home. These cleaning products tend to take over underneath the kitchen sink or on our laundry shelves. Many people like to keep their cleaners all in one place and some like to keep specific cleaners were they are used. It depends on what makes sense to you or if you’re keeping them out of reach of animals and children.

Take the time to clean up the area where you store your cleaners. Toss the empty packaging. Combine containers if you have multiple bottles of the exact same cleaner. Be careful to not mix chemicals that are not the same.

I challenge you to not buy another cleaning product until you have used up all the ones in your home. While you work your way through your stock of cleaners maybe you will find your favorite and be able to keep these items to a minimum. If you don’t like a certain product, use it up and never buy it again. Safely dispose of any products that are old or you don’t want to use. When you do use up what you already own a good general purpose cleaners that can be used in multiple areas would be worth having along with a couple specialty cleaners. If you haven’t gone green but would like to this would be a good time to research what you would like to buy after your other cleaners are used up. Many people like to make their own cleaners with basic less harsh ingredients. Remember there is no cleaner so special that it will do the work for you.

Do you have too many cleaning products? Are you going to challenge yourself to go without buying new until you use up what you have? What is your favorite all purpose cleaner? Do you make your own cleaners or use green products? 

No Spend July Day 19: Relieve Stress

There are many things you can do to relieve stress. You can meditate, breathe deeply, be in the moment, pray, talk to others, tune into how your body feels, use a heat wrap on ache muscles, get a message, laugh, listen to music, exercise, or write in a gratitude journal. You don’t need to spend any money doing these things and the minimal supplies you need you probably already have. You can do one of your hobbies, garden, craft, or play with your pets. Stress can negatively impact your health so you should spend time each week doing something that help you relieve stress. 

What do you do to relieve stress?