We just reconfigured our boys’ bedroom from a kiddie area to
a teen space and with that came lots of found stuff that they no longer played
with, outgrown clothing and shoes, broken toys and things they forgot they even
had. We used the “Bag a Day” cleaning system of decluttering and moved from one
corner to the next until we could see the floor.
What is the “Bag a Day” decluttering method? Each day grab a
bag, fill it with specific items you no longer want or need, and then you are
done for that day.
Even before my eldest could assemble his new full-sized bed
from Ikea, as a family we needed to tackle all the things they could do
without. First was two large, clunky UMW desks that weren’t being used for
homework but rather as a catch all for Legos, craft supplies, musical
instruments, and all things playdoh. The other was an old wooden toy box that
housed a broken Mario Kart racetrack toy, light sabers, parts of costumes/accessories
and a sundry of dirty unmated socks.
To help with organizing, we spent less than $50 to buy contractor-size
plastic bags for garbage and broken toys, clear 18-gallon plastic totes for
items they simply could not live without and recycled large cardboard boxes for
stuff that could be rehomed or sold.
Fortunately, we were able to use our van and only needed to make
a few two-mile trips to the convenience center, so we did not waste too much
time or money on gas disposing of all the garbage. If you need to rent a truck,
however, there are several local options for as low as $19.00.
With excess stuff out and totes filled, we kept the twin-sized
top bunk as an extra bed for guests and are utilizing the area as storage for
the totes.
Even after all the tidying, we still had three boxes of books,
two boxes of clothing, costumes, and shoes, and another box of toys and lamps ready
to be passed along to another family. I also pulled some things that were worth
reselling and posted them to Facebook Marketplace to recoup $100.
The “Bag a Day” decluttering system is nothing new to my
boys, but I suppose that is what 10 years of gathering unnecessary paraphernalia
looks like! What my husband thought would take a day took three, but it is done.
Now my teens have a more streamlined bedroom, and everything
has a place for what they need and use. Additional drawers, new hangers to utilize
the closet, books neatly on bookshelves and stuff that they could not part with
in totes. I would say it was $500 well spent.
This Spring, start cleaning one drawer or a corner of a
room. Set a goal of how many bags you would like to fill by a certain date, and
you will feel so much freedom when you are out from under the weight of the
clutter.
