You’ve made it! You’ve likely had your first paycheck since Christmas and i’m guessing you feel a huge sense of relief that you have some money in your account again. With that said, try not to blow it on anything and everything just because you can. Try to keep the decluttering bug going and reduce the amount of things comings into your space. Here are some suggestions for this week…
Minimalism on Female First
Meat: Perhaps Veganuary wasn’t for you- but you could try going meat free for one week and see how you feel. Try not to buy any meat in this week’s shop and instead look for alternatives. Or if you think that is too bold a step for you- why not start meat free mondays and omit meat from the menu for one day a week instead?
Meat (part II): Check your freezer for any meat that has been in there for longer than it should. If you are unsure, there are plenty of online resources that will give you some guidance when it comes to how long to store each type of meat for. Similarly, if you have any meat in the fridge that has expired- throw it away rather than exposing your family to harmful bacteria.
School stuff: If you left school many moons ago- it may be time to start and purge your life of old reports, textbooks, exercise books, uniforms and other tit-bits from your younger days in education. Chances are you never look at them and never will again so recycle what you can and give the rest away.
Beliefs: I am not suggesting you get rid of all your beliefs- just those that have been imposed upon you and you still do out of obligation or guilt.
Think about the things you have been told are gospel but actually aren’t, the things you have believed since you were little because your family have always done something a certain way or people have never questioned it before. This is your life- remove what doesn’t serve you and spend your time doing only the things that do. Live your life according to your own beliefs.
Outdated tax documents: Do your research first as this can vary from country to country and find out how many years of tax information you need to keep and shred the rest. Make sure that any remaining documents are well ordered so that once you can remove another year’s worth of papers, they are easy to come by.
Anything that is gathering dust: Take a look around your home and really examine the things in your space. If something is covered in layers of dust- it’s possible you didn’t care about it enough to keep it clean, it’s in an awkward spot and so never reach for it or it doesn’t have a use in your home. This is the best way to tell how often you use your things and how much you value them too. Purge anything that falls into this category if you look at it and feel nothing.
Things you’ve bought in haste: Think about the purchases you’ve made while on the hoof- things you didn’t devote a lot of thinking time to. It’s probable that you never really wanted them in the first place and you bought them because of time or peer pressure. If this sounds familiar, remove anything that you regret buying because it was a flying purchase.
Happy decluttering!
MORE: Seven things you can declutter in the third week of January
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