You’re Gonna Want To Do This First

Who doesn’t love the container aisle with their lovely selection of useful tubs?  So much potential, so many different options.  You may salivate over the containers thinking they are the {easy} answer to all your clutter woes.

Hold up there my organizing friends.  I  have {possibly} unwelcoming but money saving news for you.  You’ve gotta make decisions and reduce your belongings before shopping for containers you may not need.

Take for an example, my client’s basement.  Look at all those nice plastic tubs, stacked ceiling high! It looks quite organized, that’s exactly what I thought when she opened the door.  Her bins were even labeled….be still my organizing heart.  Then I found out she didn’t need or want most of the nicely contained stuff.  She had a clearly defined goal in mind for this area.  Clear out the excess and use it as a workout space. BUT she was stuck and wasn’t able to start or tackle this project on her own.

I was there to share my expertise so we dove right in and started decluttering.  As we sorted, she made decisions and was ruthless while downsizing.  This is exactly how the organizing process works. FIRST sort, make decisions and eliminate before purchasing any containers .  I know, I know, I’m a real killjoy!  But I’m looking out for your best interest and your budget.

THIS is what happened after working with me for a total of 12 hours.  Pure organizing bliss and lots of room for her soon-to-be workout area.  My client was ready to do some serious purging and willing to make a change.

Bins previously filled with her children’s clothing were emptied and the contents donated or passed down to friends who wanted them. Other bins contained kid’s art and school work.  She chose the precious masterpieces and tossed/recycled the rest. Old toys were donated along with momentos no longer treasured.

LOOK at the stacks of empty containers my client was left with!  Can you believe it?  I can, because it’s a natural occurrence after ruthless decluttering.  My clients rarely need to spend money on new containers.

Don’t spend your hard earned money on containers.  Declutter and organize, then decide if you actually need containers.

{P.S. she actually had more containers than shown, which were filled with hand-me-downs and given to friends}