It’s Time to Take a Home Inventory

I’ve worked with many clients who were in the process of moving. You don’t realize how much stuff you have until you have to physically go through every item in your home. For some, the process can be exhausting and overwhelming. It’s also an eye-opener because most forget what they own.

When you have too much ‘stuff,’ the process you go through to get your home packed up becomes a horrible experience that you never want to go through again. How much do you need to function on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? When does it all become too much?

Moving is one of the times you will have to take inventory of everything you own, but why wait until you have to move? 

I’ve noticed something that everybody has in common. People have too much ‘stuff.’  These items are things that everybody has accumulated over time. These items could be random, inexpensive items that you no longer have a use for or sentimental items that hold great memories. You may have too many sheets, towels, blankets, CD’s, VHS tapes (yes, VHS tapes), outdated files, and the list goes on and on. You may have items that were very expensive but were never used and you feel guilty getting rid of them. Sometimes clients find things that they forgot they had and those items have been stuffed away in the back of a closet, untouched for years. How often do you look at or even use everything you own? 

Ask yourself these four questions before you make your next purchase:

Is this an impulse purchase? We have all done this. Believe it or not, most impulse purchases will get donated years later, with tags still on them. It is ultimately money wasted and the item gets pushed to the back of the closet, never to be seen again.

Do you really need it? You love to go clothes shopping, but before you purchase your next outfit and squeeze it into your cluttered closet, make a plan to declutter your closet. You may find something in there that you haven’t worn in years and can work it into your current wardrobe. 

Where will it end up when you bring it into the home? When you bring this purchase into the home, where will it go? Are you going to throw it into the hall closet or throw it on top of the already cluttered bureau in your bedroom? Be sure if you bring it into the home, you have a place where you are going to store it.

Do you have space for it? How much ‘stuff’ do you already have in your home that you forgot you had? If you haven’t decluttered in over a year then it’s time to declutter before you bring any more items into the home. 

It’s time to take inventory of everything you own. Why wait until you have to move? If you aren’t an organized person, this will seem like a huge undertaking. Break down this process, make a list, and tackle one project at a time. If you really want to get organized, the first step in the process is to declutter. Just focus on decluttering - don’t worry about where things will go. Don’t worry about how to organize it, just declutter.

Make a plan to tackle this and you will feel 10 pounds lighter. Trust me on this. You may even be surprised at how much you are going to get rid of and you may find a few surprises too!