When I think about it I've never really had a good and proper declutter, I've only ever organised, tidied and reorganised again never eliminating. I've tricked myself into thinking I had decluttered by simply packing all that unwanted stuff away neater than before. I seemed to be constantly tidying and getting nowhere. I decided it was time for a change and at the beginning of the year I decided I would simplify and streamline my life, starting with all that stuff I owned.
Below I've made a list of how I started my decluttering 'journey'. Simple steps that have snowballed into a life with less not so much stuff.
1. Nail polish: For a girl who rarely paints her nails and when she does always picks the same coral colour, I own a heck of a lot of nail polish. I started by getting rid of all the colours that a) were not cruelty free b) I didn't like and c) don't suit my skin tone.
2. Socks: I sat went through my sock draw getting rid of any socks that had holes or looked as if they had seen better days, bagged them up and took them to a clothes recycling place.
3. Clothes: I spent a day going through my wardrobe and trying on all the clothes I own, anything that didn't fit or make me 100% happy and confident went straight to charity.
4. Makeup: I am not particularly adventurous when it comes to makeup, when I find something that works I stick to it and so having four foundations when I only ever use and restock one seemed it a little silly. I went through everything and similar to my nail polish and clothes I got rid of anything that a) was not cruelty free b) didn't suit me and c) didn't make me feel happy and confident.
5. Books: As a self confessed book hoarder I knew having to get rid of my beloved books would be my biggest hurdle. I went in with a game plan anything that I had read and didn't enjoy was on its way out along with all the books I had read and had no intention of reading again. I bagged them all up and took another trip down to the charity shop.