If you find some free time at home during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve break, it is a great time for a clear out. Take stock of what’s around you in your home and look for unwanted and unused items that cause disorder in your life, so you can start the New Year fresh and clutter-free.

As you go through your items and declutter here are a few questions you may ask yourself to make the process easier:

DOES AN ITEM BRING ME JOY? If your feelings are so-so about the item, decide whether it should go in the donate, give or save box.
DID I USE THIS ITEM LAST YEAR? If you’re not using the item this year, it’s time to say goodbye to it.
DO I HAVE MULTIPLE ITEMS? If you have three different items of the same kind, ditch multiples you do not use anymore.

And here are 7 ideas for starting decluttering:

EXPIRED PANTRY GOODS

Take everything out of your pantry and check each label, then toss anything that’s past its expiration date. While you’re at it, wipe down the shelves and make a mental note of the staples you have on hand to make holiday grocery shopping easier. Do not forget to do the same with expired medicines.

DIRTY TABLECLOTHS

Pay particular attention to the tablecloths that get a lot of use and accept that old wine stains will never go away. Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye to lovely items, but it is even more exciting to have a Christmas Eve’s table decor with a new and completely clean tablecloth.

PLASTIC BAGS

If you have more plastic bags than you will use, go ahead – recycle and replace them with reusable bags, which are more fashionable and environmentally friendly. If you or your neighbors have pets, you can donate them for poop bags.

OLD MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS

Do you have a corner at your home full of old magazines? Think, if it’s a magazine, you will ever read again then donate it, and don’t worry if you have a magazine subscription, there are more on the way!

OLD ELECTRONICS

Do you have a box of old phones or sound equipment sitting in your closet? If you no longer use them, they’re just taking up your room. Before you take them to your town’s next electronic waste event, why not find out if they have any trade-in value? Apple and some phone providers offer cashback or rebates in exchange for old electronics.

ACCESSORIES

It takes time to find socks, earrings that do not have a pair or broken accessories, like sunglasses that you do not plan to repair. Could it be that you are looking at a bunch of these items while reading this? Then, it is time to throw them away.

ACCUMULATED EMAILS

Don’t head into the New Year with a cluttered inbox. Get started now sorting through your emails one by one: delete junk mail, respond to messages you’ve been meaning to, and sort everything else into labeled folders. Inbox Zero isn’t wishful thinking – all it takes is a bit of focus, determination, and time.

By the time you’ve made it through the list, you’ll have plenty of room for this year’s Christmas tree and the ever-growing present stash. If you need an extra hand, please remember that Call The Movers provides a wide range of packing and unpacking services for your preparation to store your household goods or for your local moving, long-distance moving, international moving.