Finally! Spring has sprung and it’s getting a tiny bit warmer.
Flowers are popping up, we get unexpectedly hot as the temperature rises (and suddenly cold as spring does it’s flip flop “Just kidding it’s really still winter, ha ha!”. Grrr)
We’re thinking of BBQ’s, eating outdoors, summer bike rides and digging out our warmer weather clothes.
This season brings bright and happy thoughts of sunshine and long evenings. But it also brings stressful and overwhelming thoughts of Too Much Stuff and Where Is Everything!?
Winter is a good time to sort out next seasons necessities, but most of us don’t! We’re too busy being cosy, eating chocolate, drinking wine, managing wet kids and dogs and just living our cold weather lives.
Sun Essentials
This is really important. Check your sun block expiry dates, including any cosmetics or moisturisers. If you might rely on them during an unexpected time in the sun they’d better be doing their job!
Check the size and condition of sun blocking clothes and hats for your growing people (and yourself). Chlorine, sweat and salt can speed up the deterioration of fabric and make some things yukky to wear.
Weed Your Wardrobes
Each season change is the perfect opportunity to weed out clothes that weren’t worn over the last few months. Also now is the time to re-home warmer weather clothes that you are totally over (but are still in excellent condition). Clothes that your kids have grown out of can be donated too – remember to wash them and check that they’re still in good condition too.
Clearing out your wardrobes means you have either room for new things or less stress because you only have what you love and use.
Decluttering
You knew I was going to say that! Yes, it’s the king of Spring Cleaning, Spring Clear Outs and Spring Home Refreshes.
If you haven’t decluttered in a while, or ever, it will change your life. Without intentional simplicity we accumulate by default in our busy luxurious 1st world lives. Thoughtful selection and removal of things you and your family don’t use or need makes living in your home so much easier.
Why Do We Buy Things We Don’t Need?
Reorganise The Kitchen
If you used casseroles and slow cookers, the bread maker and the soup pot, now’s the time to tuck them into the back of your cupboards and bring out your bread baskets, pizza stones and salad bowls.
While you’re at it check the expiry dates of products in your pantry. Check ingredients you’re going to be using soon and check if the winter ingredients you used will last until next winter. If not, out they go.
Sort Out The Garage
How practical is your garage, really? Are the beach chairs getting mildew on them? Are the boogie boards squashed under boxes of Nana’s books and china that you haven’t sorted out yet? Can you even reach the bikes?
Make your summer life a lot easier, pull everything out, get rid of things you no longer need or use. What ever is left, put the things you are least likely to need in the next few months in the lease accessible place and the things you want to be able to grab easily right up front.
Sort Out Your Storage Unit
Permanent storage units are simply expensive procrastination containers. Save some money, spring clean your mind of the burden of those things, empty out all the things that you haven’t used and will never use and donate them.
On occasion, as part of serious decluttering it can be helpful to have a temporary storage unit, so do bear that in mind.
Now is always the best time to sort out your home, spring especially. Shed the musty layers of the cold months and make your life at home a whole lot easier as the weather gets hotter.
And remember, the less stuff you have to manage, clean and clean around, the more time you’ll have to spend having FUN!
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