Guest Author - Jennifer Minekheim

As condo or apartment living becomes increasingly common, more people are living in less space. I am definitely one of those people. My boyfriend and I live together in approximately 800 square feet, and let me tell you, that makes the fight against clutter a real challenge! Limited space makes it even more important to evaluate your possessions and control your shopping habits. If this situation describes you, listen up! Here are some tips to help you take back your space without feeling deprived.

Is sentimentality weighing you down? We all have items that remind us of happy days gone by, such as kindergarten art projects, old stuffed animals, childhood diaries, etc. Everyone should have a few childhood memories, but if you don’t have enough room to store the possessions you’re using right now, you may need to pare down your keepsakes.

Take a day and go through some of them a box at a time. If you don’t recognize something or can’t remember why you’ve been keeping it all these years, throw it away! You’d be surprised at how little so many things you’ve been holding on to actually mean to you. Put aside items you think may be useful to others for donation or resale. You may be able to help someone else or make a little extra spending money.

Evaluate your everyday possessions as well, such as clothing, books, knickknacks and kitchenware. If it doesn’t fit you or you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it. There are many charities that need donations, such as The Salvation Army or The Rescue Mission. They are often very convenient choices with neighborhood drop-off centers near you.

I have also recently come across a great website, www.freecycle.org, which serves as a forum for people to give away items they no longer need to people who can use them. They are a nonprofit network and their goal is help people reuse possessions that may otherwise end up in landfills. The chapters are organized geographically, so you can make a difference in your own community!

Controlling what we bring in to our home is also important. Many people love to shop. When reaching for a new sweater, or in my case, a kitchen gadget, stop and think about whether you really need it and where you will store it. A good habit I’ve been trying to adopt is that every time I bring something home, I have to give something else away. That helps me to control mindless spending, because I don’t want to get rid of anything else!

This is not to suggest that you should clear out everything you hold dear. If you keep only what is truly meaningful and/or useful to you and shop with intention, you can live a simpler life, surrounded by items that you need and truly enjoy.