Christian Habits Podcast

Before you start decluttering, you have to get in the right mindset. Often, what holds us back when it comes to decluttering isn’t the actual stuff. It’s a mental block.

Have you ever picked up something that you know you should get rid of—you’ve never used it, you probably never will use it, you don’t know why you bought it, or in what scenario you would ever use it, but instead of tossing in the donate pile, a little voice in your head says…

“I spent good money on that.”

I get it—when you go to get rid of something that you spent a lot of money on, it can be hard to let it go. It’s so easy to remember how much it cost, and feel like you are throwing those dollars straight in the trash. And no one wants to throw money away.

The money is already spent.

However, no matter what you paid for something, the money is already gone. You spent it. If you aren’t using the thing—whatever it is—not only did you spend money on it, but now it’s taking up space in your home.

Maybe you have a closet stuffed full of clothes that still have the tags on them—impulse buys or deals too good to pass up. But when you got the clothes home, you realized they didn’t fit quite right, weren’t actually your style, or you didn’t have anywhere to wear them. And now they are crowding your closet, hiding the clothes you actually do want to wear.

Get rid of them. There’s no reason to keep holding on. Clean that closet out.

Your goal is to empty up space.

Remember that the money you’ve already spent is gone. And even if you try to sell them, you probably won’t make that amount back on any of these items. There are some great options out there for giving your items a second life, but don’t get stuck on making back what you paid. Your goal is to empty up space, not recoup all of your money. And remember that selling your items takes time—you have to photograph, write descriptions, and post if you plan to sell online, hang, tag, and organize if you want to sell at a consignment sale, or make an appointment to take them into a consignment store.

Strategies:

One strategy to keep yourself from spending hours of your time to only end up making a few dollars is to set a “worth it” amount. What amount of money is worth the time it takes for you to sell the item? If it would sell for less than that amount, add it to your donate pile instead.

Another strategy to keep “to sell” clutter from building up in your home is to give yourself a timeline: anything that hasn’t sold by the end of the week (or month) gets donated.

Moving forward:

Remember—your goal is to get stuff out of your way. The money has already been spent and you can’t do anything about that now. Don’t keep clutter because of what it has already cost you. Instead, focus on reclaiming your space and shopping more intentionally in the future.

Need more decluttering inspiration? My book, Organize First, Decorate Second, is for you!

If you’ve been hanging around this blog for any amount of time, you know that interior design is one of my true loves. I get so much satisfaction from seeing a room go from inspiration to finished. I’m obsessed with the search for both high and low pieces and the perfect details to pull a room together.

I know not everyone feels the same way. I know so many of you want a beautiful home that reflects your story and personality, one you are excited to invite guests into, but you don’t know where to start. Maybe your home decor budget is minuscule (been there). Or you have some stuff you like but have no clue how to put it all together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Perhaps you are totally intimidated by DIY projects or don’t even know where to start shopping for a home you love?

Whatever your design hang-up, I’m here to help!

I wrote a whole book to help you go from clutter to creativity. It’s called Organize First, Decorate Second, and it’s available now!

Here’s a little exercise to do that will help you define your home style and get even more out of the book!

How to Define Your Style

If you want a home you love, the first thing you have to do is define your style. Can you imagine putting all the work in to update a room on your home and then finishing it, only to realize it’s not you at all? You hate it. Now you’ve wasted time, money, and energy, and you still aren’t happy with your home.

So your very first step is collecting information. What style(s) do you love? You aren’t limited to only one! One of the things that makes your home uniquely yours is how you combine the different things that appeal to you. 

Here’s a little homework.

1. Start a vision file. You can go old-school and gather a bunch of magazines, scissors, and an envelope to collect your clippings in, or you can start a new Pinterest board. Here is a link to my account if you’d like to see what I’m pinning! Spend a week or two collecting. Anything that appeals to you. Don’t worry about how it fits or what style it is. If you like it, add it to your file.
2. Sort it out. Once you’ve collected a solid file of images, it’s time to look for patterns. You can physically lay out your clippings in piles or you can break up your Pinterest board into different sections. Put like things together so you can figure out what it is about those images that appeal to you. 
3. Make a list. Now it’s time to look at what you’ve sorted and make some observations. Do all of your kitchens have huge light-filled windows? Or dark, moody cabinets? Are you drawn to a minimalist style or does your collection include photo after photo of full bookshelves? Write down every pattern you notice.

This exercise is going to help you narrow down what you are drawn to. As you go through your days, keep making notes of the things you like. Snap photos, clip images from magazines, and keep pinning. The more time you take to notice what you are drawn to, the easier it will be for you to figure out how to emulate it in your own home.

If you enjoyed this little exercise, you will LOVE my book!

Grab your copy of Organize First, Decorate Second now.

It’s a classic you can’t go wrong with—and today, I want to give you a few tips for adding it to your home (along with a fun pop of green).

A collection of blue and white dishes or vases is one of my favorite ways to display some blue and white, and a couple of years ago, I put together a post for you (complete with a video!) on how to start collecting blue & white.

Blue & White 101

If you are short on time and want to get down to the details, here’s a quick 101. Blue Willow is one of the most well-known blue and white china patterns. Churchill Blue Willow is the most durable because it’s stoneware, not porcelain or ceramic. The cereal bowls stack perfectly. It is still being manufactured, but it’s hard to find because it isn’t sold to retailers in the US. So the best way to acquire it is second-hand. Or—you might have some Blue Willow that’s been handed down from your grandmother or mother. It’s a brand they probably know well.

Now… Add Some Green

Recently, I’ve really been loving the look when I add a touch of green to the classic blue & white combo (see some of my favorite blue & green designs over on Spoonflower).

When I wanted to add a splash of green to my table alongside my Blue Willow, Bordello Pinheiro was the first thing that popped to mind. It’s another brand of china that our grandmothers were probably very familiar with. Produced in Portugal, it carries the charm of Dodie Thayer’s Cabbageware—without the price tag (though the Dodie Thayer/Tory Burch collaboration comes at a more reasonable price). If you want to add a splash of green to your table alongside your Blue Willow, you can’t go wrong with the cabbage leaves!

Blue & Green Favorites for the Whole Home

If you are like me, you can’t get enough of the blue and green combo! If you are ready to branch beyond a blue and green tablescape, I’ve curated a list of blue and green favorites for all over your home!

Want more decorating tips?

My new book, Organize First, Decorate Second, comes out April 29th!

Organize First, Decorate Second is truly my heart on paper. It’s everything I’ve learned about creating homes that aren’t just pretty pictures, but that actually WORK for real life and real families. I’ve poured all my best strategies, systems, and stories into this guide for making your house tell the story you want it to tell.

If you are looking for:

• the balance between creativity and organization;
• inspiration coupled with practical advice; and
• efficiency without sacrificing creativity.

this book is for you! 

Click here to order your copy today!

The biggest decluttering mistake:

Here it is, the number one biggest mistake people make when they are decluttering: letting your items linger once you’ve made a decision.

Once the decision has been made, take action

Do it now:

Do you have a pile of stuff to donate? Put it in your car right now and add “dropping off donations” to the top of your to-do list.

Planning to sell something? Go ahead and post it on Facebook Marketplace or Poshmark or wherever you are planning to sell it NOW (and give yourself a deadline—if it doesn’t sell by X date, it’s getting donated).

If you are storing it, go ahead and move it to your storage area (and don’t forget about the container rule).

If it’s something you want to keep, put it back where it belongs. If it doesn’t have a space yet, go ahead and find it a home.

Don’t undo your hard work

When we let our piles of stuff linger, they inevitably slowly get sucked back into our home—making all our hard work for nothing! Once you’ve made a decision, go ahead and take action.

Read more in my decluttering series here:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need · The Container Rule · Decide Before You Start · The Pareto Principle · How to Sort When You Declutter · Where to Donate When You Declutter · How (and What) to Sell When Decluttering 

Before you decide to sell:

When you are sorting through your “to sell” pile, make sure to inspect the condition of your items closely. Most likely, if it’s broken, damaged, or stained, it’s not worth taking the time to sell (though there are some exceptions with vintage items that might still be worth something, even if not in perfect condition).

Where to Sell:

• Facebook: While Facebook overall is not my favorite online space, I can’t quite quit because I love to buy and sell on there. Whether you post on marketplace or in a local buy/sell/trade group, it’s an easy way to sell locally with no middleman. You set the terms and you set how you are paid (cash, Venmo, etc). Of course, always keep safety in mind when selling to people you don’t know. Many police stations now offer selling meetup spots for higher dollar items.
• Poshmark: If you have excellent condition clothes, bags, or accessories to sell, Poshmark is a great way to give them a second life. You take photos, write a description, and post. Poshmark handles the payment and sends you a shipping label (with tracking). Print the label, package up your item, put it in the mail, and wait for the buyer to accept your item and your payment to be deposited in your Poshmark account (which can then be sent to your bank account, or used to shop on Poshmark).
• Consignment Stores & Sales: With consignment, you typically drop off at a store or a sale, and make a percentage of the sale. Stores tend to be a little picker about what they’ll accept, but will often handle pricing items for you (most require an appointment, so plan ahead). Sales are a little more work up front, as you often have to hang, price, and tag your own items before dropping them off, but are a good way to sell a lot of stuff at once. Each store and sale is a little different as far as what they accept, so it might take a little research to find the best fit for your items.

Pricing:

Don’t be too precious about your pricing. The money you initially spent on an item is already gone, and it’s unlikely you’ll make that amount back. If you want or need to make a little extra cash while you clear out some space, selling your stuff is a great way to do it, but it does take your time which is valuable—don’t forget to factor that in when you are deciding what to do.

Read more in my decluttering series here:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need · The Container Rule · Decide Before You Start · The Pareto Principle · How to Sort When You Declutter · Where to Donate When You Declutter

Where to Donate:

There are a couple of different options when it comes to donating, and some might work better at different points in your decluttering journey. The two options I’m going to cover today are thrift stores and Buy Nothing groups.

Thrift Stores:

Thrift stores take donations and sell them for a small cost, usually raising money for some kind of cause. But not all thrift stores or donation centers are created equally. You might want to do a little bit of research to make sure that the one you are supporting has a cause you can get behind, or that you feel good about their operating practices.

If you are really overwhelmed getting started, start with the practical: what’s close by, has convenient hours, or is a place you drive by regularly? Start there with what’s easy, and then once you’ve moved to more of a maintenance mode of decluttering you can be more intentional in where you donate your stuff.

Helpful hint: sometimes donation hours are different than store hours, or if a store has multiple locations, they may only accept donations at one. Take a few minutes to look up the donation info before you head out to save yourself some time and frustration!

Buy Nothing Groups:

Buy Nothing groups are hyper-local groups where people give away things they no longer need or want to their neighbors. You can learn more about them here, but the basic premise is to “buy less, share more.” From two-liter soda bottles that a neighbor needs for a science project to brand-new items that aren’t needed or wanted, Buy Nothing groups share all kinds of things with their neighbors. And often, you can get it picked up right off your porch, making it incredibly easy to get rid of things you no longer need.

Which should I use?

When you have a lot of stuff and you just need to get it out now, filling up your car with a big load of donations and dropping it off a thrift store feels like a sign of relief. All that stuff, gone in one fell swoop.

But once you’ve done your initial decluttering, you might still find things here and there you want to get rid of. If you don’t want to take a donation trip for just a few items, posting your stuff in a Buy Nothing group is a great option. If there isn’t a Buy Nothing group near you, neighborhood groups or NextDoor are other good places to post free items!

Read more in my decluttering series here:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need · The Container Rule · Decide Before You Start · The Pareto Principle · How to Sort When You Declutter

The Four Categories for Sorting:

• Keep: this one is pretty self-explanatory—the stuff you aren’t letting go of.
• Donate: Just because you can’t use something anymore doesn’t mean someone else can’t! Donating is a great option to give your items a second life.

• Sell: You might come across a few things that are worth selling while you declutter. Keep in mind that selling takes your time, which is valuable, and that the money you spent is already gone. But there are some great options out there for reselling your items, and I have a post dedicated to that coming soon.
• Store: These are things that you don’t need in your daily life, but you’ve decided are worth using up some storage space. Things like Christmas decorations, camping equipment, seasonal sports equipment or toys. Just remember The Container Rule when you are deciding how much to keep!

Plan Ahead:

Think ahead when you choose a spot for each of these categories while you are decluttering. If you are taking everything out of your closet, but you won’t have time to finish the whole process before you need to go to sleep, on top of your bed is probably not the best choice for sorting. Chances are, you aren’t going to have uninterrupted hours of time to go through and get everything done at once. Choose spots where you can come back to each category, one at a time, and tackle what’s needed.

Go In Order:

If you take everything out of your closet and get it sorted out into four categories, start by putting back the things you are keeping so you have a functional closet to use. Next, go ahead and put away the off-season items you are storing to get them out of the way (and make sure you truly have enough storage space for what you’ve decided to keep). After you’ve done those two things, go ahead and donate anything you are planning to give away. Now you just have one category left to tackle: things to sell, but you already have a newly functional closet, and have opened up space by getting your donations out of your house.

Read more in my decluttering series here:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need · The Container Rule · Decide Before You Start · The Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle:

The reason we’re talking about some guy you’ve probably never heard of whose been dead for a century is the principle he came up with in 1906: the Pareto Principle. This might sounds like some obscure thing you’ve never heard of, but I bet you are actually familiar with it and didn’t know it.

Also known as:

It’s also known as the 80/20 rule (does that sound a little more familiar?). This rule was initially applied to wealth distribution, but over time it’s been applied to all kinds of different areas, and the basic concept is this: eighty percent of effects come from twenty percent of causes.

If you are wondering what that has to do with decluttering, it’s this: we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time

That means that EIGHTY PERCENT of what we own mostly doesn’t get used. That is a whole lot of stuff. And that stuff is taking up a significant amount of space in most of our homes.

Is it true?

You might be shaking your head, thinking “no way.” But think about it.

Do you have a kitchen drawer crowded with tools? Maybe there are five or six mixing spoons in there, but there is ONE you like best. Do you ever skip over the other spoons, taking extra time to look for the one you prefer? If so: why are you keeping so many backups? Keep the one you like and one just-in-case. The rest can go.

Is your makeup bag or vanity full of products you never use, making it hard to find the few you actually love? Toss the stuff you never reach for—it’s just getting in the way.

Stop letting your stuff control you

Don’t let such a huge percentage of your space be taken up by stuff that never actually gets used.

We’re finishing up week two of my 32 Days of Declutter challenge—whether you’ve been participating from day one or are ready to jump on in today, I’d love for you join me. You can find all the daily prompts on Instagram. It’s time to take back control of your stuff instead of letting your stuff control you.

Read more in my decluttering series here:

I Spent Good Money On That · What if I Need it Someday? · Getting Rid of Stuff: Emotional Attachments · 32 Days of Decluttering Kickoff · Clutter is a Thief · Clutter Makes it Hard to Find What You Need · The Container Rule · Decide Before You Start

The Rules:

Use the Laundry Day pattern (in any colorway you want) to create a design or mood board for your dream laundry room. To enter, post your design on Instagram, tag @whitneyenglish in the photo, and use the hashtag #welaundryday in your caption. Contest runs Jan 18-Jan 25, winner will be announced on Jan 29 and will receive an undated Week on One Page Planner and a signed copy of my book, A More Beautiful Life.

More Details:

You can create your design anyway you want. Get on your computer and start mocking up a full laundry room, or go the old-fashioned route and pick up some scissors and favorite magazines (just don’t forget to print an image with the Laundry Day pattern to use). Get creative with it—we can’t wait to see what you come up with! Don’t forget to officially enter by posting your design on Instagram, tagging @whitneyenglish in the photo, and using the hashtag #welaundryday in your caption.

Click here to see the full Laundry Day Pattern Collection.