What makes you happy in your home?

A lot of clutter around the house can affect your level of happiness. Think about the things that don’t make you happy. Make room for items that give you joy.

Sometimes we receive family heirlooms that have been passed down from grandparents, parents or other relatives. Furniture may clash with the rest of the house. Certain artwork and collectibles will often not go with the decor. If you don’t feel good about keeping it, don’t. Give it to someone who can better appreciate it.

As a parent, there are so many times when kids bring home art, drawings, science projects and other things that make you proud. Give them their time in the sun, put them on display somewhere in your home. After an appropriate period of time, take photos of the projects for memory’s sake and let go of the originals. There are also wonderful products where you can store layers of artwork behind the picture displayed in the frame.

Books look great on the shelves and it’s nice having the classics around to read from time to time, but could there be books that no longer bring you joy? Adding to the clutter with volumes of unread books can impede your bliss. Find some favorites to keep and let the others go. There is a wonderful place called The Book Thing. It’s a free bookstore that survives from book donations.

Hobbies are wonderful and having the right supplies certainly makes things go more smoothly. But if you have a lot of supplies for crafts the you haven’t used in years, maybe it’s time to give them away or donate them.

Many of us have amazing collections of antique bottles, commemorative plates, DVDs or other objects that we have in our homes. A collection can outgrow its space or no longer bring the happiness it once did. Keeping your favorites and finding another home for the rest might bring the collection back to its former glory.

Do you have things that need to be repaired? Broken glass items, wobbly chairs and televisions that don’t work can be recycled or trashed to make more space to showcase the things you love.

Storage areas are useful to keep a lot of clutter out of the way. If you keep things in boxes, but never use them, it might be time to purge some. If you use the items seasonally, like holiday decorations, it’s fine to label and store them in remote places.

Say goodbye to things if they no longer bring you joy. It’s a struggle to let things go, but in the long run you’ll be happier. If you feel like these decisions are too difficult, contact me to see how to make a positive change.