minimalism: ditch the duplicates

Probably the largest proportion of items you will clear out consists of duplicates. It's easy to lose track of how many mugs, socks or pens we have, but without the excess, your space will be much cleaner!

These are the things I noticed were in the most excess before my clearout. You could try streamlining your collections too, and it will surprise you how many build up.

t-shirts

It's better to have a couple of really beautiful shirts that fit, than handfuls of T-shirts which are not regularly worn.

PJs

Similarly, having lots of pyjamas is common, but we always revert to a favourite comfy set which we use all the time, rather than using all of them. Only keep which ones you need.

stationery

This was the hardest for me! I'd keep, for example, 7 purple colouring pencils for when I used the first one up. But in reality, I'm gonna be moving out before I colour in that much, so I only need one pencil and pen in each colour.

socks and tights

I used to love wearing cute socks with pictures and patterns on them. Flamingoes one day, pizzas the next!  But since reading Zero Waste Home, I've started using just black socks, as they go with everything and you don't have the issue of never finding a matching pair.

hairbands

Another hard one, as they come in packs of 50 from Primark, but I use only 1 hairband every day and as a result I take care of it and always know where it is! You don't need so many hairbands if you don't wear fancy hairstyles every day.

mugs

I'm only one person, but I had 7 mugs that were given to me as gifts, or I got as freebies... I don't need that many, so I donated some, and use some as containers.

promotional freebies

It's always fun to get something for free, but it's a different issue trying to find space for all of the silly hats, Frisbees, bags, pencils and junk... and it only serves to advertise someone else. Do your best to refuse this rubbish, so you waste less.

jewellery

I got rid of lots of earrings in my clearout, as it turns out I only really wore one pair of stud earrings, and a pair of hoops. If you only keep a few items you wear regularly, you can get rid of all of the junk and make more space - now all of my jewellery fits in a little Vaseline tin!

Have you cleared anything out recently? Let me know!

Have a sweet day today,

-Lx