Decluttering Rule of Thumb: One In, One Out…

Tip #13 – One In, One Out

This is a simple, frugal living principle. Anytime you bring a new item in, one needs to go. This is the case with ANYTHING – shampoo, magazine subscriptions, food, clothes, movies, etc. Before you buy another kind of shampoo, finish the one you currently have. Before you order another magazine, unsubscribe from the one you don’t enjoy as much. When you buy a new shirt, donate another. This is one of the best preventative tools you can use to ensure your home does not become even more cluttered in this new year!

Kristin’s Action Plan: It has taken me too many years to apply this principle – hence my need to constantly declutter. I allowed too many items into our home for too many years, without getting rid of something else. Now that our home is somewhat decluttered (we could still get rid of more), it does make it harder to find something to get rid of. It is vital to keep applying this rule of thumb because otherwise we will just end up at the beginning again.