The Decluttering Calendar: Downsizing Every Month of the Year

Looking to start your downsizing journey this year? Or maybe you want to clean house and start fresh? Whatever the reason, it’s good to declutter the home to stay organized and have a clear mind. If you don’t know where to start or have a lot of things to sift through, here’s our declutter calendar to help you throughout the year, one month at a time!

January: Holiday and Home Decor

Take down all your holiday decorations, organize them in bins or boxes for next year, and separate the ones you want to donate and toss out. Since there might be after-holiday sales, consider this the time to assess your holiday bags and wrapping paper and replenish if needed. Make sure to return any unwanted or damaged gifts you received as well.

February: Appliances and Pantry Items

Throw away any expired canned goods or other food, and donate what you don’t need. Check your kitchen junk drawer for things you no longer use, like old take-out menus and receipts. This is also a good time to take inventory of kitchen and other house appliances to donate, sell at a yard sale, or throw away.

March: Bathroom and Medicinal Items

We all dread cleaning the bathroom, but the more we keep it organized and clutter-free, the more comfortable we’ll live and grateful we’ll be when we move out! Go through any cleaning products, towels, and hygienic items and see what’s expired or needs to be replaced.

Your medicine cabinet is an easy area to build up clutter due to the seasonal nature of allergies and colds, and since many medications are not used year-round, you may have duplicates. You could also use this time to go through your makeup, skincare products, and other clutter that might be expired or no longer useful to you. 

April: Clothes

As the weather goes hot and cold every day in the transition to summer, you realize how many different clothes you have. Now’s a good time to assess your closet and see which clothes you really need or want to keep around.

May: Gardening Items

May is a very popular time to start gardening. Use this month to review your gardening supplies and discard anything you don’t plan on using. If you plan to move out of your current home and downsize, it’ll help make the house attractive to prospective buyers. This is perfect timing to clean up all the weeds and other invasive species, like honeysuckle, and take care of the lawn, trees, flowers, or vegetable gardens.

June: Garage Items

Summer’s when many neighborhoods put on their garage sales, so this is a good time to go through your storage units and garage to get rid of the clutter. Sort your belongings by categories like lawn maintenance, recreation, and tools, and cut down on what you don’t need.

July: Summer and Travel Items

If you’re hitting the beach again for the summer or exploring new places, you probably have duplicates of items. We’ve all forgotten our bathing suits, sunscreen, and sunglasses at home before and had to buy them once we got to our destination, so there’s a good chance you have more than one of a lot of things. This is a good time to toss out old or expired items and evaluate how many swim trunks you really need!

August: Craft Supplies

Review your craft supplies like paint, yarn, and paper, and consider what you’ve used in the last year. Since supplies for crafts can take a long time to build up, it can be difficult to let go of them, even when you know you won’t use them. This could be an opportunity to teach the grandkids your craft or give them your supplies for the school year!

September: Office Items

It’s easy to build up clutter in your office from old items you used or filed when you were still working. Now that you’re retired, you won’t have many needs for folders, paperclips, and other supplies. Just be sure you weren’t keeping any important or personal documents before sending things to the shredder. That is also a good reminder to start getting financial and legal documents together for when you start to look at senior living communities.

October: Basement Items

Embrace the spooky season by checking out your basement and making it not so scary anymore! Look for things you no longer need and donate them when possible.

November: Books and Games

Who doesn’t love a good book to curl up with or a fun game to play with the family at gatherings? Over time, our book collections start to add up, and sometimes, we never get around to reading them or won’t ever read them again. We can also forget that we already have that game at home or another version of it, or we haven’t even played most of the ones we have. Go through your stacks of books and games and see if your friends, families, or neighbors would enjoy them before donating or selling them.

December: Thinking to the Future

The holiday season is a time of being with loved ones and giving gifts. Be sure to let them know your downsizing plans and to minimize the gifts they give you, or at the very least, choose ones that are going to be practical for your next home.

Start your downsizing journey today with our free ebook, Unlock the Power to Declutter: The Definitive Guide on How to Start!

At Life Enriching Communities (LEC), we’re committed to ensuring patrons feel well-equipped to plan their future and age how they wish. Explore more resources on senior living or contact us today to learn more about our legacy of services and programs that bring meaning and purpose to every stage of life.