3 Reasons to Start Prepping with Decluttering
Today, I want to talk about the importance of decluttering during your prepping journey.
I know some of you are scratching your head right now, because let’s be honest when we think about prepping we usually think about long lists of items we need to BUY so we can stock our storerooms and every day carry bags. But stick with me for just a minute. Decluttering is actually a critical component of your prepping journey.
Here are the three reasons I wish I had started my prepping journey by decluttering. If I had started with decluttering my house, I would have:
Eliminated purchasing supplies I already owned
Created critical storage space for the things I really wanted to store
Felt a lot less overwhelmed by the accumulation of prepping supplies
Again, I realize normally when we are talking about prepping we are talking about acquiring supplies, gadgets, and gizmos, and many of you probably want to start there, but you’d be better served by starting your journey with decluttering.
As far as I’m concerned, decluttering can be a therapeutic endeavor, but I realize that’s not everyone’s perspective. It’s the liberating process of getting rid of the excess and making room for the things that matter. Unfortunately, life always seems to get in the way of our desire to declutter.
A trip to the grocery store, a trip to Target, a well-meaning gift…they can all get in the way of streamlining our possessions. Even if we aren’t bringing extra stuff in, it’s easy to get into the habit of holding on to things because “we might need them some day.”
The problem is most of us have limited space. Even if we are lucky enough to have an unfinished basement to store our extra food, or a garage that has enough space for all the normal garage things, the cars, and some prepping supplies (good luck!), we can still get to the point where our prepping supplies take up more room than we have unless we get rid of the clutter we already own.
Many years ago I ran a professional organizing company. I worked with my clients to declutter their spaces, and I can tell you that even for those of us who specialize in streamlining our possessions and keeping our spare closets cleaned out, there is ALWAYS room for improvement.
The advantage of decluttering before you start prepping really comes down to the three things I mentioned above.
First decluttering and organizing what you already own gives you an excellent opportunity to start getting your prepping supplies together. I’m guessing you already have a flashlight, some batteries, and maybe a few candles for a power outage…but the real question is can you find them quickly if you need them? If you are like most of us, the answer is a maybe at best. When you declutter you get to take a thorough inventory of what you already own.
Decluttering also allows you to prioritize your purchases based on actual needs rather than best guesses of what you have in your home. I am ashamed to admit that my first few months of prepping involved lots of Amazon purchases based on lists I’d found online from other preppers (yes, I’m a list junkie).
More than once I’d go to put something away in the place that made sense, only to find that I already owned that supply. I won’t talk about how many first aid kits I actually had in my house prior to the amazon purchases I made in the first few weeks of my prepping journey…let’s just say, I have enough band aids for the entire neighborhood (and they are all in cute first aid kit bags)! Now, sometimes there is great utility in having some back-up supplies, but it’s far better if we know what we have BEFORE we start prepping.
Decluttering allows you to look through your current inventory and know exactly what gaps you are trying to fill. You may realize you already have 18 boxes of spaghetti in the back of the pantry or 21 cans of green beans (this is a true story about one of my organizing clients back in the day, that was NOT a prepper!) so you can focus on buying a few more jars of spaghetti sauce or some peas instead. Simply taking inventory allows you to focus your time and money on the things you really need.
Decluttering also frees up valuable real estate for storing the prepping supplies you really want to keep! One of the best things about decluttering is the surprising room you’ll free up in closets, under beds, and in kitchen cabinets. All of these spaces can become intentional and effective storage spaces for the supplies you want to store.
Most of us have at least one (or three) closets in our house that house all of the “I might need it some day” supplies. You know the closet I’m talking about. Now, if you look through this space and realize that you had a stash of canning jars you thought you might use some day, you’re in luck because those are useful to a prepper.
But more likely, at least one of those closets houses old ratty towels from a bathroom two houses ago, a few extra sets of sheets for the twin bed you got rid of when your child got their new bedroom set, and a collection of random suitcases that are missing wheels and zippers. These are the types of items that are taking up valuable real estate that could be used for your new preparedness lifestyle. When we look at our possessions with a critical eye towards preparedness, we can make decisions about what we should keep and what we should part with.
Now before you get rid of all of this “extra stuff,” take a minute to decide if any of it REALLY could be useful in your prepping journey, or if you’d rather use your linen closet to store an extra set of sheets, a few extra towels, and your new food dehydrator (yes, I’m speaking from experience on this one!).
Finally, decluttering helps reduce the overwhelm as you bring more supplies into your home. Depending on how prepared you really want to be, your supplies can take up a significant amount of storage space. If you are storing 75 gallons of water and hundreds of pounds of grain, rice, and sugar, you are going to need a lot of room you might not currently have.
Even small prepping lists require an organized space to help you find everything you have, rotate supplies on a consistent basis, and not get overwhelmed with the process. Decluttering now and taking time to get organized, means as you bring more stuff in your house you can be intentional about where you want to store it. You can cut down on stacks of supplies that are sitting precariously on the edge of your dresser and creatively store the extra boxes of macaroni and cheese that won’t quite fit in the pantry.
When we can put our things AWAY, it provides a sense of peace and calm to our surroundings. Numerous studies have shown that visual clutter contributes to mental fatigue. IF you find yourself feeling overwhelmed in your space, it may be time to take a hard look at what you can declutter. Part of the preparedness journey is about learning how to take care of our mental and emotional health. Decluttering is a great start.
Great, your thinking, I’d love to declutter, but I have no idea where to start…
Well, you’re in luck. Here’s a decluttering checklist that I used with my old organizing clients:
Pick a small space first and start there (little victories are key!)
Turn on some good music that makes you feel energized (trust me this really does help the process)
Take everything out of the space you’ve identified
Create three stacks - keep/throw-out/donate or recycle.
If you’re having trouble deciding on what you should keep, ask yourself these questions:
Do I love it?
Do I use it on a regular basis (more than twice a year)?
Does it fit my lifestyle right now?
Would I rather store this instead of a new prepping supply?
IF you answer yes to all of these questions, you can probably feel pretty good about keeping the item. If the answer was no, consider donating or recycling the item in question.
Clean the space out completely before you put things back (i.e. wipe down shelves or vacuum the floor)
Move any items that seem like they might be better stored some place else - the general rule of thumb is to store items near where you use them
Everything in your keep pile goes back into its new clean home
Quickly take the things you are donating or throwing-out, out of the house (this should really be done in 24-72 hours after you declutter a particular space - at the very least designate a box to take to your favorite donation site and put the extra items inside…DO NOT open the box before you take it to the donation center…trust you made good choices the first time around!)
CELEBRATE! And start thinking about what prepping supplies you might like to store in your new found space
Keep repeating the decluttering process. The more you move through your house decluttering, the easier it gets.
A few pro-tips. If you know you’re a keeper sometimes it can help to have a supportive friend (who knows you want to pare down a little) come sit with you. Simply having to ask someone else their opinion about an item helps make the decision easier…also, if you have to ask if you should keep it, the answer is probably no! It’s why I got paid to be a professional organizer.
Only declutter on days where you feel motivated and energized, or at least neutral. Decluttering is not for days when you feel emotionally drained or worn out from a tough day at work.
Also, start with the easy spaces. Junk drawers, linen closets, spare closets, and garages normally don’t house tons of sentimental items which means they are easier to work with quickly. Once you have some wins, move to the tougher things.
Finally, remember just because you are decluttering, you DO NOT have to get rid of everything. It’s a process. Just like prepping, decluttering takes time and intentional decisions to make it effective.
Start small and keep moving forward. You may find after a while decluttering is actually kind of fun.
I’d love to hear the biggest challenge you face while decluttering…put a comment below and ask this former “professional organizer” your tough questions. Let’s conquer your closets together.
