<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3723" src="https://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/wooden-box-349703_1280.jpg?w=300" alt="wooden-box-349703_1280" width="300" height="200" />Do you have an attic or basement space or even an outside storage facility where you currently store items?  If so, when was the last time you accessed the items in it?  When was the last time you actually went to those spaces and inventoried them or went through the boxes, bags, or shelves?

I know it’s a hard thing to talk about, but the reality is we often take items we no longer need at the moment and store them and subsequently completely forget about them.  Out of sight, out of mind is definitely a true statement.  I encourage you to make a promise and a plan to go through your storage space and really access everything that is in it.  Ask yourself these key questions:
<ul>
	<li>When was the last time I used this item?</li>
	<li>Do I like this item?</li>
	<li>Does it meet the lifestyle I have today?</li>
	<li>Am I storing this for me or someone else?</li>
	<li>Why am I storing this?</li>
</ul>
These questions will help you identify items you are keeping unnecessarily.  For those of you who have lived in your home for a long period of time, you will discover things that were from a different lifetime.  For example, are you storing baby items and you have no plans of having another child?  If so, why are you keeping them…are the items for someone else? if so, give them to the other person or better yet, ask them if they even want it.  As we discussed in a few of our earlier posts, many times people don't want the stuff we think they do.  What about the drawings and items from your child’s school days…you know, the child that is now a man with his own family.  Yes, it’s time to let those drawings from 5<sup>th</sup> grade go…or better yet, you can scan them into a book and make a coffee table book out of his/her art.  That to me is a much better way to honor their childhood art than in a box in your storage area.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3725" src="https://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/clutter-360058_1280.jpg?w=300" alt="clutter-360058_1280" width="300" height="225" />

I don't mean to give you a hard time, but I find it is better to rip the band-aid off than to try to gently take it off...that takes longer and ultimately causes more pain in the end.  So, today commit to tackling your storage area.  I guarantee you will thank me in the end.

Now, for those of you who are storing items in storage facilities that you have to pay for I encourage you to set a goal of getting to the smallest storage space possible and/or eliminating it all together.  This will take a little work but you can do it.  In many cases you are storing items that you don’t need or want, or you are holding onto a dream you had years ago.  If you have a snow shovel and live in Florida, I think you can probably let that item go.  It no longer meets your environment or lifestyle.  It’s ok, sale or donate it.

The key is that often the storage spaces are the easiest to declutter because you have already detached yourself from the item, or you can detach a little easier than you can items in the living space of your home.  Start with just one box and begin to really review what is in it.  I promise you it won’t be as hard as you think it is.  For the items that you end up keeping, make sure to inventory them and clearly label your box.  Also, write the date of the box and commit to reviewing the items again in 6 months to a year.  This will allow you to regularly review the items to see if they should be kept.
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/buh03f"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3678 size-medium" src="https://thehappinessbucket.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/30-day-popup.png?w=300" alt="30 Day popup" width="300" height="46" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Make sure to click the image above to register for our upcoming
</strong><strong>30 Day Declutter Challenge starting September 1st!</strong></p>
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