1. Get out the vacuum and vacuum your house from top to bottom. Get rid of the spider webs, vacuum our curtains, vacuum under the beds and the mattresses, under the couch cushions and inside your closets. Now open up all the doors and windows to air your house out. You have just improved your air quality greatly without spending a dine except for the electricity. You will undoubtedly find a lot of change along the way. Put that aside for now.
2. Take everything out of your closets and see what's in there. We have a way of not appreciating what we have. I know right now I have clothes in my closet that I bought without trying on but never returned for whatever reason that still have the tags on them! They are perfect for a consignment store. Whenever I go through my closet I always find clothes that I have forgotten about too.
3. Take out and dust all of your books. Are there any you don't really care about? If so, you can sell them back to a used book store or trade them for a new one. Now you have a book to read that didn't cost you a dime!
4. Take out and dust and alphabetize all of your DVDs and CDs. This really gets you in touch with what you have. You can resell these either on line or at a used record store. Or give them away to friends - hey free gifts!
5. Go through your kitchen cupboards and see what's in there. Wipe them all down. Check for expiration dates on cans. Challenge yourself to come up with dishes that you have everything for. Invite a friend to dinner and watch a DVD you haven't seen in awhile. hey- free entertainment!
6. Remove all non essential items from your bedroom, wash all the dirty clothes and sheets and bedding. Make up your bed as if it were in a luxury hotel. Pick some flowers from your garden and put them in a vase on the dresser. Now snuggle up in bed with your new book or favorite snuggler. You get the idea!
7. Here's the best part! go through all of your drawers, coat pockets, and anywhere else that change can be found. Add it to the change you found in step one. Take it to the bank and have them spin it for you. Now you have money in your pocket and are no longer broke!
Why do I have to do all that cleaning? Why can't I just look for change and stuff to sell? you may ask. We live in a time where we are practically ordered to consume more and more. We feel broke if we can't buy something new. It's all too easy to forget about what we already have. If your house is a mess, then you're not taking care of what you have already spent your hard earned money on. Dusting books and alphabetizing DVDs puts us in touch with the disorder that too many posessions cause. And lastly, creating a peaceful, serene environment is the best way to feel rich.
4 comments:
I agree with this one-hundred percent. What a great article.
ahh , I can leave a comment now!
Thanks for this... This is such a great piece, and seeing that we are moving into Spring, Excellent time for me to do spring cleaning!!!
Great post!
Good list of tips. Another interesting fact that has always stood out in my mind I got from a book was this: If after two years you haven't touched an object in your house, get rid of it. After that amount of time if you haven't used it, the chances of using it again in your life are slim to none. Scientists have actually studied this kind of stuff.
Great point! I still have boxes of old photos to go through. I know I've put it off because I like to live in the present. When I figure out how to motivate myself, I'll write about that too.
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