So you want to sell your stuff? Online seems a good way. Even if you want to sell locally an online platform can be a great way to reach lots of people.
Does it matter which site you use?
The simple answer is yes.
Where you list your item and how you describe it makes a difference to the price to get for it and even if it will sell at all.
If you want to know the common mistakes people make when listing their belongings to sell – see my blog link further down the page.
Selling sites
Ebay
Sell and buy most categories of goods from clothes to cars. Electronics and accessories are the most sold items on here. Seller fees 10% of an item sold value. Additional cost options available e.g 4% extra to have a reserve price on the item. Add on Paypal fee of 3% if you use this, other options available. I normally estimate fees 14% in total including Paypal. eBay fee calculator available www.ebayfeescalculator.com.Refund policy and funds held until goods received. A dedicated dispute resolution. A bit buyer-centric so make sure you protect yourself with a good descripton. App easy to use. Desktop version available. Some restrictions on brand words you can use in the description as e.g Velcro. Will auto re-list if the item doesn’t sell. Max 12 photos. Max 40 listings a month.
Gumtree
Sell and buy most categories of goods from clothes to cars even find jobs on here. Less audience reach than eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Typically lower £ offers than eBay. Free to list but optional fees to promote your items. I often find items on Gumtree that are not well presented this a great chance for a bargain if you are buying. So make sure your photos and description are up to scratch. App easy to use but not as good as eBay. Desktop version available. No dispute resolution. No restrictions on brand names or descriptions. Max 8 photos.
Shpock
Really growing in popularity. Sell and buy most categories of goods from clothes to cars. Free to list but optional fees to promote your items. Funds held before goods received.
Vinted
Sell and buy clothes, shoes and accessories. Free to list but optional fees to promote item up to 19%. Buyers pay a fee. Refund policy.
Pre-loved
Sell and buy most categories of goods from clothes to cars. Even find jobs on here. Focus is on used or secondhand items where other sites have new stuff too. Free to list but optional fees to promote your items. Upgrade your account to get unlimited items listed and unlimited photos.
ASOS Marketplace
Sell and buy new, pre-owned and vintage clothes. Popular selling platform for the vintage clothing market. You must create a boutique at £20 per month plus a 20% commission. Operating on a monthly basis so can cancel when you like.
Depop
Sell and buy clothes, shoes and accessories. Aimed at the young and trendy, this platform is growing fast. Designer, preloved, vintage and streetwear. High-end online platform. 10% fee on total transaction amount (including shipping).
Rebelle
Authenticated designer clothes is Rebelles target market for buying and selling. High-end online platform. 17-33% or £20 commission depending on price of item sold.
Etsy
To sell homemade craft and homewares with some vintage items. Listing fee and 5% transaction fee + £0.20 transaction fee. High prices commanded due to the audience drawn to the items and overall look of website.
Music Magpie
A broker who buys your CDs, DVDs, Games and Books. Easy to use app and barcode scanning system. Typically get between 30p and £5 for each item. They send you packaging and you send off the stuff. For the profit vs effort I usually don’t bother but pass on to a charity shop for someone else to enjoy. Amazon is another option for selling books but do a little research to see what your book is really worth.
“How much you sell your items for will depend on how you describe and photograph it. It often makes the difference between it selling or not at all. For the top 5 most common mistakes I see people make when selling online” – read my blog“
Locally focused selling and 'for free' sites
Considering if the profit you will make from selling an item outweighs the hassle and cost of selling. Picturing your item well-loved in a new home will help you consider the pass in on for free idea. Here are some sites you can use, which also have paid for options too.
Facebook Market
Sell and buy most categories of goods from clothes to cars. No fees. Typically lower £ offers than eBay. App easy to use. Desktop version available. Variable restrictions on brand names or descriptions. Max 10 photos. You can post items on Individual Facebook groups to sell but opens you up to have a public discussion over item. Allowed 5 relist option for an item.
Facebook Group
You can post items on Individual Facebook groups to sell but opens you up to have a public discussion over an item. It gives you more options to advertise your item on a specialised group. Often local pick ups.
Next Door
Free community app and desktop site. Based on your postcode. Options to post in your very local area (a few streets from your house) or out to about 3 miles. Used for anything from finding lost cats, asking for trade recommendations but also buying, selling and for free items. Typically low-cost items sold like furniture or home items. Collection only. I use this a lot to re-home items for free. Occasionally I’ve asked for donations to charities for free items. If you are selling make sure description and photos appealing and clear.
Freecycle
Freecycle aims to keep items out of landfills by providing an internet listings service to help people give unwanted items to someone else for free in their own community. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free. Freecycle groups operate in specific towns or areas. Can post items you want as well as those you giving away for free. Basic platform and search function. No photos. Collection only.
Swishing
Pre-lockown swapping party for clothes, shoes and accessories. “You might bring one sweater and take two pairs of shoes, or hang a party frock on the ‘Swishing Rail’ and take a pair of skinny jeans and feather boa”. Time will tell how the develops as social distancing eases.
Your front door
The old fashioned but reviving art of putting items outside your door with a ‘free, help yourself’ sign. Saves landfill waste and easy to do. Less reach than using Freecycle or Next Door.
You have decluttered and decided some of your stuff is worth selling or ready to giveaway? Maybe you have an eBay or vinted account? How do you make the most of your item? What fees are involved? Here are the common mistakes people make when using online platforms like eBay, Facebook Marketplace or gumtree.
If you want to know which sites you should use -I’ve a blog that tell you all you need to know ‘Where should I sell my stuff online?’ See link at the bottom of the page.
Think carefully about selling an item of yours online rather than giving to charity or someone who would appreciate it. Some second-hand items sell better online than others. Just because you think it was worth money or you paid a lot for it doesn’t mean it will sell or sell for much.
If you think an item is below a certain £ threshold for you don’t sell it but pass it on to charity. The effort of photographing it correctly, listing with specialist details, communicating with buyers throughout the sale, packaging and arranging the delivery, needs to be balanced by the reward. Rejoice in benefiting a charity or a new owner who is getting the items for free.
Similarly, if an item is very expensive don’t sell it online like diamond jewellery, take it to a specialist jeweller on the high street. They can advise if it has the potential value you think it does and where best to sell it.
1. What to sell?
Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash
“Don’t assume because you think it is worth money or you paid a lot for the item that it will sell”
What to sell?
The top-selling category on eBay in 2023 was ‘electronic and accessories’. And this has been my experience of what sells best on eBay. I would avoid selling items like used sofas or furniture, books, DVDs, toys or clothes unless they are for a niche market, a high-end brand or if they are still in packaging.
Branded items with a good quality reputation do better. Be sure to mention this in your listing and add a Brand name to your keyword description, so it comes up in searches a buyer might use e.g. Black & Decker or Ted Baker.
If you want to sell your own crafts or handmade items Etsy or Not On The High Street might be a better choice. It attracts more of these products and usually commands a higher price.
If an item is broken check if there is a market for sparesto sell. Although a local app like Next Door might be a better choice in case someone wanted to look at it first.
2. Research is key
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
“Doing research will help you learn more about how best to list and describe your items and how much technical specification to add, which is important for selling items like electronics or camera equipment”
Research
Research is the key. Spending time looking up eBay listings for the same item as yours, will pay off. It will help you find out an expected sale price, which might be much lower than you expect. See how many bids and watchers the item has currently. If there are lots of bids at an appealing price early in the sale time (usually 7 days) this is a good sign.
The research will also help you learn more about how best to list and describe your items like which category to use to help buyers find it or what technical specification detail to add, which is so important especially for electronics.
3. Best presentation wins
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
“Consider the background. Choose something appealing and neutral e.g if you are selling a drill take it out of the garage and photo on a nice surface like a kitchen worktop or carpet”
So many times when I have bought second-hand items online at a bargain price it’s because they have been poorly photographed. I have seen this myself too when I’ve not taken the time to show the buyer how great my item is with good photos. Add as much detail as possible to your listing. Use as many photos as you can. Use a manufacturer’s website, or where you bought it from, to gather details about the specification of your item. Remember to include all dimensions of your item, this will save additional questions from buyers during the auction. I find it is helpful to add some personal detailabout where you bought it and how much it has been used. Maybe when you bought it and why you are selling it e.g. we bought the spare bed for my mum to use years ago from John Lewis but it has only been used about 3 times since then. It adds authenticity which helps the seller to trust they will get what they want and see the value in your item over another.
Photos
When taking photos remember:-
Make sure the item is clean and presentable.
Ensure good lighting by a window and daylight if possible.
Consider the background. Choose something appealing and neutral. For example, if you are selling a drill take it out of the garage and photo on a nice surface like a wooden kitchen worktop. Avoid mess in the background, which might suggest it has not been looked after.
Use simple but complementary accessories to show your item off e.g. take photos of a bed with nice bedding on and some off. If you are going to sell clothes make sure you use a mannequin if you can or even show on someone, people will want to see the shape and fit as much as possible and nothing look less appealing than an item of clothing hung loosely on a hanger on the back of a bedroom door.
Use the best photo for the main image seen. If appropriate you can use one photo from the manufacturer to add to your other photos. As long as you are very clear in your description and classification that your product is second hand. It will draw people to your listing and show them how good your second-hand version is. Remember to photograph any branded label, tags or back up to reinforce its value.
Make sure you give clear photos of any stains or damage. Honesty is always the best policy. This will save any hassle with returns or poor reviews.
4. Keep communicating with buyer
Photo by Jeffrey Blum on Unsplash
“I ensure an auction ends on a weekend, usually a Sunday night, when more people tend to be sitting down using their phones and you might get bidding competition”
Communication
Remember to select a reasonable bidding duration. I usually do a 7-day auction to build interest and allow more time for people to see it. I always ensure bids end on a weekend, usually a Sunday night, when more people tend to be sitting down using their phones, and you might get bidding competition.
If something is in demand you’ll get lots of communicationfrom buyers, make sure you reply quickly and with as much information as possible. There may be questions about the product or even offers to buy it sooner than the end of the auction date.
I’ve given up on buying an item before, if the seller doesn’t respond to your questions, or doesn’t answer something you need like the dimensions of an object.
Try to hold out until the end of an auction, if people are keen to offer before, it is normally for a good deal for them, although you’ll have to take a risk that it might be the best offer you get, I’ve never had this happen though. Remember if you end an auction early for a cash offer eBay might ask for fees or give you a breach of selling contract warning as they don’t want to miss out on selling fees. If you do want to take an early offer you could agree on a price with the buyer and switch the listing to a buy it now auction price on the system and coordinate with your buyer to select that option, that way all fees go through eBay as normal.
Don’t forget to tell the buyer immediately when items are dispatched directly or on the platform’s app. It adds to the trust that their item is on its way and avoids any chase up emails asking you where it is. Don’t dispatch until they have paid. If it is ‘collection only’ and has been collected then update the app so all fees can be processed and funds transferred to you.
5. Hidden costs
Photo by Kutan Ural on Unsplash
“Expect to pay 10-14% of your sale price with fees on Ebay (unless it’s pre-loved clothes), but you will have a larger audience to sell to than local selling apps with no fees like Facebook. Choose the right selling platform for your item”
Costs
Don’t forget the fees. Expect to pay 10-14% total fees on your final sale price on most sites.And there are the postage costs of course unless yours is a collection only for a bulkier item. Consider using a parcel service to collect from your door if you cannot face a post office queue. The cost won’t be much different. I use Parcel2go to compare delivery prices depending on what I’ve arranged with the buyer, next day, 1-3 days etc.
Facebook Marketplace, Facebook local selling groups, Gumtree, or Next Door app does have an advantage with lower or no fees and no postage costs but they can be less reliable and there is little come back if people change their mind before turning up after an agreed sale. This is why research matters so you can choose your ideal selling platform.
“Items can be seen from side angles, so you lose a sense of space & it’s too easy to hide stuff away here”
“Your bedroom is your sanctuary to recharge in. Avoid keeping bottles, make up etc on surfaces, reduce dust & create a feeling of calm”
Photo by Zara.com
“It’s just too easy to pile clothes on, it’s the easiest way to clutter your room, so don’t have it it here”
Photo from Canva
“You’ll be able to fit more in & importantly it will be easier to see what you have”
Photo on YesStyle.com
“Paper scraps, undone lists, half read magazines and multiple books will only add a feeling of stress & prevent you unwinding. Just choose one item to keep here”
Are you exercising more or less to unlock down? Do you like what you wear? Do you feel comfortable in it?
Either way this is a great time to have a look at your sportswear and see what you actually want to keep. I really only have one top and legging combo I use most to exercise in. So i’m taking a good look at what I really need to keep,
freeing up wardrobe space. Decluttering is making space in our lives for what we really want , freeing ourselves mentally and well as physically, so we make the most of the space we have in our homes. For this to work though we need to honest with ourselves about ‘why am i keeping this?’ and ‘how many items of each I really need?’. Looking a bit deeper will make it easier to let go of things you don’t need but also maintain the space you are looking for.
Here are my top tips when it comes to sportwear:
# 1
“By putting everything out on your bed you’ll probably find items you have never worn or forgot you had”
Seeing all your sportswear together is the best way to start your declutter. Nothing hiding, include socks, sports bras, trainers and sports footwear too.
#2
“You might be surprised by what you own. Consider the storage space you have and ask yourself when did you last wear each item”
How much storage space do you have for your sportswear? Consider why you want to keep an item. If you cannot remember when you last used it. Why keep it?
Does it fit you? If not donate it to a new home. Don’t hold on to things for the ‘if only’ situations. Your life as well as your home will feel more open and more spacious.
#3
“Try it on each item. If there is a reason you’ve not worn it, remember why, then re-home”
If you are not sure about something in particular, wear it around the house tomorrow. You’ll soon remember if it’s the cut, colour or fit that you don’t like. Then donate it to a new home.
You should feel good it all you wear, and that includes what you do sport or exercise in.
#4
“If an item is damaged or stained and can’t be salvaged put it in textiles recycling”
Take a honest look at your kit. A quick way to declutter what you own is to get rid of what isn’t fit for purpose anymore. Do this with your sports kit too.
#5
“Make exercise as easy as possible, don’t keep items that are uncomfortable to wear”
Is it a bit tight? Does it ride up when you move it it? It’s time to give it a new home then. Sportwear should be comfortable and easy to have on.
We all have work that needs to get done but are you being as productive as possible now working from home is a reality and likely to continue long-term? What do productive people do to stop getting distracted and even increase productivity? Here are simple yet effective ways to unlock home working and get organised in isolation and beyond.
“We all get distracted, it’s how we manage this that counts”
Remember to focus on elements of your work life you are able to change. Maybe you don’t have a separate home office or have a regular conference call at 8 am with your team, notice those things and move on to what you can control.
Consider your personal productivity in relation to these four areas:-
Time
Productivity
Space
Mental Health
Ok, choose 5 things from the following lists that resonates with you:
Write them on a post-it note and put it up in your work area, the act of writing and the visual prompt will help cement them into the wiring of your brain (Forbes 2018) Try working to these principles for a week. At the end of the week consider what worked and what didn’t, swap in others to test. Stick with it and learn your version of being highly productive.
Time
Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash
“Noticing your own habits and natural tendencies and working on them is key to maximising your productivity. Try different things to find out what works for you – start early, try exercise before work or swap some work hours to the evening when your children are in bed. Get creative”
Time
What time are you most productive: Really think about when you are at your best. Morning, afternoon or evening? Book time to do your most complex or important tasks then. Make calls or do easy items in your least productive part of the day.
Set ‘office’ hours: Keeping regular times, where possible, helps set your mind and body into a productive day of working.
Take breaks: Keep fresh and allow ideas to flow but taking breaks and sticking to a regular lunch hour.
Start early, if you can: Have breakfast later, after you’ve been working a while. Get some tasks under your belt before the house gets busy and emails start arriving.
Avoid setting alarms: Sleep will aid productive work and build your resilience to the emotional ups and downs that come with change. Give yourself as much sleep as possible by allowing yourself to wake up naturally. This is the perfect time to allow yourself this benefit.
Productivity
Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash
“Communicate with your colleagues and those you live with on what works best for you. Being flexible and open will help others help you. You being productive is better for your company and colleagues in the long-term so ask them to help you”
Productivity
Get dressed for work: A small but important change in your mindset to start the day focused.
Allocate your working day: Use 60-90 min time slots for tasks you need to get done.
At the end of your day write your to-do list for tomorrow: This will allow you to switch off from work and start the next day clear on what you need to achieve. Use free apps for managing work tasks like Asana, Trello or Dubsado.
Keep communicating: If something cannot be explained in 1-2 email sentences, call instead. This will avoid things getting lost in translation and save time playing email tennis.
Use tech to avoid distractions: Leave home devices in another room. Experiment with free apps like Freedom or Stayfocused to block adverts and websites in workhours. Use separate work and home browsers.
Use music to focus your mind: Background music but not TV can help focus the mind. Change it depending on what you are doing. If I’m flagging I put on a dance track to lift my energy levels.
Space
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
“Be deliberate in your choice of work space. Don’t underestimate how important a good home working environment is to your concentration and well being. Keep the area tidy, a messy working environment has been shown to reduce levels of concentration”
Space
Have a dedicated workspace: Whether it’s a home office, a corner of a kitchen table or even sofa, make sure you are comfortable, with all you need. The ongoing association of work with this particular area will help you focus.
Make your ‘office’ as inviting as possible: Have a comfortable chair and screen set up. Have plants and good natural light, use directable lamps if you need to. Keep the space tidy. Open the windows once a day to get some fresh air in.
Clear away at the end of your day: Tidy away papers and devices once you are done. If you work in shared living space use a basket to keep items in out of hours, this will help you switch off.
Communicate expectations to those you live with: Discuss you working hours with others in the house. Just because you are at home doesn’t mean your are off work. This might not always translate to younger members of the family but then try to fit office hours around family activities you can join in with, like an agreed lunch break playing together in garden or switching afternoon work to an evening
Mental Health
Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash
“If you are physically and mentally well then this will show in your work. Don’t allow good habits to slip while at home. Eat your 5 a day, rest, divide work and relaxation clearly. Don’t work late and over time. A Stanford study showed longer hours didn’t increase productivity (John Pencaval, 2014)”
Mental Health
Use tech to stay connected: Plan social interaction with colleagues and friends. Keep collaboration and banter up via Slack, Zoom, google hangouts or discord.
Decide when not to be in contact: The lockdown has provided a surprising opportunity to step back and assess what you really want and how you connect with people. Enjoy recharging your batteries and reflecting on what you can cut out that isn’t working for you.
Treat yourself: Drink lots of water & get regular hours of sleep. The REM Sleep we get in the later part of the night allows the brain to process anxiety and stress.
Keep up the exercise: There is so much free content available from online yoga, boxercise, ballet, family-friendly classes, everything. Use it and enjoy. Get out in the fresh air for a cycle, run or keep your steps up while you are on the phone.
Make the most of your time off: Decide what you really want to do out of hours. Be mindful to not fill extra time on social media or with TV. They can suck time you have. Make the most of your time. Paint your nails, get in the garden, play football with the kids, anything that makes you feel good.
And what productive people don't do....
They don’t expect one size to fit all and they don’t stop trying things out and learning, until they find what works for them. It is about taking responsibility for ourselves and our work. Never stop being curious, adaptable and focused as these are the keys to successfully working from home.
8. Under The Sink 9. Cook Books 10. By The Back Door 11. Meal Planning & Guides
1. The Kitchen
Our kitchens are important places for us in our homes. Before the lockdown we and our families were likely to be spending up to 3 hours a day in our kitchens and 4-5 hours a day at weekends. We use it for cooking or preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner and the clear-up afterwards of course. Our kitchens have always been areas we’ve used for study, work and socialising but now in lockdown we are spending so much more time in here, maybe for most of the day. This can present challenges as clutter builds up as each activity ends and another one begins. Multiple people using a space can be tough too, with different members of the family putting a different level of importance or effort on keeping the space workable and clear.
This is why kitchens are a great place to start and focus your decluttering and organising energy. Once you start to make progress here you’ll really get to appreciate what you’ve done and see everyday the impact of living a more organised life. Once a kitchen has been decluttered and organised it’s easier to keep it that way long-term.
Consider involving all members of the household to some degree in this process:-
If everyone can agree or see where things live then everyone can be involved in putting things back there.
If there is an understanding of what each member of the family needs close to hand regularly, this can be taken into account organising where things should live, this makes putting things back easier for every family member, e.g. whoever walks the dog most, it would help if their wellies live near an exterior door or if someone uses the juicer to make their breakfast everyday it needs to be accessible.
This is about getting everyone to be responsible for maintaining an organised space and putting away items which naturally build up in daily life, which is more sustainable long term.
2. The Fridge
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
The Fridge Declutter
1. Remove all of the contents 2. Throw away expired food and condiments 3. Clean and recycle jars, plastic & tins 4. If you find something you know you’re never going to use, give it to a new home 5. Wipe down and clean with mild soap and water, including shelves and drawers
Organising Your Fridge
Containers can be a helpful way to keep your fridge organised once the decluttering is done.
Photo from popsugar.com.au
Use clear containers so its easy to see whats in them e.g condiment jars
Label containers and drawers so everyone knows where to find what they are looking for
Put items you use most in easy reach e.g children’s yogurts / cheese
Put items you use less often like sauces or unusual spreads at the top of fridge but in long thin containers you can pull out to be able to access the items at the back
Taller items should go at the back or along each side of the fridge
The same process applies for decluttering your freezer as well as your fridge, see above.
In terms of organising it very much depends on what style of freezer you have. If you have a freezer with open shelves or chest freezer then you can use labelled containers to keep the same things together. If like me you have a freezer with drawers then I don’t find containers work so well. I try where I can to allocate certain items to each drawer and label it such as, all meats in one drawer, vegetables or frozen fruit in another and breads/wraps.
Making a list of what you have in the freezer is also a good idea. Keep it on the front of your freezer. Cross off what you use and when you use it. Add on items to your list after shopping. That way you can get inspiration of what to use without having to open the freezer.
Use clear containers and label them where it’s not obvious what it is such as homemade stock or garlic – I freeze garlic pieces in tubs which works really well.
Photo from Super healthy kids.com / A place for everything.com
1. Remove all of the contents 2. Throw away expired food and condiments 3. Clean and recycle jars, plastic & tins 4. If you find something you know you’re never going to use, give it to a new home 5. Wipe down and clean
Organising food items
As always you’ll find items when you declutter you forgot you had. So the next step is keeping everything visible so you see it is there before buying a new one or it goes out of date. To ensure this I suggest working to the the basic principles of putting all the same items together, keeping things you use often to the front of cupboards and keeping items easy to see in labelled jars & containers. Try these suggestions:
Use metal paper files for vegetables
Make easy access for healthy food options
Use labels so everyone in the house can find what they want
There are some quirky storage options out there
I don’t use racks I stack my cans upright by type e.g baked beans
Use the walls inside cupboards to maximize space
Use baskets to store vegetables which don’t need to go in the fridge
Use all available space
Take packaged items out of boxes to maxamise storage
1. Remove all of the contents 2. Throw away chipped, broken items 3. If you find something you know you’re never going to use, give it to a new home 4. Wipe down and clean
Organising non-food items
As always ask yourself how many of each items you need? That’s why getting all items out at the same time is so useful. You might be surprised how many of one thing you have. Consider your current situation and what you and your family actually use now. Don’t hold on to something or lots of the same thing based on what you used to do or might in the future. If you are going through the declutter process, you probably recognise something is not working for you, hold that thought as you consider keeping each item. Maybe you don’t do large group dinners but instead eat out for celebrations now or perhaps your children are older and don’t use sippy cups so much so decide only to keep what you really need.
Some ways to maximise space and keep organised in your cupboards:
Use inside of cupboards where you can
I use stackable shelves to organise my cupboards
Store chopping boards on the side
Divide up drawers & keep the same items together
Use the sides of units or walls to hang items on
Keep the same items together
Lots of solutions can be fitted to existing drawers
Ikea stackable shelves
To save space stack things upright
Keep it simple use inserts with no need for permanent solutions
Remember to use labels
Photos from Container Store com / Foreveramber co uk / Kitchen Vivienne Pintrest / Ikea / Ekawer com / A place for everything co uk
What and how much you keep on your worktops or counters is a very personal choice. We might typically keep daily use items here like fruit bowls, kettles, toasters, tea/coffee canisters, upright kitchen roll holders or food waste caddys. We might also keep any number of kitchen gadgets like a food mixer, blender, juicer etc. Along with the supposedly temporary items like post, catalogues, magazines, phone chargers & opened cook books.
Because of all of these items worktops can easily become crowded places, which can be frustrating when you want to use this for actual food preparation or want a kitchen to feel open and tidy. Look at everything you have on the worktops now and ask yourself do you still need it? If so, why is it on the worktop? Can you find a better home for it in a cupboard? My friend kept her baking food mixer on her worktop because she likes baking. This is a great reason to keep the mixer but she actually only uses it every couple of months. Now she’s found a home for it in a cupboard freeing up valuable worktop space.
I suggest if items have found a home on the worktop, because you don’t have any remaining space in your cupboards, then think about doing a cupboard declutter. Do items in there need to be sold or given away?
If I use an item infrequently I ask myself, do I need to have this in my home? Could I borrow or buy a second-hand one if circumstances change in the future? Would someone else be getting better use out of it than me? This frees me up to let go of items for the ‘if only’ scenario.
Photo by Le Creuset Pintrest
As always when decluttering ask yourself the questions:
Is what I have in my kitchen working for me at this present time?
When did I last use this item?
How often do I use it? Could it live in a cupboard?
For those temporary items like post or catalogues have a basket or open container before you deal with them. Not to be put in a drawer and forgotten about, tidy yet visible to remind us to read and action sooner rather than later.
Tidy can still be decorative
An idea for keeping oils tidy
Have an agreed place for temporary items like post
Photo from basketgalore.co.uk / bhg.com / thekitchen.com
6. Pots, Pans & Plastic Boxes
The Declutter
1. Remove all of the items the storage area 2. Match each item with its lid 3. Throw away if it does not have a pair or is damaged (recycle where possible) 4. Consider how many of each item you actually use 5. Donate or re-home what you no longer need
Some lid-less containers can be used to organise other areas of the kitchen, like your cutlery drawer or food cupboard. Keep what you actually use, don’t keep ‘just in case’.
Organising pots, pans & plastic boxes
These items can take up lots of space in a cupboard so once you’ve decluttered think carefully about how to maximise your space.
This is an area of the kitchen which can get cluttered and disorganised easily. Maybe you have a utility cupboard or room but the same thing often happens here. This is because so many different items end up here, everything from dishwaster tablets, shoe cleaning brushes, scouring cloths, stain remover, pegs, dust pans, bin bags and any number of cleaning products. Tackle it as any other area of the kitchen and declutter, but take your time to organise it properly, as this will make it easier to find what you want and also and keep it that way long-term.
Photo on Pintrest by Etsy
The Declutter
1. Remove all of the items 2. Throw away out of date or used products (recycle where possible) 3. If you find something you know you’re never going to use, give it to a new home 4. Wipe down and clean
Best ways to organise under the sink or utility area:-
Add storage to cupboard doors
Use clear labelled containers to keep the same items together e.g cloths
Utilise tall storage between the sink pipes
Add cord or pole to hang spray bottles
Put items you use most at the front
Take smaller items out of big packaging and put a clear container e.g dishwasher tablets
Maybe consider buying adjustable storage which fits your cupboard to maxamize the use of space
Photo on Pintrest by Holly Taylor Atchison
Take smaller items out of big packs
Make a home for everything, this helps keep it tidy long-term
Hang spray products on cord
Invest in adjustable storage to make best use of your space
Remember to label containers where you need to
Utility storage can be attractive
Use hooks and hang items
Photo on Pintrest by Organised Obsessed / Just a Girl and her Blog / The Organised Housewife / Uncluttered Simplicity / homeexalt.com / House Beautiful.co.uk / Blogworld.com
When it comes to junk drawer everyone has in their kitchen, in fact it might be a stack of drawers, it’s time to get ruthless and then organised. This area can take the most time to declutter due to the variety of smaller items. It is where things often get shoved when you don’t know what to do with it and it doesn’t have a home. As always though, if it’s worth taking up your precious kitchen space then find a proper place for it to live or give it away.
Photo by Organization Obsessed.com
The Declutter
1. Remove all of the contents 2. Throw away damaged, broken items 3. Ask yourself, should this be living in the kitchen? 3. If you find something you know you’re never going to use, give it to a new home 5. Wipe down and clean
Organising the Junk Drawer
Containers are really helpful here. You can use small baskets and tubs you already have them or washed food containers like yogurt pots or jars. With pens, keep them in a jar or together with a elastic band. Also use elastic bands to store rolled up food sandwich bags. If you have take away menus, check if you can access online and recycle if so. If you have a medical kit in here it’s time to check use by dates and that it is complete. Put rechargeable batteries indifferent pots labelled ‘charged’ ‘to charge’ and ‘to recycle’.
Label your containers so everyone in the household can find items
Bamboo drawer dividers
There are some lovely products out there but start by using what you have at home like cleaned food containers
Expandable drawer dividers for a non-permanent solution
For a simple solution use elastic bands to keep stationery together
Expandable organisers make the most of your space
Photos from Container Store. com / Futurian / Kronos Elozon / Tokat Nahupi / Organisation Obsessed. com / Organised Simply / John Lewis.com
9. Cook Books
It’s the one item people have most of but seem to use least. Even if people are keen cooks I find people only really use a few of their favourites regularly. Particuarly with so many recipies and food inspiration available online. Yet we all seem to find it hard to let go of them. Like everything you keep in your home it is only a problem when it it becomes a problem. So when you have run out of storage space in your kitchen or it is feeling too cluttered make sure you review your cook books which are taking up space too. Ask yourself with each book – What is it about a book makes you want to keep it?
Photo by Britstrawbridge.com
The Declutter
1. Put all the cook books together 2. Decide how many you have space for 3. Review one at a time
4. When did you last use it? 5. Can you find it online? Would a photo of particular recipe work instead?
Keep only those which you love
Ideas to organise cook books:
Add you style to storage
Use sides of cupboards to keep worktops free
My friend has make a feature of her cook books with hidden floating shelves
Photo by The idea Room.net / The 2 Seasons.com / Umbra by Red Candy.com
10. By the Back Door
Tips to organise
You might not have door to the outside from your kitchen but the same suggestions can be used in flats or apartments for front doors. Only keep items here if you use them everyday and make a home for it in a container, hook or rack. Use walls storage as much as much as possible to keep the path clear. For smaller items like keys and sunglasses have a space for these together, which is close at hand, like a wall organiser. If you have space have labelled containers or hooks for different members of family, so everyone knows clearly where their stuff lives. This can save time and help everyone take responsibility for their own belongings. Shoes, school bags, hats, gloves, sunglasses, keys & wallets can all be sorted by the owner’s name.
Photos by Homebnc.com / Vrd Design Etsy / Southern Living.com
11. Meal Planning
Photo from Pinterest
Why do it?
Planning ahead for weekly meals can – Save you time, adds more variety, helps you make the best of the food you have, avoids waste, allows others to prep food too, taking pressure off you and keeps up healthy eating, since quick food can sometimes be more processed with more salt & sugar.
We are making more meals at home than ever at the moment. Here are my top tips for organising the weekly food preparation, collected from my friends and family:
Plan your meals before you go shopping & make a shopping list
Sit down on a regular day to plan meals 7 days ahead included lunch & dinner
Keep breakfast easy with cereals and fruit but have a few fun options for weekends like pancakes
Be flexible, have a quick meal option in your plan you can fall back on if you want
Ask others in your house for ideas and preferences, this will keep up variety
Don’t do same base food 2 nights in a row, like pasta or rice
Do use the same ingredients in multiple meals e.g cheese or peas, to make the most of groceries you have in
Do some meals with set meal & some with help yourself options, e.g. toasted sandwiches vs bread, cheese, ham on table. Adds variety and save prep time
See instagram photos of lunch baskets laid out in the morning for each child – with allocated snacks, fruit & sandwiches. Allowing kids to help themselves to what they normally eat
Mix up who makes the meals or snacks, get kids baking safely
If some makes a meal they don’t tidy away after – others do that
The hardest thing about decluttering your house is noticing that a space is no longer working for you and deciding to do something about it. Notice & commit. Remembering a few simple principles will help you get the most impact for the time you have to declutter.
1. NOTICE 2. VISUALISE 3. MAKE SPACE 4. PLAN
1. NOTICE When a cluttered room or house is no longer working for you. Enlist friends or family if starting to tackle clutter in your home feels a little overwhelming. This is normal, once you’ve started and you’ve seen what you can do, there’ll be no stopping you.
2. VISUALISE What do you want the room to look like when you’ve finished decluttering? How will you organise, & decorate it? Look at photos in magazines or on Pinterest to get a visual in your head. This will help motivate you while you work.
3. MAKE SPACE So you can get into the room to start to work.
4. PLAN Removal of your items before you start. Lay out bags labelled with ‘Recycling’, ‘Charity Shop’ etc. to easily see where it is all going when you’ve finished. Remove unwanted items straight after the decluttering, so you really see the impact of what you have achieved
Then stop & be proud of what you’ve achieved.
NEXT: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ORGANISING YOUR KITCHEN
TOP 3 TIPS TO ORGANISING ANY SPACE Once you’ve decluttered your wardrobe or home it’s time to organise. The fun bit.
A few simple changes can make it easier to find what you want when you need it.
Before you start moving things around, stop and take a good look at the space you have and then items you want to store. Consider over all how you want the space to look at the end. Having a clear image in your head of what you want it to look like at the end will help motivate
you to keep it looking as you want longer-term because you. are more invested in it emotionally. So take time to google images or look at pinterest for photos to give you storage ideas and decide on the over all look. Even if this is your garage and the photo you like is of a clever storage system which helps you see everything, so tools are easy to find, having that picture in your mind will really helps you maintain it. So go get on pinterest.
Don’t forget to consider the furniture and larger items you have in the room. Do they take up too much space for their usefulness? Could a wardrobe be moved into an alcove to allow more light into the room or give better access? Do you actually only need a table half the size in your kitchen? Try out a few options, move things around if you can, you might be surprised at how much better it makes the room feel. If you want to downsize an item, like having a smaller bookshelf than the one you have, then look on NextDoorapp, Freecycle, Ebay or Gumtree for free or second-hand furniture in particular. Furniture tends to have a low resale value so you can get quality items for a lot less than they were brought for. We can be emotionally attached to items we own but, if appropriate,
By Rumman Amin on Unsplash
consider selling or giving away anything that does not work for you. If you want more tips on how to let go of items see my declutter guide.
Annie Spratt
Next consider who is using the space. Make sure you involve everyone in this step, and have a household conversation. This way you’ll get ideas, suggestions and requests you can make sure are included. If everyone in the household knows and agrees where things they use live then putting it back there won’t just be your job. Does your living room need to accommodate kids toys, gaming consoles as well as evening chilling? Or is your kitchen also where your teenage kids do their homework. Organising any space needs to take into
account all uses, otherwise clutter will just build up. Working on the principle that ‘everything has a home and a home for everything’, which you’ve probably heard before, make sure you have a space in your living room for that toy storage and those consoles, and a tub that homework to be collected together in at dinner time. .
When considering storage follow these 3 simple principles which will make it easier to find you’re belongings when you need them:-
1.KEEP VISIBLE use clear boxes, glass containers, open boxes & don’t hide things behind or underneath each other in drawers. If you can see what you have you won’t find yourself buying duplicates & will see your fav items first.
2. KEEP TOGETHER use containers, pots, rubber bands to put everything of same type in one place, like felt tips in a drawer. So much easier to find & put back after. Keeping your home as you want it.
3. CLOSE BY: put items you use most frequently in easiest reach, to save you digging through cupboards to find what you really want. Use hooks on the backs of cupboards or doors to get what you use often quickly.
You want your house to be as gorgeous as possible at the moment.
Healthy house plants are an important part of this.
Making sure they are fit and healthy will make your house look better and you feel great.
1. WATERING Be consistent. Keep the potting soil oist, but not wet. Use water that is at room temperature. Let the surface of the compost dry a little before applying more water. Allow the plant to take up water as it is needed or allow excess to drain away. Do not let the plant sit in water. Waterless in winter, allowing soil to dry out between waterings. Tip:Set weekly alarm on your phone to ‘water plants‘. If you ignore this put in a differnt time tha suits you better
2. LOCATION Choose the right place. Don’t move your plants around a lot. Read the label when you buy a plant. Choose the right amount of daylight for the plant. Most houseplants thrive in warm rooms and even temperatures all year around. Tip: Take a quick walk around all your plants now. If they aren’t thriving, notice and try a differnt spot.
3. FEEDING Liquid feeds are generally best for flowering plants. Foliage plants do well with controlled release fertilisers. Most plants should only be fed March to September. Tip:Set a 2 weekly alarm on your phone to ‘feed plants‘. No need to feed in winter.
4. TIDY Remove old brown stems or leaves to avoid disease and pests. Late winter is a good time to prune and encourage new growth in the spring. Tip: This is really theraputic to do, get your kids or housemates involved. It can be fun, and teaches kids about plants, check labels for toxic plants first.
5. REPOTTING Check if your plants need repotting. Look for roots growing out of the bottom of drainage holes. Plants may need repotting every 1-2 years. Never repot unless it needs it. Tip: Spring is the best time.
