After I had finished with my part-time master’s degree in December I decided to make a real effort in tidying up my flat and throwing away clutter. I have also been reading a lot about minimalism, consuming less, and leading a more simple life with fewer things.

It’s horrifying how clutter and things build up in the home – plastic and shopping bags, junk mail, little trinkets, packets of tissue, sample bottles of toiletries etc. So I started off with the drawers in the living room, then I moved on to my shoe cabinet and threw out shoes I hadn’t used in a long time. Then it was on to my store room, followed by my wardrobe.

I took out clothes I hadn’t worn in eons and donated them to the Salvation Army. After reading Marie Kondo’s book on decluttering, I began to decide whether or not to keep an item based on whether it would “spark joy” in me. I found that a good measure to use in the decision-making process!

I also took some tips from Kondo in folding my clothes – stack vertically and not horizontally!

My sports and exercise wear wardrobe gets a new configuration.

It definitely feels good to have fewer things in the home. Less clutter is great – feels like I have more space to breathe in my home. Now the challenge is to not buy stuff unnecessarily!