Update from March 29th, 2022
Since I wrote this post, I've moved twice. I've rearranged a bit and wanted to add a photo of this beautiful white nightstand I got for Christmas. Here's a link to the white ladder bookshelf as well.
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At first, I was completely overwhelmed with my room. When you see the pictures, you'll understand why. The thought of people seeing these pictures makes my skin crawl, but I know I'm not the only one that's drowned in the sea of their own clutter. If this blog post could be a life line, to even one person, then it has served its purpose.
Here‘s what my room looked like before the transformation...
YIKES... Since I worked from home, I would leave and work in the local Starbucks just to get out of my mess. At this point, I was only sleeping in my room. It overwhelmed me to even be in that space because it was a constant reminder that I needed to make a change.
Bedroom Makeover
After lots of cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of, I'm proud of the improvements.
It took a lot of time, but the first step was getting rid of things I didn’t need. The process of determining what items to throw away, consisted of the question: “Have I worn or used this item in the past 3 months?”. If the answer is no, then it’s time to let go of that item. If you struggle letting something go, I want to challenge you to think about who could be blessed by that item. Is there someone you know who has recently lost everything in a flood or fire? Is there a local shelter that collects items for people in need? Sometimes, finding the right home for an item can make it a lot easier to let go of.
If you have furniture you're wanting to sell that you spent a lot of money on, chances are you're not going to get what you paid for it. Furniture usually depreciates over time. This was probably one of the hardest realities for me to accept. The 7 piece bedroom set that I received as a graduation present was difficult to sell, but I knew it wasn't the style I loved anymore. I decided to post it for sale in my city's Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group.
Most towns have a Facebook group created specifically for people to sell unwanted items. If there aren't any local Facebook groups near you, using Facebook Marketplace is a great resource as well. If you do decide to sell something online, make sure to meet the person in a public place and bring a friend. If you're selling an item that needs to be picked up, make sure there's someone else home with you.
When you post anything for sale, make sure it looks as clean, neat, and inviting as possible. No one parts with dollars unless they're trying to solve a problem. Your mess is no one else's problem, so make it look like something someone else is going to want to buy. Check out How to DIY Your Product Photography if you really want to make your pictures look great. I posted the bedroom set, the clothing wrack, my old desk, my lamp etc. Whenever I would sell something, I would put the cash in an envelope to keep for when I decided to buy something new. After selling most of these items, I had about $1,200 to work with. I ended up spending $600 on a new shelf, bed frame, desk, chest of drawers, and a couple storage bins. The rest of the money I made from selling items went right into my savings account. How to Get Started:
Find your style by creating a board on Pinterest to pin pictures for inspiration. This will force you to be intentional when picking out new items for your space.
Selling items on local marketplace or buy/sell/trade Facebook groups is a great way to sell things quickly and easily.
Figure out which items you can part with or items that haven’t been used in the last 3 months. Ask yourself, "Is this adding value to my life?" If not, let it go.
Cheers to creating a peaceful sanctuary for yourself!! It is possible!
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