by Selina Jacobson

Created on: March 02, 2009

The world we live in is drowning in excesses and those excesses steal our time, our money and of course, our space. What we think are must-have items come into our homes and end up right next to the other must-haves from last month. After you've set the newest solution or latest gadget next to the others on the shelf, have you ever cringed with guilt, suddenly remembering that you haven't used the other things hidden in the cupboard? Or do you ignore the feeling and simply shove the latest purchase in there, and shut the door quickly before anything falls out?

If you're cringing now, realizing the above describes you, keep on reading! This article will show how to conquer clutter and keep purchasing habits under control to avoid the bad things that keep happening to your good spaces.

It can be extremely overwhelming to attack the scene of a clutter cluster and believe that you will come out safely on the other side. For some reason, guilt rears its ugly head when it comes to getting rid of things. Or you unearth something that you forgot you had and suddenly you have an overwhelming sense of responsibility to actually make use of it. Why does this happen? If it is not imperative for your everyday life, why have it lurking around, while you try to ignore its useless presence on a shelf or in a drawer? You can make these feelings disappear, and you can do it today.

The key is to pick an area that you think you can tackle and complete within a few hours. That might be an overrun junk drawer something small that'll ease you into the de-cluttering process. Maybe the hallway closet with the bulging bi-fold doors is taunting you. Whichever space you choose, set the goal to get it under control that same day. Don't pick an area so large or so cluttered that part way through you throw your hands up in despair and give up.

Grab some laundry baskets or boxes and start emptying out your cluttered space. Sort similar items together. Once things have been sorted by association like toys, tools, winter wear, or old books you will start feeling like you are actually getting somewhere. Don't worry about where everything will be relocated yet; just figure out what items belong together.

Now, pick something up and ask yourself when you used it last. Be honest. If you can't remember, out it goes. Have bags ready for garbage and donations. If the thought comes to mind that maybe you'll use an item someday, ignore that voice and use this rule of thumb - if you haven't used it in the

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