7 Ways to Declutter After the Holidays Without Really Trying

How to de-clutter your home, post-holidays...

My least favorite part of the holidays is taking everything down at the end of the season. It's so depressing and of course, no one helps. There is none of the enthusiasm and unbridled joy that accompanies putting the Christmas tree up. No children are jumping around yelling "Mom! Can I please carry boxes to the garage and untangle lights and vacuum up pine needles?! Please?!"

No. There is none of that.

So I dutifully clean everything up and put everything away. And while I'm at it … I start to purge random crap that I come across. What is this box in the closet? GONE. Do we really need that old chair we moved to make room for the tree? No, we do not. And that big pile of mail/paperwork/ to be dealt with later … It's gonna get dealt with now.

While you're spending an unpleasant day stripping your home of festive holiday cheer, why not clean out a couple of closets or declutter the family room? That Saturday is going to suck anyway, right? At least now you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. Here are 7 tips for what to do with all the stuff you want to de-clutter and purge from your house during your post-holiday clean up!

Screw the environment

1. Screw the environment
You could just throw it all out. It will make Al Gore cry but at least it would be out of your house.

Related: 10 everyday household items that will help organize your life

Put it on Craigslist

2. Put it on Craigslist
If you do this, know you could possibly be murdered by some random Internet dude you made arrangements to meet up with. Also? It might actually be more work than just getting organized.

Befriend a cleptomaniac

3. Befriend a cleptomaniac
Just hang around where they're likely to be and invite one over, dropping broad hints about how you no longer need all this festive holiday stuff.

Call the American Pickers

4. Call the American Pickers
You could call the dudes from American Pickers and maybe get all your crap on the History Channel. That would make it less crappy and more historical. Win.

Related: 25 awesome things to make with old scraps

Fuel your Flux Capaciter

5. Fuel your Flux Capaciter
If you can find a DeLorean or a mad scientist, you can just use your unwanted stuff to fuel your time machine.

Have a bonfire

6. Have a bonfire
It's dangerous and bad for the environment and in some places you could even get arrested. But it's very effective ... and it also works when the house gets too messy.

FreeCycle it

7. FreeCycle it
It's like Craigslist except you don't have to sell anything to interact with random, creepy people on the internet. All the risk, none of the money!

- By Julianna Miner

For 3 more ways to declutter after the holidays without really trying, visit Babble!

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