Combine lavish decorations with an influx of new possessions and a break in the normal domestic routines and your home can start to seem unmanageable during the festive season. Not only that, but you might be welcoming guests, some of whom might be impolite enough to criticise your living arrangements. All this adds to your stress levels – but by taking a few steps to control your routines and your possessions, you can keep things serene and dignified.
We’ve previously shared some handy tips for a calm Christmas. There’s advice for dealing with unwanted Christmas gifts; and quick ideas for finding hidden space in your home. But here are some other ideas to help you to keep your space working as it should.
Keep routines going
It’s easy to forget what day of the week it is over the festive season – but it’s helpful to keep routines going. One really useful routine is a five-minute tidy-up before bed (or at any point during the day). If your cleaner is taking time off consider doing a quick spit-and-polish clean once or twice a week. And make a date with yourself for taking down the decorations, particularly if your schedule is very busy. We’ve got some tips about storing Christmas decorations.
Routes out of the house
When new possessions are coming into your house, make sure that old possessions and rubbish are going out. Make note of changes to refuse collection days so that you don’t end up having to store piles of recycling. Find out what to do with different types of rubbish – for example, withered holly, wrapping paper and Christmas cards.
Have a plan for the inevitable unwanted gifts – but bear in mind that you might not be able to get rid of them immediately: charity shops might be closed, for example.
Time for reflection
Are you lucky enough to have some time off during Christmas? If so, you may find that you’ve got the time and the bandwidth to assess your living arrangements and make some changes.
Count the cost of clutter
One method of motivating yourself to declutter at Christmas is to work out the monthly cost of using your spare room (or other space) as storage. First find out the area of your home. You may have this information already, or you can make a rough estimate. According to estate agents Savills , the average floor areas for UK homes are:
- flat: 56.9 square metres
- terraced houses: 82.6 square metres
- semi-detached houses: 93.2 square metres
- detached houses: 151.7 square metres.
Divide this area by what you pay each month for your living space – so this would be your mortgage or rent. This will give you a cost per square metre. Then take a look at the space you use for storing goods you don’t use regularly. You work out the area by multiplying the length and the width of the space. And then multiply that figure by your cost per square metre.
You may find that with your goods efficiently stored away you’ve got space for a hobby you’re keen to pursue, or for office space for a small business. Or perhaps you can invite guests to stay rather than paying for hotel rooms or a B&B.
Use external storage to create space
Possessions that you use only at certain times of year or only under certain circumstances may be better off out of your living space. Many people use self-storage units to keep Christmas decorations or seasonal clothing or sports equipment during the off-season. You will have to factor in the cost of self-storage, of course.
So how much does storage cost monthly? It’s difficult to say exactly because there are so many variables, but our post on costing up storage may help you. Don’t forget to factor in insurance for your stored goods, too. One thing we can tell you: storage insurance doesn’t have to be costly. Don’t accept your storage company’s insurance quotation without shopping around. Store and Insure will be happy to quote for you: just use our contact form.
Finally, we’d like to wish all our customers and potential customers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new decade.
