I have always found spring cleaning kind of therapeutic, because it allows me to get everything situated, organized, clean, and I can really take stock of things. A friend of mine, however, just finished her spring cleaning process last week and the effect that it had was a lot more impressive than just getting her place clean and orderly. Whether you are trying to make your new rental feel like home, or you are trying to spruce up your old and faithful abode, there is sometimes nothing more beneficial or productive than a good spring cleaning.

Making Space and Living in the Moment

My friend did the obvious first: she decluttered her home. She is renting, so she has developed the habit of living in limbo, I guess you could say. Knowing that the place she is in right now isn’t long-term, she has held off on decorating and held on to things stored in boxes ‘for later on.’

After feeling like she was wasting too much space in her small bachelor apartment, she finally decided that it was time to just get rid of all of the things she wasn’t using. She sold or gave away all of the things she was saving for ‘someday’ and freed up some much needed space. She realized that all of the planning for ‘someday’ was limiting her ability to focus on and appreciate ‘today.’ So not only did she get rid of a lot of unnecessary clutter, but in making her current place more livable, she is now able to better enjoy the moment instead of just holding out for the future.

Simplifying Life and Striving for a Happier, Healthier You

Along with decluttering her apartment and making better use of her space, the other thing she did was completely simplify her bedroom. She was tired of the clutter and chaos that her room always seemed to be, so she took out her desk and book shelf -and pretty much everything except for her bed! – and moved it to the living room. Now she has a clean, simple, and relaxing bedroom reserved only for sleeping.

Having often struggled with insomnia in the past, she was convinced that the more clutter-free and peaceful her bedroom could be, the easier she would sleep, along with having a good bed and mattress of course. She bought a mattress from Eve and for a long time it was the only new piece of furniture that she owned. She researched the reviews, and knowing that a great night sleep starts with what you are sleeping on, she made the investment. A few years later, she still feels this way, but is also convinced that the sleeping environment is just as important as the bed. So her simplified sleeping space is part of the solution to a better sleeping pattern and overall healthier life. (I like the look of the Eve mattress myself, as the nifty delivery box would be so convenient to get up any stairs!)

Out with the Old and in with the New

Finally, she took her little extra cash from selling the clutter, as well as a little money that she had been saving up, and did something very uncharacteristic: she treated herself to a couch she had been wanting, but kept putting off. My friend, like me, has always been frugal and responsible with money, so she has always put off buying anything new when she could find something used.

I’m all for budgeting and buying used, but I think there comes a point in your life when you do need to get rid of the old and take in the new – perhaps one piece at a time as money allows. For her, this made the difference between her feeling like she is still in a rental with hand-me-down furniture and making the place feel like her own, even if won’t be long-term.