A New Year

One of the best days of the year for me ist the 1st of January. It’s the beginning of a new year with a new calender full of possibilities. There is a special energy in the air and I find it easier to let go of the old and welcome the new. I put away all the Christmas decorations on the 1st of January and start decluttering and organising. No grocery shopping is done after the holidays until the fridge is near to empty and has been cleaned with a vinegar solution. The kitchen cupboards and shelves are also emptied and their contents sorted and cleaned.

The turn of the year offers a good opportunity to sort through clothing and maybe try something like Project 333, which involves wearing only 33 items of clothing for 3 months – including shoes, jackets and bags. This can be too extreme for some but getting an overview of what we really wear is possible by turning clothes hangers around. Just hang your clothes up backwards and when an item has been worn, hang it up normally again. At the end of the season it’s clear which items have been worn and it’s easier to say ‘goodbye’ to the rest. Clothing that’s still in good shape can be taken to the swap-shop in Wolfsberg (Hoher Platz 6) or donated at the charity shop (Burgergasse). Not only clothing can be brought to the swap-shop, but household goods, toys, books and cds as well – basically anything that’s still useable and that one person can carry. That makes it worthwhile to declutter and get rid of stuff.

I use two decluttering methods: First I take three large boxes and label them respectively with Give Away, Put Away and Throw Away. Then go around the house in a clockwise direction and search room to room, every drawer, every cupboard and every corner. I put the unused, unwanted or misplaced items in the relevant box. Items where it’s not clear whether to keep them or not can be put in a seperate box and labelled with a date – say one year later – and put out of sight. If the box isn’t opened before this date, then the box can be given away without worrying.

The second method is the “minimalism game”. This involves getting rid of unused and unwanted things every day for a month. On the first day one thing, on the second day two things, on the third day three things and so on. I prefer to turn the numbers around and get rid of 31 things on the first day, 30 things on the second day, 29 things on the third and so on as I’m more motivated at the beginning of the month. One month later you will be 496 things lighter.

Things that can no longer be used can be thrown away at Wolfsberg’s recycling centre, which is also a good alternative for recyclables when local containers are full. It’s open Mondays to Thursdays from 7:00am to 3:45pm, Fridays from 7:00am to 4:45pm and Saturdays from 8:00am to 11:45am. Here not only rubbish, but old iron, electronics, garden and building materials can be thrown away and there are also containers for recyclable glass, metal, plastic and paper,

With these methods and Wolfsberg’s facilities you can clear some space and begin the new year with less stuff weighing you down. In this spirit – we wish you a happy and healthy 2022!