CLE AR

THE
CLUT TER Starter
Kit
 LE T ’ S TA LK
ABOUT
Minimalism
FOR A
S E CO N D
Don’t freak out… I’m not about to tell
you to get rid of everything you own.
I just want to teach you how to live
intentionally and purposefully!

When most people hear the word minimalism, their minds I like to use the toaster as an example. Your toaster
are immediately filled with stereotype images and assump- sits on your counter top ready to be used. You use it
tions - white walls, near-empty rooms, KonMari. However, to turn bread into toast, you dump the crumb tray
minimalism has little to do with decor and folding styles. every so often, you wipe it down when you detail the
Trust me, I wouldn’t dedicate my career to something as kitchen, you move it back under the cabinet to its dedi-
shallow as that. cated spot… all of this may only take you a couple min-
utes total, but it’s a couple minutes nonetheless. Your
This is a massive movement, and I believe it’s incredibly toaster takes up some of your space, and because it ex-
beneficial for us mothers. This is a lifestyle shift that’s turn- ists in your house, it also takes up some of your time.
ing on the light for moms everywhere, revealing the truth Everything you own works the same way.
- you don’t have to cleanup all the time; there is a much
lighter way to do motherhood! Some things only take up thirty seconds a month, oth-
ers take up hours without us even realizing it. Minimal-
Minimalism is about creating breathing room in your home, ism is about looking at how we’re spending our time,
your calendar, and your life so that you can be intentional what’s taking up our space and our lives, and asking one
with the people who matter most to you, and present to question: why?
enjoy them fully.
Minimalism is living intentionally, with a purpose that
As a minimalist, I choose carefully what takes up space leaves its fingerprint on every single day. Because that’s
in my home, because I know those things I choose will how you end up with a life worth living.
also take up my time.

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 “How we spend
our days is,
of course,
how we spend
our lives.”
- Annie Dillard

Let me ask you this… what’s most important to you? Now it’s exactly the opposite.
What are your top priorities in life? Your husband? Your
relationship with God? Your family? Your job? I don’t spend hours standing at the kitchen sink each
week cleaning up after our meals because we only have
Write it down. the dishes we truly need, and they don’t overwhelm
me. I don’t spend the weekend catching up on Laundry
Now answer this, being totally honest with yourself… Mountain because there aren’t enough clothes to create
if someone had a secret camera in your home (take the a mountain, yet we lack nothing. We have everything we
creepiness of this example out and set it aside) and their need, and for once I absolutely love my wardrobe.
main purpose was to find out what your top priorities
were, what would they find? I don’t have to be the mom who yells or the wife who’s
stretched super thin all the time because it just doesn’t
Would they see your daily actions lining up with what really exist anymore. Sure, I have my days, my hard
you say are your priorities? Or would they see that your weeks, but that’s life. My regular days are now simpler,
phone appears to be the highest priority? Or money? Or intentional, joyful, and filled with purpose.
yourself? Or having a clean house? Or whatever is going
on on Facebook? I’m able to be the mom who plays with her kids on a reg-
ular basis, which is what I always wanted but felt unable
So often, we think we have our priorities in line. I mean to be.
after all, we’re moms! Moms take care of their families
and serve until they desperately need a night out - obvi- I’m able to sit down with my husband in a clean house
ously we are super focused on those who matter most. at the end of a long day and watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine
without feeling like I should be doing something else.
But how often do we get caught up in the chaos and end I can relax and soak up my tie with my family because
up living these precious days of our kids’ fleeting child- everything is simplified. There is so much less to do!
hood in full-on survival mode? How often do we send our
kids away from us to “go play” or “go be busy” so we can This is true minimalism. This is why I believe moms need
catch up on something as mundane as housework? it most. This is why I spend my time spreading this mes-
sage, running across the world with this blazing torch in
How often do we count the minutes til bedtime instead my hand - because I want you to know the truth and have
of sitting down and playing Legos with them? a chance to take hold of this freedom!

This isn’t to guilt you or to be another post where one Whatever you do from here is up to you. You can be a read-
mommy shames all the others. This was me. It IS me ev- er, take this information, think about it as you go about
ery time I lose focus because I’m human, and I mess up your day and quickly forget about it because, #momlife
all the time. But this was me every single day a few years be cray. Or you can grip this new truth in your hands and
ago. I was stuck in survival mode, barely getting by, al- choose to make it your actual life. Join the movement one
ways trying to catch up on the housework. A day without way or another, just don’t walk away from this starter kit
a mountain of laundry lurking in the hallway felt like an the same way you walked into it.
AMAZING day!

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 MIN I M A LI S M :
Finding Your Why

What would a completely uncluttered home mean for you?

What would a completely uncluttered home mean for your kids?

Describe how it would make you feel to be able to have company drop by without
notice and not feel embarrassed or stressed about the state of your house?

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 How to Declutter

L AU NDRY & D I S H E S
When you’re taking on the task of decluttering your home, it’s hard to know where to start. One way to overcome
the overwhelm and just go for it is to begin by tackling the things that are taking up the most of your time. For
most women, that is the laundry and dishes.

If you tackle these things first, you’re going to see an immediate difference in how much time you spend washing,
drying, folding, and putting things away. It’s going to provide you with the inspiration and momentum you need to
move through the rest of your house.

Laundry
Laundry is one of those seemingly never-ending tasks. You know that annoyed feeling you get when you’re folding a
load and you come across something you know hasn’t been worn in a while, yet there it is in your hamper? Yeah, let’s
put an end to that.

You need to clear a space where you can make three piles. Make ONLY these piles - no “maybe” pile or “let me think
about it” pile - just these three:

1. Keep
2. Donate
3. Trash

There are three key questions you can ask yourself to help you decide which pile to put each item in:

1. Do I love this/want it to be worn in public?

2. When was the last tie this was worn?
3. Is it stained/torn/damaged at all?

If you love it and want to wear it (or have your kid wear it) in public, it’s not damaged, and you wore it recently, great!
You can place that piece in the keep pile.

If it hasn’t been worn in over a month, donate it.

If it’s at all damaged, you need to either repair it or let it go and throw it away.
 Dishes
If you’re tired of spending hours each week (or even each day… eek!) washing dishes, you’re going to love this.

We tend to keep spare sets of dishes in our cabinet, but typically only use one set day-to-day. Take the spare set(s)
and evaluate their usefulness to you. Do you host dinner parties during which you need spare glass dishes? Do you
tend to use paper plates when company comes over?

Decide, based on your answer to these questions, what you will do: donate the dishes or just store them somewhere
else.

Here’s why they aren’t staying where they are - what’s the first thing someone in your house does when they want a
clean dish? They get a clean one from the cabinet despite the fact that there are dishes in the sink they could rinse
and use. Right?

If you stop keeping more than a few dishes in your main cabinet, you eliminate the possibility of piles and piles of
dishes at the end of the day, forcing everyone to rinse and re-use the dishes each day. Genius, right?

You can store any spare dish sets you’d like to keep int he garage (packed up in a box for safe-keeping) or a closet, and
pull them out when you need them.

Our family of six has one set of dishes totaling to eight plates (four small, four large) and 8 bowls. We never lack for
any dishes.

Let’s talk about mugs and cups. Go through your mug cabinet and quickly purge all the mugs you kind of hate. I don’t
know why, but we all have them. Why do you keep them?

You really should only keep the coffee mugs that you search for on Monday morning. You know, the ones that make
you smile and somehow make coffee taste even better? Yeah, keep those ones. What’s the point of keeping the others?

How’s your cup situation? mismatched? I thought so. I solved my mismatched cup situation by ditching them all and
buying two cases of mason jars - one tiny pack, one regular pack.

The tiny ones got holes drilled in the lid (for straws) and chalk-painted. I use those for the kids and label the lids with
chalk. The regular sized jars are used as our normal cups.

They all match, they look cute when they’re in use, and if I need more, I can get them at any store without worrying
about having mismatched sets. Win win.

If you’d like more sweet tips on purging the laundry and dishes and, well, basically everything else, check out my full
decluttering course, Your Uncluttered Home!

Check it out at:

A LLI E CASAZZA .CO M/ U N CLU T T E R

When you enroll in my course, I coach you through decluttering your entire house, room-by-room!
You will walk away with a fresh house free of all clutter and chaos (except for the kids - can’t help ya there!).
So are you ready? Let’s do this.

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 DO YOU F E E L L I K E YOU’R E
STU CK IN S U R V I VA L MOD E ?
Your Uncluttered Home is the secret - the shortcut - for moms
who are tired of cleaning up all the time. It’s realistic & doable
for even the busiest of moms!

Lessons are brief and to the point, mobile friendly audio files
Tons of PDFs, worksheets, and actionable checklists to help you implement the lessons in YOUR home
Access to a students-only Facebook community where you can connect with likeminded moms
Packed with room tours of my home so you can see minimalism in action

Get it Now at:

A L LI E CASAZZA .CO M/ U N CLU T T E R
 15 MINU T E P RO J E C T S
for the Busy Mama

Clean out your laundry room Walk through your house play- Tackle a drawer or two. Any room
cabinets. These collect randoms ing special attention to knick- will do!
so easily! Get in there and throw knacks. What is just there to fill
away what you don’t need. Re- a space, but not necessarily loved
arrange the shelves with the or needed? A lot of the time, we
products you need to clean your keep things in our home for the Throw away any food in your
clothes, and remember to use this sole purpose of filling a space on fridge and pantry that’s passed its
room for its purpose - not a ran- a wall or shelf. This isn’t adding expiration date.
dom storage space. to your life or causing you to love
your home more, so it’s pointless
space being taken up. Embrace
some white space in your home by Walk into your closet and pick out
Ditch your junk drawer once and ditching what you don’t love. 15 items you aren’t sure you really
for all! Put random items where need. Box them up and store them
they belong. If they don’t have in your garage or attic. If you don’t
a home, give them one! Think end up needing anything in the
about why you need it and where Get rid of the spare dishes your box over the next four weeks (set
you’re most likely to use it - that’s family doesn’t use every day. Look an alarm in your phone), donate
its home. Instead of storing pens in your cabinet and set aside what them. You can do the same thing
in a “junk” drawer in the kitchen, isn’t needed for every day meals with your kids’ wardrobes.
put a magnetic pad of paper with with the people who currently live
a pen attached to it on your fridge. in your house. If you regularly host
There are lots of purposes we pre- dinner parties and don’t use paper
pare for (like keeping a drawer full plates, store the extras in a box Open your coffee mug cabinet.
of pens in the kitchen in case we in the garage. Having them out of You know those very few mugs you
need to write something down) in sight means less dishes being used look forward to using? The ones
ways that just add clutter to our unnecessarily and less for you to you look through the cupboard for
lives. Simplify. Get intentional. wash - yay! If you don’t really need on a Monday morning? Only keep
Think outside the box. them, donate them. those ones. Ditch the rest.

Take a walk through your house Clear the entryway. What’s there
and pick up 15 things you know that isn’t being used today? Put
you don’t need. Get rid of them by it away or reevaluate how much
throwing away the trash and bag- you need it in your home. A clear,
ging up the donations. uncluttered entryway makes you
much happier when you walk in!

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 20 Things You Can Totally

GE T R I D O F N OW
The old cell phone you ditched when you upgraded.

Power cords that don’t work / aren’t needed / you don’t even know what they belong to.

Extra sets of measuring cups and spoons.

Mugs you kind of hate.

Lingerie you never wear.

Ripped, stained, damaged clothes you’re holding onto for whatever reason.

Throw pillows that no longer go with your decor.

Linens you don’t use.

Kids’ artwork (take a pic first!).

Tax paperwork older than seven years.

Shoes you haven’t worn in over two months.

Makeup that’s too old to be legal (you know you have some).

Hair ties and pins that are in bad shape.

Nail polish that’s crusted shut / out of style / gross.

Underwear/boxers that have holes in them (keep the mouse in the house).

Books you’re never going to read again.

Toys your kids never play with.

Jewelry you haven’t worn in more than a month.

Old cans of paint taking up space in the garage.

A sentimental item you’ve been guilted into keeping that you don’t want.
 The 10 Minute

D E C LU T TE R C H A LLE N G E
10 Ways to Declutter in Less Than 10 Minutes

Go through the pile of dirty laundry you have waiting for you. Are there any pieces of cloth-
ing in there that aren’t really needed? Anything that doesn’t fit anymore? Anything that is
super worn out? Anything that you don’t really like? Get rid of it! Work through the pile til
you only have what you know your family likes, needs, and wears regularly. Now Laundry
Mountain is a little smaller!

Give the surfaces in your house some attention. Is there paperwork or clutter on any of
them? What about the unexpected surfaces like the top of the fridge, microwave, or cab-
inets? Do a surface clean-up for ten minutes. Throw away trash, sort paperwork, and put
toys and random items in the rooms they belong in.

Get a large empty laundry hamper. Go through your house with it collecting anything and
everything you see that isn’t where it belongs. When you’re done, carry the hamper with
you throughout the house and put everything away.

You can do the above idea the same way, but with items that you don’t even need to keep!
Carry the hamper through the house collecting any items you see that are not something
you really need or that’s used regularly. Dump the items from the hamper into a trash bag
and put it in the back of your car for a trip to Goodwill this week. Doesn’t that feel good?

Go through your house and make all of the beds. If your kids are home and old enough, have
them make their own. Made beds make for a tidy house and a happy mama!

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

 The 10 Minute

D E C LU T TE R C H A LLE N G E
10 Ways to Declutter in Less Than 10 Minutes

Take your kids into their bedroom (or wherever their toys are kept) and tell them there are
lots of kids who are poor, and do not have any toys at all. Give them a box or bag and excit-
edly tell them they get to choose ten toys they don’t play with that they would like to give to
another child who needs them. Make it happy, exciting ordeal! Take the toys to a donation
center with them this week. You purged, helped someone else out, and taught your kids
empathy all in one shot. Awesome!

Go into your bathroom and take a look at all of your hair and makeup products. Put every-
thing that you don’t use on a weekly basis in a box. Throw it away. Wipe down the counter-
tops, toilet, and edge of the bathtub. Voila! Clean and organized bathroom in ten minutes.

Head into your kitchen. Set a timer for five minutes and wash dishes until it goes off. Spend
the next five minutes wiping down counters and sweeping up crumbs. Maybe your kitchen
isn’t completely detailed, but it surely looks better and you feel a lot better!

Go through your house with the mindset to straighten up. Fluff the throw pillow, rearrange
the pillows on the beds, wipe down and rearrange the items on the nightstands. Put a cute
stack of books on your coffee table, pick some flowers from outside for your dining room
table. Straighten up for ten minutes and see how much better you feel afterward!

10

Focus on the entryway. This is the first thing you see when you walk in your home, so it’s
important! Straighten it up. Put shoes in the closet they belong in, hang fallen coats on the
hooks, arrange the kids’ backpacks in a way that looks better. Sweep and wipe down the
baseboards. All clean!

* Repeat as needed anytime you need a quick refresh!

K EEP GOING!
You’re well on your way to
implementing minimalism in
your home. Don’t stop now!

The magic of simplifying will

spill over into every area of
your life once you realize
how much lighter you feel!

I’m here to support and encourage you every step of the way.

Let’s connect!
Find me on Instagram ,@allie_thatsme, follow me on Facebook,
or email my team at: hello@alliecasazza.com.

Allie Casazza | The Purpose Group Inc.

For more resources, visit: