So the children are now back at school, the pageantry of the royal funeral is over, and parents have a moment to take a breath.

But not a long one.

Looming are Hallowe’en, Black Friday, Christmas decorations, oh, and yes, Christmas itself. Maybe even a Coronation.

So it’s time to declutter, and this year will probably matter more than ever as we try to slim down our lives to cope with rising prices of everything.

Rather than traditional full-on decluttering, perhaps a declutter with purpose is called for? One where we take a good hard look at what we possess and sell on what we no longer need. This will help someone else’s budget as well as yours with expensive times ahead.

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A fast win is summer clothes and children’s clothes, although bear in mind that as the summer is now over, storing them until next spring may earn you higher prices.

Then there are party frocks, dinner jackets and ball gowns. We’re coming up to party season, and rather than let the things you no longer use sit in your cupboard gathering dust, maybe it’s time to sell them on?

Toys that the children have grown out of may be a perfect gift for someone else’s child – could these be sold on? It’s easy to hang on to them for them for when they grow up. However, speaking as someone who has repeatedly moved with trunks full of memories, only to be met with ‘why did you save that?’ from my now adult (almost) offspring, a realistic appraisal is probably needed.

It may be a good time to get rid of furniture that you don’t like, vases and ornaments that no longer bring you joy.

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What about sports gear? The mountain bike that you no longer use or the golf clubs that have sat in the cupboard for three yours could probably be turned into hard working cash for you.

And if you have any Christmas decorations that you no longer use, now’s the time to pretty them up, photograph them and help make someone else’s Christmas!

There are all sorts of apps to help you along the way, from Vinted to eBay, from Etsy to even Instagram, even Facebook Marketplace.

Every £5 earned is £5 towards coping through this expensive time of year, and with the children out from under your feet all day, and life returning to some degree of normality, now may just prove the very best time to do it.

If you need storage to downsize or help create more space in your home, remember that easyStorage is always here to help. An online quote is available 24/7 (there’s even a useful space calculator) or speak to one of our helpful storage specialists up until 7pm most days on 0800 061 4091.