Every January, without fail, the world starts buzzing with the same chant: “Declutter! Purge! Throw everything out!” And every January, without fail, I sit at my kitchen table with a cup of tea, Mo curled at my feet, and think: Absolutely not.
I am a prepper.
We do not declutter.
We simply do not.
We organize.
We rearrange.
We optimize.
We make it look like clutter vanished — but really, we just gave everything a more logical home. January may be the season of “out with the old,” but not in the Madison household. In my world, January is about making room for what’s coming, not getting rid of what has already served a purpose. Let me show you how a prepper welcomes the new year without tossing treasures, memories, supplies, or that old teapot I absolutely don’t need but love too much to part with.
Step 1: The Great New Year Reset (Not a Purge)
The first week of January, I walk through my house and gently reclaim surfaces.
Not by eliminating things… oh no!
I simply:
Put everything back where it belongs
Tidy shelves
Straighten stacks
Rescue mugs that wandered off
Refill jars
Rehome items Mo relocated (he calls it “helping”)
You’d be amazed how organized a space looks when everything is simply in its place — no throwing away required.
Step 2: The Prepper Shuffle
This is my personal New Year ritual. I pick a room — any room — and I shuffle.
Books move to a different shelf
Baskets get reassigned
The mug collection rotates
Blankets swap chairs
Bins get relabeled
Drawers get rearranged
That one tote that’s been slightly bothering me gets reorganized to perfection. By the end, the room feels brand new… even though I haven’t tossed a single thing. A good January is just a clever repositioning.
Step 3: Make Things Accessible (Because January is the month of good intentions)
Instead of decluttering, I make the things I will use more accessible:
Notebooks for new ideas
Pantry staples for winter cooking
Winter gear I tend to misplace
Cleaning supplies for my New Year reset
My preparedness tote (always)
Extra tea blends (nonnegotiable)
I don’t eliminate.
I elevate.
Everything I love stays — it just moves to where I need it most.
Step 4: Rotate, Don’t Remove
One of my favorite January tricks:
I rotate items instead of getting rid of them.
Seasonal décor goes to labeled bins
New books replace older books on the nightstand
Gadgets move into or out of sight
Sentimental items get refreshed space
Supplies get rotated so the oldest gets used first
Nothing leaves, it just takes turns.
Rotation = the prepper’s version of “decluttering.”
Step 5: Celebrate the Things That Matter
This is where January gets meaningful for me. People toss things without thinking:
Old letters.
Childhood souvenirs.
Grandparent recipes.
Holiday trinkets.
That chipped mug that still makes you smile.
A quilt you don’t use but love anyway.
Not me. I keep what carries meaning — even if I don’t use it daily. Preppers value memory, usefulness, and sentiment. My home tells my story. Why would I throw pieces of that away?
Step 6: Accept That You Are Not a Minimalist (And That’s Okay)
January brings out the minimalist messages:
“Clear your space, clear your mind.”
“Only keep what sparks joy.”
“Stuff is suffocating your creativity.”
And while that might be true for some people, for preppers like me?
Stuff is comfort.
Stuff is readiness.
Stuff is memory.
Stuff is resourcefulness.
Stuff is possibility.
And the truth is: I like my stuff. All of it.
My home feels good because it holds the things I love — and the things that might come in handy someday. (And yes, someday always comes.) I don’t need less. I need order.
Step 7: Create a System That Makes You Shine
This is where I shine as a prepper. Bins. Labels. Shelves. Totes. Lists. Organization is my superpower.
When January arrives, I:
Assign new homes
Update labels
Re-stack bins
Refresh my pantry
Reorganize my freezer
Tighten up my systems
Rearrange until everything feels “right” again
Once the systems click into place, I feel lighter — without throwing out a thing.
So, my January message for you is simple:
Don’t declutter.
Organize.
Rearrange.
Refresh.
Renew.
Reshape your space — without losing the things that matter.
Your things have stories.
Your treasures carry meaning.
Your supplies support you.
Your home should feel like you — not a bare stage.
January isn’t about emptying. It’s about aligning. And according to Mo? It’s also about finding every blanket in the house and claiming them as his.
So organize & optimize and always…
Stay prepped and prepared.
Pepper
