This is the third week I’ve shared
some decluttering ideas that came from a packet Ryan brought home from work. I’ve
had fun sifting through the ideas they offered and making plans to clean up our
own house a bit more. Here are some ideas for this week!
Don’t hang onto old
electronics. This can be a tough
one. I confess there are some electronics I like to keep because I don’t want information
potentially left on them to get out into the wild where it could get into the
wrong hands. But we do try to be really organized about old laptops and phone
graveyards by keeping them in specific places. And along the way, we’ve parted
with the electronics that were oversized (big old computers) or things we were
unlikely to personally use again (like a VCR or clock radio). I guess my advice
on this one is that if what you’re keeping is staying because of security issues
or legitimate future use, that’s okay. But if you’re keeping an electronics
graveyard with no particular reasoning or purpose, it might be time to let go!
Say goodbye to
tarnished jewelry. In a previous list, I
wrote about unmatched earrings, but this one goes a step further. I’ve done a
good job in the last couple of years of sorting through all my necklaces,
earrings, bracelets, and rings and weeding out all the broken and tarnished pieces
I don’t wear anymore. If you own something that can be repaired/shined up/fixed,
by all means, do that! But if it’s just past its prime, pull it from the
collection and make room for something new!
Do you really need 15 makeup
bags? How many purses and bags come with
little organizer bags? How many “free with purchase” makeup bags have made
their way into your home with lipstick or blush? Sometimes those little bags
can be helpful ways to organize small items, but most of the time, they just
stack up in a drawer and never get used. Let go of the ones that don’t serve a
purpose! I did this in one of our moves and am so glad I did. It’s been freeing
to have fewer bags cluttering up the closet.
And it isn’t just the
makeup bags…what about all the other little bags? Wallets, change purses, pencil cases, lunch boxes…there are
all kinds of bags that stack up around the house, never getting used. I have
one pencil bag that I keep in my work bag for the days I travel. I have three
little organizer bags in my purse. And that’s it for me. I got rid of
everything else.
Don’t keep purses you
no longer use. I used to have bags
full of bags. We moved them from house to house, and on the last move, I was
determined to whittle down the collection. I think I kept four purses, and
after this past summer, I’m going to retire one more. My tastes in size/color/style
of purses have changed over the years, and I see no need to continue holding
onto dozens of purses just in case I might want to use one.
How many bed sheets do
you need? When Ryan and I lived
in Kokomo, we had a very tiny linen closet, and it was over half full of bed
sheets. For two people. We had two sets of plain sheets. And two sets of
flannel sheets. And two sets of fleece sheets. (And fleece sheets take up a LOT
of room.) When we moved to WillowBridge, we had to downsize our bed from a king
to a queen, so we had to change our entire sheet collection. Ever since, we’ve
only had one set of sheets. Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong
with having more than one, but just remember for every sheet set you have, you
have to store it! Your bed can only hold so many sheets at one time. We don’t
have a linen closet at all now, so I have no desire to store a bunch of sheets.
What’s the point of
old pillows? Sure, you might have
guests. But how many guests are you going to have at one time realistically? We
have our two pillows on our own bed, and we keep two in a tub for the nights we
have visitors. We parted with all the rest. Pillows take up a lot of room, and
we simply don’t have that in this house!
You’re not married to
your shoes. Really. You’re not. Do
you have shoes that kill your feet? Shoes with holes? Shoes that have lost all
their support? Why are you keeping them? Sure it’s great to have an old pair
that sticks around to serve a new purpose as lawn shows, but beyond that, what’s
the point of keeping shoes that are worn, scuffed, or just…blah? I’ve gotten
rid of most of mine, but I could stand to take another pass at that collection!
Unless you’re building
a fort or about to move, do you need boxes? Boxes are easier to collect now that so much shopping is done online and
shows up via delivery. And then they stack up in a corner of the garage and
start taking over the house. If you’re getting ready to move or are doing some
other project that requires boxes, by all means, keep them! But that’s probably
not true for most of us. When you get a delivery, mark out your address, flatten
the box, and recycle!
Empty jars and butter tubs
really do multiply in cabinets. Okay maybe not REALLY.
But unless you have a specific (and current!) plan for them, don’t bother
keeping all the spaghetti and pickle (etc.) jars that pass through your house.
And don’t hang onto storage containers – especially the ones made of old food
containers. If you need a few to send leftovers home with friends, that’s fine.
Just don’t let it get out of hand!
There you go! Happy organizing!
No comments:
Post a Comment