It all started when I couldn’t find my eye cream.
I’d been talking with a friend who was going on and on about the great eye cream she’d been using, and I thought it was the same one I bought a few months ealier, so I wanted to go home and give it a try that night.
The only problem? I couldn’t find it.
Was it on the counter with the products I used every day?
Was it in the basket of facial products in under the sink?
Was it with my travel stuff?
Had it migrated (my cosmetics have a tendency to do that with a visiting 20 year-old daughter stopping by…)
I had no idea, so the next time I was out shopping, I picked up a little bottle of the magic lotion. Problem solved.
And then, the next week, I was retrieving a tube of toothpaste from our hall closet and that’s when I found it: the original eye cream jar. And suddenly, that 1 ounce jar weighed a pound in guilt.
How much money have I wasted in “replacing” things because I didn’t have an easy way to find them?
How much time have I wasted going to the store to “replace” those things?
How many times have I not contributed financially to a cause I believe in because I’m short on funds (from re-buying things)?
In 2013, I’ve made a pledge to “Use it or Lose it”. I’m committed to not buying things unless I can determine that we are absolutely out of that item. I’m going to reduce clutter in our home by not keeping around items that I will never use.
Each week I’m going to concentrate on one tiny area of my home and life to de-clutter, organize, take stock of and manage. But this isn’t just about clearing the clutter – it’s about managing the resources that God has trusted our family with. Our goal in each area is to use what we have, make do, make it last, wear it out, and when need be, replace it responsibly.
The other part of this is that I want to experience the peace that comes with knowing what we have, having less of what we don’t need, and being free to give away those things that weigh us down mentally, physically and spiritually.
I’ll be blogging through my adventures in minimizing, clearing the clutter and freeing up time and space in our home.
I would love to hear from you which parts of your house you want to get under control, so I can make sure I hit it.
We just cleaned our entire apartment because we’re getting ready to buy our first house this year. Something I’d love to get organized for a future project is our archival/scrapbook storage. I’d love to get it in order so when the time comes I’ll be able to just enjoy the organizing!
My closet. I have trash sacks of work-out clothes. 1 for bottoms, 1 for tank tops , 1 for t- shirts and 1 for tennis shoes. I have lost single shoes still. I am a pack rat because I always think I’ll either loose enough weight to wear , which I have or I will gain it back and need it! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I love this. I actually told my husband last night when I was looking through my medicines that I needed to purge. Love that you will be helping me with a plan. I need accountability.
I want to be more organized than last year. especially since we are moving in 6 months again.
Entryway (where mail is unceremoniously dumped) and office!
Another border line hoarder. My scrap room which my husband calls crap room is an issue. When i start a project and then continue to another. I make cards and scrapbook so i have tons of paper. Magazines are an issue and mail. Flat spaces that were once empty. My walk in closet needs organized. And some kitchen cabinets could use help. I went into the container store for the first time in last few weeks and it made me jealous and sick to see the organization. Who has time or money to get all those containers. Ha ha. So an economical way would be great too. Thanks for blessing us and being real about stuff
My goal, by July 1, is to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. NOT because we’re planning to move but because I don’t my fear/dread of moving to keep me from being open to God’s leading in our lives.
My #1 spot right now is the garage followed by “the guest room” (aka my “study”). Annemarie spent 6 hours in the garage and made serious progress while we were out of town, so I want to continue the momentum!
I’m moving in a month – out of a house that we’ve lived in for 12 years and raised our kids. More than that, the 2 moves before that were “corporate” moves and I didn’t have to pack my stuff….which was great – except that I didn’t have to go through the rigorous process of de-cluttering. So what I have now is about 20 years of pack-rat living. I am DETERMINED this time to get rid of about half of all the “stuff” we own. We are downsizing – not just our house, but also our unnecessary clutter. Thank you for the reminder – I look forward to reading more about how you’re doing with it – My first step this week is under the bathroom sinks…I don’t even KNOW what all is in there! 😉
Wow! This hit me today too & I just finished my Top goal! Storage holders or Tupperware products is what I want to get under control in 2013.(I have to list only 1 thing to keep my mind focused) Since our accident in 2007, my husband has been the cook so I get to clean-up the kitchen & he makes a Huge mess! He loves to keep any left-overs since he loves his own stuff…and he kindly will put them in something so I can clean the dishes BUT he has really messed up the area I keep the containers in….therefore he never can find the tops to match! I threw out so many un-matchables today & I will continue to go thru this area monthly as he probably continues messing it up!
This is one of my goals for 2013 as well. If you walked in my house you’d think for the most part I was pretty organized. However, there are a few areas in a few rooms that are not. My closets though “neat” are not necessarily “organized.” I actually paid for a groupon for a home organizer to come over and help me organize everything. Hopefully it’s worth the money. We’ll see in a few weeks when they come over. I look forward to learning yours and others secrets as well.
i’m excited about this! i love purging but somehow still have tons of stuff. hmmm… i always love reading about different organizational systems bc you never know what new method might work for you!
I sooooo need this!! My husband calls me a boarder with purging tendencies. my problem areas are the kitchen table, any flat surface, laundry, toys,toys,toys. I have 6 yo twin boys and I feel like we are drowning in toys,art projects, and other projects that they come up with. Another problem l have is my Dad has a lifetime subscription to a magazine and so did my great grandfather. I will be getting ALL of those magazines. I do.t really want them but they mean so much to him. Any advice for that?
perhaps donate them to a school? teachers will occasionally do collages or other projects with magazines or newspapers and might be able to use some. my husband is a teacher and was happy to use some national geographic and food-related magazines for projects with his kids. (this may depend on the type of magazine, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask your nearest elementary or high school if there’s any interest).
thanks for the ideas!
I’ll try again, maybe this time it will stick. Problem areas: It cost a lot so I can’t throw it out, it would be like throwing money away. Someone special gave it to me so I will feel guilt if I give or throw it away(especially if that someone is in Heaven). Thanks for your help.
What I’ve been doing is finding equally special people to give those things to. What a blessing you can be to so many people! Pay it Forward! Even donating things to a local Hospice store or Goodwill – you know that someone will find it and love it, and the proceeds are going to a very worthy cause.
Thanks, Lori Ann. I think that might just work for me.
This is a great project for the new year, Kathi, and I know I can use this advice around my home. I’ll be sure to follow! Blessings, my friend!
I joke about being a borderline hoarder, but it really is true! It hit home when we decided it was time to move, and I had to pack up the entire house myself (my husband had an accident and he couldn’t help me). WOW, what an eye opener! I learned so much from the experience, I’m making notes and working on a book about it- and how to declutter when you HATE decluttering. 🙂
You asked for problem areas, so I will share mine with you.
The biggest hotspots are flat surfaces. ANY flat surface usually gets piled with stuff I will ‘get to later’ only ‘later’ never comes.
junk drawers. Get rid of them! You will never need 95% of that stuff, and the 5% you keep can be put somewhere other than a drawer that can house useful stuff instead!
Mail. Go through it, then file, file, file. Pay bills and file them, Read magazines that week and rip out what pages you like, then ‘file’ the remnants in the recycle bin. Have a spot for those magazine pages you took out too! (Binders work well for me.) Junk mail gets ‘filed’ in the same place. If you pay bills once or twice a month, have a spot for them so you can get to them easily.
Don’t tackle a room if you are easily overwhelmed. Take on a shelf, a box, a single cabinet and work from there. It took me two years to declutter my house the first time, and then I removed a LOT more when packing for a move!
These things seems small, but if you control the little stuff, it keeps it from becoming overwhelming. One days worth of mail is a lot easier to handle than a months worth, after all!
Oh, and if you aren’t into yard sales to get rid of your stuff (to me it wasn’t worth my time) donate everything to a thrift store or shelter. Offer things on Freecycle (you can find your local branch of Freecycle at http://www.freecycle.org/) and bless others with your stuff!