De-Cluttering for the New Year
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Got Stuff?
And by โstuffโ I mean piles.
Piles of paper, piles of kidsโ items, piles of assorted kitchen clutter, and at this time of year, piles of new Christmas gifts and decorations waiting to be stored away.
Do you know what all of those piles are? They are the result of two little words that you have ingrained into your homemaking vocabulary. Two words that you must rid yourselves of if you want to bust up those piles. Those awful two words ladies areโฆ.
โFor nowโ
You know, โIโll set this junk mail hereย for now.โ
โIโll place these toys and trinkets over thereย for now.โ
โI donโt know what to do with all of this ______(you fill in the blank) so Iโll lay it hereย for now.โ
Girlfriends, our โfor nowsโ are ruining us! And do you realize that every pile is just a stack of unmade decisions?
Thus the piles of โfor nowโ.
And our kiddos and husbands only add to our problem. You see most of us get frustrated with ourselves and fuss and fume at the dear members of our families, wanting them to stop creating clutter andย get with the program!
The problem, dear sisters, is we have no program in place to get with.
I hope this post can be your program.
For some of us the problem isn’t where to put the stuff. It is that we haveย too muchย stuff. So, first letโs learn to do a little dejunking, ridding ourselves of the unnecessary clutter. With what is left, weโll find a place other than the dreaded culprit piles of โfor nowโ where they currently lodge.
Make a vow that for the rest of this month, you will devote a chunk of time each day to de-cluttering. The result? Less piles and more smiles. Here’s how:
Dejunking Basics
First, youโll need five boxes. (Or, if you are tackling a really big room or area, bins or laundry baskets.) They will hold items that you come across that belong somewhere other than where they are at the moment.
Label the first boxย Put Back.ย Inside of it place another small lidded container such as a shoe box or plastic tote. This box will be used to collect the items that are out of place in your home. The smaller container will hold items such as pens, pencils, barrettes, and coins so they donโt get lost in the bigger box.
The second box will be labeledย Take Back.ย This will corral all of those items in you home that donโt belong to you and need to be returned somewhere. You know, library books, rented DVDโs, a shoe from your sonโs friend who spent the night last week, a pan from the sweet lady fom church who made your family brownies two months ago, etc..
The third box will be used for garbage. Label itย Tossย orย Trash.ย Line it with a garbage bag so that when it becomes full, you can tie it up and transport it to the trash can. If you are a family that recycles, you can also have a box or bin for that purpose too.
Next, youโll want to have a box for those items that are still in good shape, but no longer needed or wanted at your home. Label this oneย Charityย orย Garage Sale.ย You can even place price stickers on your things at this point if you will be holding a sale. If you will donate your belongings to a charity or homeless shelter, as a box fills up, seal it and put it in your vehicle to be ready to drop off next time you are near a donation center.
The last box in the bunch will be labeledย Nostalgia.ย More on this in a minute.
Before starting, please determine that you will be ruthless. Promise yourself that if you have not used it, needed it (but couldnโt find it), worn it, or enjoyed looking at it in the past yearโthen youโre going to LET IT FLY!
Haul your boxes into your problem room. Position the boxes in the middle of the floor. Beginning in one corner of the room, pick up an article, and ponder the following:
โขIs this item out of place?ย Place it in theย Put Backย box.
โขDoes this item need to be returned to someone or somewhere?ย Into theย Take Backย box it goes.
โขIs this item in such dire shape that it is no longer usable?ย Then place it in theย Tossย box. If it is made of metal, glass, paper, or plastic, it goes in the recycle bin if you are going to add this step too.
โขIs this item in fine shape but no longer needed by anyone in our family?ย Into theย Charityย orย Garage Saleย box it goes.
โขNow here is the final question:ย Is this item no longer needed by anyone in our family, but one of my children (or my husband) is so attached to it that if I pitch it now, theyโll be emotionally damaged for life and, yes, someday they will be on national TV spilling their guts on some talk show about my cruel actions?ย Then into theย Nostalgiaย box it goes. All of your kiddos can have a few nostalgia boxes with favorite โkeeperโ items. I like to attach a note to the item such as โYou wouldnโt fall asleep without this stuffed turtle by your sideโ or โYou carried this little lunch pail on the first day of school.”
Once your question and answer exercise is finished, look down in your hand? Is the item still there? It must be:
A. Something you actually want or need and โฆ.
B. It must be located in the proper room of the house.
Continue making a sweep around the entire room, following the same procedure with each item you encounter. Check every drawer, shelf and closet. Make certain you are taking inventory of everything you own. Again, be ruthless! Every so often empty out the boxesโput back the out of place items, throw out the trash bags, transfer the storage and nostalgia items to a box that can be placed in permanent storage, andย keep on truckinโ! What seems like an overwhelming task will soon gain momentum.
Crank up some music you enjoy or download an audio book to help the time pass more quickly. And if you are like me, youโll discover that this concept works best when following the buddy system. Junk busting is easier with a friend who is, unlike you, not emotionally attached to your stuff. They will help you decide objectively what you will keep and what you will pitch, give away, or sell. When you come to the Tupperware deviled egg holder your Aunt Tillie gave you ten years ago that you never use, your friend will grant you the courage to get rid of it, offering their full assurance that Aunt Tillie will not suffer irreparable harm because of your decision.
Now, with what is left, you need to think logically. Just having things arranged all โneatโ does not necessarily mean they are arranged in a user-friendly and organized manner. You want to place items back according to their frequency of use.
No sense having a bunch of kitchen gadgets you never use in a drawer right by the stove and the measuring cups you do use way across the room.
Taking time to dejunk and then re-think your work patterns will lead to an organized and functional home. You can do it! I have faith in you!
Happy organizing!
I just packed up an entire room middle of last year so my husband’s son could move in with us. My master closet and half of my bedroom have boxes/bags all over.
My big issue is that I work nights and sleep during the day so most of my wardrobe is never used. I have a work uniform, I go to grocery store from work, go to bed, get up to eat and spend some time with husband before going back to work. I keep the same schedule on my days off, so I am in top/ shorts or top/pants except on off days as husband’s son is away so I will wear nightgown or something sexy for husband. Dresses are for times I can go to church (which is rare right now as I work Sunday night). Otherwise most clothes stay on hangers of in drawers, but I would hate to give away 99% of my clothes for not having worn them in over a year