Most people jump on the spring cleaning bandwagon, but for me January has always been the month where I feel the need to clear out and make things lighter. I'm not a minimalist, but I do follow the tiny house philosophy that less is more. Here are a few ways I clear out our clutter:
Cooking. Last week I purged our tiny kitchen. I took stock of what was there and cleared out anything that I hadn't used this past year. There were several pots and pans and a few bowls that were never touched, so I let those go. In doing this I have paired down my kitchen utensils to only what we really use. In a tiny 9 x 12 kitchen this is a must!
Paper. Another thing I do several times a year is donate all of my magazines to the local hospital waiting room. I only subscribe to a few magazines, but boy how those things pile up quickly! I simply black out my name and address and drop them off to the hospital. They always appreciate them and it frees up clutter from our home.
Clothes. We have all heard about the closet clean out rule- if you haven't worn it in a year let it go. I'm horrible at this one. I hold a piece and think "I paid a lot for it" or "Maybe it will fit again someday". I am going to be really hard on myself this year and remind myself that whatever I paid for it, if I'm not wearing it than it's a waste. Also, being a size 2 again? Ain't gonna happen, so let it go. I'm planning on cleaning out my closet this morning. Wish me luck.
Movies. I'm awful about buying movies. The "Oh I loved that movie!" takes over and I cave in an buy a movie that I never watch again. They take up space and collect dust. So I am planning on packing them up and seeing if our pediatrician would like the kid ones to show in the waiting room, and take the grown up movies to the hospital for patients to watch.
Kids toys. I follow the same rule as the clothes closet. If you haven't played with it in a year- give it to a child who will. One thing we do every November is have the kids go through their things and pick out ten items to donate to the women's and children's shelter. It gives them the sense of giving and clears out their room for the upcoming presents that are sure to take up space. Then I go back through their rooms in November and purge whatever items they have not touched in a year. It's important to me to show them that "owning" something is not justified if you are not using it. Let it go to another child who will own it and USE it.
Knick Knacks. I love vintage finds. I have a plethora of bits and bobs I've collected over the years. I have begun the process of going through those treasures and keeping ONLY what I absolutely love. The rest I am selling off or giving away. It feels good to see the pieces that I really love and not just things laying about that I have to dust.
I hope that some of my tricks and tips help you. I find that with each down size move we make I am happier with the simplicity of our surroundings. Less truly is more.
Happy New Year ;)
Cooking. Last week I purged our tiny kitchen. I took stock of what was there and cleared out anything that I hadn't used this past year. There were several pots and pans and a few bowls that were never touched, so I let those go. In doing this I have paired down my kitchen utensils to only what we really use. In a tiny 9 x 12 kitchen this is a must!
Clothes. We have all heard about the closet clean out rule- if you haven't worn it in a year let it go. I'm horrible at this one. I hold a piece and think "I paid a lot for it" or "Maybe it will fit again someday". I am going to be really hard on myself this year and remind myself that whatever I paid for it, if I'm not wearing it than it's a waste. Also, being a size 2 again? Ain't gonna happen, so let it go. I'm planning on cleaning out my closet this morning. Wish me luck.
Movies. I'm awful about buying movies. The "Oh I loved that movie!" takes over and I cave in an buy a movie that I never watch again. They take up space and collect dust. So I am planning on packing them up and seeing if our pediatrician would like the kid ones to show in the waiting room, and take the grown up movies to the hospital for patients to watch.
Kids toys. I follow the same rule as the clothes closet. If you haven't played with it in a year- give it to a child who will. One thing we do every November is have the kids go through their things and pick out ten items to donate to the women's and children's shelter. It gives them the sense of giving and clears out their room for the upcoming presents that are sure to take up space. Then I go back through their rooms in November and purge whatever items they have not touched in a year. It's important to me to show them that "owning" something is not justified if you are not using it. Let it go to another child who will own it and USE it.
Knick Knacks. I love vintage finds. I have a plethora of bits and bobs I've collected over the years. I have begun the process of going through those treasures and keeping ONLY what I absolutely love. The rest I am selling off or giving away. It feels good to see the pieces that I really love and not just things laying about that I have to dust.
I hope that some of my tricks and tips help you. I find that with each down size move we make I am happier with the simplicity of our surroundings. Less truly is more.
Happy New Year ;)
I've been doing some winter purging too and I have a feeling there's more to come. I'm making my cabinets and drawers baby-proof. I have a 3 year old and a 9 month old coming. I realized that had all kinds of knives in the bottom drawer. I found another place for those. I realized I had a junk drawer that included tiny screws, nails, nuts and bolts. Got rid of those. In the process I cleaned out all the kitchen cabinets. I added fun kitchen things that they could enjoy.
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