Each year after Christmas, everyone starts talking about resolutions or changes they are going to make in the new year. I bet the majority of them were made with good intentions, (my mother had a saying she always said about good intentions) but for various reasons they just don't get done.
This year I didn't really make any resolutions. In the past my resolution has been the same - Let go of things I have no control over. While it is always there in the back of my mind, this year I guess it is just a little further back. Going to estate sales with my friend Janice, we have been talking about getting rid of stuff we don't really need/use because our kids don't want it either.
I started the process back in December when I decided to bring all my Christmas and winter decorations down from the attic and getting rid of the things I haven't used in the last few years. That actually worked out pretty good. I took things three different times when I went to "work" my shift at Hillcrest Thrift Shop. Saturday I decided to swap out the Santa things with snowmen. I originally planned to get rid of all my snowmen this year, but was waiting until January to take them to the thrift shop. I always distinguish between Christmas and winter since I like to have the house decorated through the seasons. So they were still in the box.
Saturday wasn't quite as cold so I went up in the attic and brought down a couple of containers to begin that process of packing away Christmas. I managed to fill 3 containers. I have 2 tubs that I fixed up a couple of years ago to organize my uniquely shaped Christmas tree ornaments in the attic since I have decided to leave the Christmas tree up a little longer.
While I was up in the attic, I started looking at the other stuff (Spring and craft stuff) I have up there and started getting it better organized. The empty tubs came in handy for that. Before I left, I ended up bringing down all the empty boxes I had stored up there for that time when I needed a box for mailing something. You have those boxes, don't you? I couldn't believe how much I had. There were 9 shoe boxes. ( I did find a nice home for them. My church is going to use them.)
I shared this picture on Facebook and my sil commented re a website Declutter 365 that she liked. The website gives some good decluttering techniques. She offers a calendar that gives you a 15 - minute chore each day for the year to declutter. I joined her Facebook page but decided I would start with her first act for Sunday that was to declutter your silverware drawer yesterday. (I'm glad I didn't see it earlier in the day. I would always take Sunday for church, family and to relax.)
I am thankful to Sondra for steering me to the site, but depending on how bad your silverware drawer is, be prepared for it to take you longer than 15 minutes.
This is what my silverware drawer looked like yesterday.
At first glance it might not look too bad, but the area on the right side, was more stuff than it looks like.
I used to watch a show on HGTV for decluttering a house and they marked off the yard with KEEP, DONATE, and THROW AWAY. It was fun watching the family members labor over these divisions. Anyway remember I found a home for those shoe boxes I brought down from the attic. Well, the rest of the boxes ended up in the back of my husband's truck to be taken to the recycle place. Fortunately he had not gotten there with them yet because he had to go out and bring some back in for me ... for a little while at least.
One got marked Donate, one Keep, and one Throw away.
I realized this is a project that will change as I go through other drawers in my kitchen, but right now ... it looks so much better than it did.
I have another drawer next to the silverware drawer that contains knives and cooking items...measuring spoons and other things I use when I cook.
Even though I had already spent an hour or more, I decided to go on and tackle it. Here is a picture of my results so far. As I said, it will be a work in progress as I clean other drawers in my kitchen. I'm thinking about getting a narrower basket to hold the knives. I think I would have room for two narrow baskets actually so I can separate some things out better.
My KEEP box is not empty, but the DONATE box is full since I added a few more things from a box I brought down from the attic that I needed to go through.
The items in the this box will find a new temporary home at Hillcrest Thrift Shop when I go there later today to "work".
Since I did two drawers yesterday and I will be busy today volunteering at the thrift shop, I may take the day off and not do anything decluttering today. I don't want to get "burned out" which I think you could easily do if you worked everyday. Of course, she only intended me to take 15 minutes decluttering that silverware drawer in my kitchen.
Will keep you posted on my progress. Let me know if you decide to do any decluttering. Always anxious to hear any tips to make the job/chore easier.
This year I didn't really make any resolutions. In the past my resolution has been the same - Let go of things I have no control over. While it is always there in the back of my mind, this year I guess it is just a little further back. Going to estate sales with my friend Janice, we have been talking about getting rid of stuff we don't really need/use because our kids don't want it either.
I started the process back in December when I decided to bring all my Christmas and winter decorations down from the attic and getting rid of the things I haven't used in the last few years. That actually worked out pretty good. I took things three different times when I went to "work" my shift at Hillcrest Thrift Shop. Saturday I decided to swap out the Santa things with snowmen. I originally planned to get rid of all my snowmen this year, but was waiting until January to take them to the thrift shop. I always distinguish between Christmas and winter since I like to have the house decorated through the seasons. So they were still in the box.
Saturday wasn't quite as cold so I went up in the attic and brought down a couple of containers to begin that process of packing away Christmas. I managed to fill 3 containers. I have 2 tubs that I fixed up a couple of years ago to organize my uniquely shaped Christmas tree ornaments in the attic since I have decided to leave the Christmas tree up a little longer.
While I was up in the attic, I started looking at the other stuff (Spring and craft stuff) I have up there and started getting it better organized. The empty tubs came in handy for that. Before I left, I ended up bringing down all the empty boxes I had stored up there for that time when I needed a box for mailing something. You have those boxes, don't you? I couldn't believe how much I had. There were 9 shoe boxes. ( I did find a nice home for them. My church is going to use them.)
I shared this picture on Facebook and my sil commented re a website Declutter 365 that she liked. The website gives some good decluttering techniques. She offers a calendar that gives you a 15 - minute chore each day for the year to declutter. I joined her Facebook page but decided I would start with her first act for Sunday that was to declutter your silverware drawer yesterday. (I'm glad I didn't see it earlier in the day. I would always take Sunday for church, family and to relax.)
I am thankful to Sondra for steering me to the site, but depending on how bad your silverware drawer is, be prepared for it to take you longer than 15 minutes.
This is what my silverware drawer looked like yesterday.
At first glance it might not look too bad, but the area on the right side, was more stuff than it looks like.
I used to watch a show on HGTV for decluttering a house and they marked off the yard with KEEP, DONATE, and THROW AWAY. It was fun watching the family members labor over these divisions. Anyway remember I found a home for those shoe boxes I brought down from the attic. Well, the rest of the boxes ended up in the back of my husband's truck to be taken to the recycle place. Fortunately he had not gotten there with them yet because he had to go out and bring some back in for me ... for a little while at least.
One got marked Donate, one Keep, and one Throw away.
I realized this is a project that will change as I go through other drawers in my kitchen, but right now ... it looks so much better than it did.
I have another drawer next to the silverware drawer that contains knives and cooking items...measuring spoons and other things I use when I cook.
Even though I had already spent an hour or more, I decided to go on and tackle it. Here is a picture of my results so far. As I said, it will be a work in progress as I clean other drawers in my kitchen. I'm thinking about getting a narrower basket to hold the knives. I think I would have room for two narrow baskets actually so I can separate some things out better.
My KEEP box is not empty, but the DONATE box is full since I added a few more things from a box I brought down from the attic that I needed to go through.
The items in the this box will find a new temporary home at Hillcrest Thrift Shop when I go there later today to "work".
Since I did two drawers yesterday and I will be busy today volunteering at the thrift shop, I may take the day off and not do anything decluttering today. I don't want to get "burned out" which I think you could easily do if you worked everyday. Of course, she only intended me to take 15 minutes decluttering that silverware drawer in my kitchen.
Will keep you posted on my progress. Let me know if you decide to do any decluttering. Always anxious to hear any tips to make the job/chore easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment