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[Lilysmom]

@threecees, for spices you can buy a drawer liner and all of the spices are visible, labels up.  I love this for regular size spices.  Now the big ones, I need to get at those.  LM

[gidgetgh]

Today was our day to go to recycling. 

We took an old wood microwave cart/stand to Goodwill that we’d been using as a tv stand in our bedroom since we’ve been married. I’d gotten it years and years ago, pre marriage, when my office was updating the break room furniture.  I asked if I could have it....in the early 80’s. I always just meant to just use it temporarily but used it for over 30 years, LOL.  We replaced it a few weeks ago so we donated it today. I have to admit that I was a little wistful donating it. Again, I got it pre marriage when I was making like zero money and I was thrilled to have it. I hope someone else gives it a good home.  My husband wanted to keep it and send it off to the basement but, nope, no more stuff to the basement to be kept for “just in case”. If it doesn’t have a purpose, out it goes. 

In true Konmari tradition though, after the guys took it out of my car, I touched it and thanked it for all the years of use it had given us. 

I also donated a small shopping bag with miscellaneous stuff, only about half full. 

[Eager2Learn]

1/24 - I just spent another 15 minutes sorting and shredding paper clutter. I had a pile of mail and some of it was bank statements from 2017. Much more to go, but I now have a few inches of space on my desk!

[RedTop]

We have 3 refrigerators and a freezer in this house.  Main refrigerator and the upright freezer are my domain, period.  

Spare fridge #1 is my overflow and med fridge; teacher daughter has all of the freezer space and 2 shelves for her food.  

Spare fridge #2 is in the garage, and is full of drinks; pop, water, and beer.   Trucker daughter has all of that freezer space, and some shelf space for her food.  

After a few years of this arrangement, I’ve learned my daughters don’t check dates on their food very often; mainly on their bottles of sauces.   Todays bag of trash is half full of their expired items.   

[Snicks1]

@threecees, another option for spices is a pull down rack. I have this over my range (I know not the best place). I got mine at The Container Store, they may be available at other places as well.

[Snicks1]

No purging for me today. It was my weekly visit to older brother's house to do his shopping (he doesn't get around very well anymore), then back home to do my own shopping, but only consumables. My "plan" for tomorrow is to make a start on the kitchen. I look forward to it and dread it all at the same time, lol.

[trenet]

I wrote a post last night but, it doesn’t seem to be here.   Oh well. 

I’ve had a horrible cold for over 2 weeks so, the main thing i’ve been purging is my nose and chest!  Unfortunately, it has coincided with my husband being gone for a few weeks so, I am not getting much done while he is gone as I had planned.  

I have surprised myself by how much I have done.  I am keeping

a work journal - it includes my lists of what I want and need to do (which on a day to day basis doesn’t always get completed) and my list of accomplishments, even small.  All too often, I get discouraged thinking I haven’t done anything. Recording what I have done shows I am making some progress, however small and slow- I find it good to keep that in mind to keep me going. 

Mostly my purging has just been getting rid of garbage.

Last weekend,  I got rid of my evergreen Christmas centerpiece and my Christmas wreath. I was surprised how long they lasted. The wreath did not get any sun on it and until this week, we’ve been rather cold, at least for Southern California! (Into the 40’s at night!)   I also got rid of another dead plant. 

This week: 

-Got rid of expired meds and old first aid items. Not that many, I must have done this last year when I was sick too! 

- Cleaned out the refrigerator: the usual wilted veggies, moldy cheese; a container with pancetta that had been open too long to use and  a container with a single slice of uncooked breakfast sausage!). The big thing was getting rid of all the jars/bottles of outdated or unwanted condiments and preserves.  (A couple of the preserves probably didn’t even have enough for one piece of toast!) 

-  I got rid of a box of Christmas catalogs and a big pile of junk mail mostly Medicare advertisements.

Had to carry it to dumpster in 4 trips (I think I should have asked the bodybuilder guys downstairs for help me with this and all the jars from the frig - it would have been only been  a single trip!) 

     —> I need to find a way to stay on top of mail and shredding. So difficult to get off mailing lists. 

-I pulled about a dozen old books off the shelves and began a giveaway box Everytime I looked at the shelves, I would think about getting rid of these but, did Nothing! They are are in the box now! More importantly, I feel encouraged to gather more. Books are so difficult to get rid of - so easy to get distracted.

        —> Next step for books is to just scan and grab more of the easy choices. I think that will help me not to get bogged down. 

Still so much to do. 

[queendiva]

Today's PW challenge was kitchen drawers. I have done this earlier in the month but I took another look. Tossed two plastic measuring cups no longer needed. Also used a small, old Fresh Linen spray from Slatkin. No idea how old it was, but it no longer smelled like fresh linen- gone.

Finding that I have plenty of storage in my kitchen and elsewhere now that I have purged and am no longer buying sale items in multiples greater than two or three.

Just one week left to see how much we "lost" in January.

Can you believe that Christmas was just one month ago today? Once again, time flies when you are purging!

Still eleven months left for anyone who was slow to start. Never too late!.I believe we can make an impressive effort in 30 or 31 days, and likely improve much if not all of a home's interior before April 1. Particularly important if you are thinking about listing your home for sale in the next 60 days. You will need to purge and pack as many items as you can live without for a few months. I packed boxes in each room, mostly clothes and books in the bedrooms. I hired junk removers to haul off some large furniture items and paid the guys to move all the boxes to the garage. The house showed beautifully and sold for well above list the following day.

Even if you choose not to relocate/ downsize/ upsize you will still enjoy a clutter free home and will have the time to enjoy the better weather come spring.

[momjules]

I have found the best way to declutter is to move from a three bedroom house with a basement and garage to a two bedroom mobile home with a small shed,

we almost had to sell the dog!

😂😂😂😂

[Mominohio]

Went through the hutch in my dining room, and removed quite a few things. 

The drawers in the top we use for important papers that we need regularly, like car registrations, current bills needing paid, etc. 

Burned a bunch of old blank checks that are no longer good as bank changed hands. Found old car registrations that were expired, and one drawer had a bunch of brand new knobs I'd picked up for various cabinets and drawers, and weeded those down to keeping just a few. 

I went through the set of dishes I store in the hutch (older pattern handed down for several generations I love) and decided I didn't need three of each accessory piece (platters, butter dishes, gravy boats, etc.) and listed to sell extras, keeping just two of each. Weeded down the actual place setting pieces to service for 12, and pulled out the extras of each for selling too.

Went through my dining room linen chest, and got rid of many sets of cloth napkins (decided it best to keep mostly solid ones, easier to match up to various printed dishes) several sets of placemats and matching napkins taken out too.

Pulled out some odds and ends other glass pieces stored in the drawers that I'd used over the years (sugar and creamers, etc.) and decided to let them go too.  

Headed to the front hall closet today!