Throughout the month of May I am going to give you different purging challenges. These challenges are meant to make your life simpler and not more difficult, so don’t overcomplicate them! Our goal is to rid our homes of as many bags (boxes, bins, etc.) of clutter as possible, while making your home an efficient haven.
This week is your kitchen. I want you to be honest with yourself what you need (and don’t need) in your home. One of the biggest culprits to kitchen clutter is plastic containers. If you are wondering how many containers you need, you truly only need a handful of each size in order to have a complete set. If you tend to save more food than that, you are probably keeping your left-over food too long! Instead of keeping old margarine and cool whip containers, recycle them. In addition, make sure that you have lids for all the containers that you keep. If you are having a difficult time figuring out what plastic containers you need, and which you don’t… here’s a simple assignment. Take out all your plastic containers and place into a large big. Throughout the month of May, whenever you need a storage container go to the bin and grab one. Only then does it get returned to the designated area for storage containers in your kitchen. At the end of the month you’ll know what containers you truly need… and which you don’t.
I want you to be honest with what you have, what you need, and what you don’t need. Also, be honest with yourself as to how much space you have. This is especially important if you are having problems keeping this area neat and tidy. It is impossible to keep everything in its place, if there is not a place for everything. I give you permission to get rid of kitchen items (yes, even if they were gifts) if you don’t use or need them. If it is not something you would purchase today, why are you keeping it?
Toss out expired food, and give away canned food that you overbought to food pantries. Pack away your seasonal dishes with your seasonal decorations. Donate unused cookbooks, baking dishes, mugs, and glasses.
Your mission for this week: take 15-20 minutes a day (set your timer) grab a bag (for trash and recyclables), a box for donations/yard sale/ give-away, and a box for storage. Each day tackle as many cabinets and drawers as you can. You can certainly wipe things down as you put them back, but do not obsess over it. We will be spending time actually cleaning these areas in weeks to come. Your goal should be to have a kitchen that is useful yet easily maintained, by getting rid of excess clutter.
We would love to hear your success stories for each week, so please post a comment here and let us know how you are doing! If you run into a specific dilemma, please post the question and I’ll do my best to answer it for you, or perhaps another reader will have a suggestion!
Have fun!!
Betsy
By Betsy on 04/30/07 in Clutter Busting, Columns, An Organized Life, Holidays
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May 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 am
HI! We’re in the middle of painting and getting new carpet in our 10 year-old-crammed-full of clutter house. Much of the junk is just being hauled outside in boxes to sit on the back patio while we rush to get ready for the carpet layers to come on Thursday. It’s so overwhelming, but I do NOT want to bring back into the house the clutter that we are hauling out. I can’t believe all the junk! Do you have any suggestions on expediting the process of eliminating while it’s outside, and starting fresh? I think there’s a part of the reasoning part of my brain that doesn’t function completely when it comes to eliminating clutter. I’m afraid I’m passing on that tendency to my 5 kids… Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Thank you!
Linda
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:39 am
Hi Linda!
First I have to say congratulations on being halfway there! Seriously, often times when I am helping a client de-clutter a room we empty the room as the first step. I want you to look at the boxes outside with different eyes. I want you to pretend you are at a store and these items are for sale. Which items would you actually buy, today, to decorate? Which items will you actually use? Which items do you actually like? Stop storing unwanted, unneeded, and unnecessary things in your home! I would definitely get the kids involved in the process. I really enjoy having my kids help with the donating part because I think it helps to show them that storing unwanted items in the attic is of NO HELP to anyone, however, these items may be needed by someone less fortunate. Erase one phrase from your mindset, “What if I need it someday.” I say if you give something now, good things come back around… If you are concerned that something might be worth money, do a simple check on ebay’s history (free) and you can get a good idea of what an item’s value is. As for, “…what is the best way to expedite the process?” my suggestion is one box at a time. I think a handy tool is a timer (this is fun for the kids as well). Give yourself 5 minutes per box (example). The kids get all excited seeing the time tick down and it keeps you focused!
If you need any further suggestions, please let me know!
Betsy