I have been on a mission to declutter different areas of my home for many years now. I always started with good intentions but things would revert back to messy and cluttered at some point. Partly, it was because I never stopped bringing new stuff in, never got rid of enough, or had so much that I was buying duplicates of things I already had.
In the last year or so, I have become much more conscious of what I’m bringing into my house as well as using what I already have. I don’t strive to be a minimalist in the common, traditional sense but I do want to use what I have and not be wasteful.
Like many of us, I struggle with thinking that I want to keep something because I MIGHT need it someday. I either read or heard somewhere in the last year an idea that really stuck with me. That idea is so simple but so profound that it made it much easier for me to get rid of many items. The idea is this: If you get rid of something and somewhere down the line discover that you need the very thing you discarded, you can purchase a new version of that thing!! In addition, that thing is likely newer and more updated, and may be even better than the thing that you got rid of. Earth shattering, right!!!!!
Here’s the deal: just because you’re de-cluttering doesn’t mean that you can never buy anything again. It really just means that we should be more thoughtful about what we buy, have, and use.
I will not profess to being an expert in organizing, but I try to arrange things in a way that works for me. I probably still have too much stuff but it is much reduced and I am using what I have. CONFESSION: I have an addiction to mugs! I love mugs, I use mugs daily, and I find it hard to resist a cute mug! I have decided that I control my impulses to a degree but I will not completely shut myself off from buying new mugs! Gotta do what works for you!!
PHOTOS:
I had so many cooking/kitchen tools-most of which I never even used. I pulled everything out and kept what I used regularly and put them in the first drawer and then some specialty tools that I use occasionally and put them in the second drawers. These drawers are closest to my stove so they are easily accessible as I cook.
Plastic containers and lids are the bane of my existence but necessary. I keep the lids in its own container and then stack the containers inside of each other. It’s not perfect but it is working for me. And I clearly do not need anymore containers.
Some areas are smaller than others but no less impactful. Larger and less frequently used items still need somewhere to go:
I can now at least “see” what I have and can grab the right one without having to take a bunch of other stuff down first.
There was so much stuff in this utensil drawer that I would usually stab myself every time I tried to grab something!
Just for fun: I have had this utensil holder since I moved out of my parent’s house to go to college in 1980!! I know that there are sleeker and prettier ones on the market but this one still “works” and I can be deeply sentimental about really ridiculous things!!
I don’t have a BEFORE photo of my baggie and small container drawer but you should know that this drawer used to have so much stuff in it that something would get stuck every time I opened it.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an AFTER photo of my cabinet with my mugs and water bottles but this is the BEFORE. Just know that I have many fewer mugs and water bottles and I’ve only purchased a couple new mugs this year.
I do a much better job of keeping the areas I’ve worked on neat, clear and uncluttered. I don’t bring much new in and things are easier to adjust when needed.
What areas in your home are you working on? Do you have a blind spot when it comes to getting rid of things!!
