Decluttering (Phase 1)

You may recall from my June Goal Post, that I have some pretty high hopes this month when it comes to decluttering.  I thought I would share with you what I did during the first week.

I am going through every room, closet and cupboard and being brutal.  I decided to start with the kitchen for no reason other than that is the room I always start with :-)  The kitchen includes a cupboard in the bathroom where I store extra kitchen stuff.  I'm not against having stuff that you love and use but sometimes, things start to get lost in the back of a cupboard or you realize that they just don't work for you any more.  My goal was to look at everything and make sure I'm using it.  When I did this a few years ago, I kept some things "just in case" but this time those items are going if I haven't used them.  I also wanted to make a list of things that I need or want to replace.  I sold Pampered Chef for awhile before I got married and ended up with lots of things - those things are all starting to wear out!  I ended up taking several boxes to Good Will :-) What's the point of that list I made?  I think it makes it easier to look for things on sale when you know what you want - I'm a Bed Bath and Beyond Fan so watching for sales, clearance items and using coupons is a great way to get new things! Next week I plan on tackling the Bathroom. 


Second, the basement.  Remember I said I was going to divide it into sections?  The first section I wanted to conquer was the soon to be play room and the bottom of the stairs.  Stuff has just piled up in this area.

It's the "drop zone" - we are bad at dropping things in this area to put away later and then, it never happens.  Again, I had to be brutal in this area.  I am not a hoarder but I believe in using things and getting the money out of them.  Sometimes I feel bad about letting go of something because I feel like maybe I haven't used it to its fullest - especially if it is a gift.  My mindset has changed.  I'm 40 and I'm going to stop being so concerned about what others might think and just do what I want HA  Also as I mentioned in that goal post, we are getting ready to do a big room switch and I'm quickly learning that my styles have changed.  So much of what I decorate with, I've had for 10 . . or even 20 years! (WOW!) and I'm tired of it.  So all of those things I packed away for future use, we'll most of it is going.  I want the freedom to be able to pick out new things instead of feeling trapped in what I have now.  Anyway, I cleaned that area out and it is ready to become a play room.

Next week I plan on conquering two areas 1)The laundry room - I want to do some decorating in that room, move a freezer, and CLEAN 2)The Pantry area - I need some more shelving and am hoping I can get my husband to put a few up for me.  I also need to clean out the pantry and make sure that the stuff down there is fresh and the shelving is set up for good storage.  3) Take out some junk - there is an old chair, some blinds, and a few other odd larger items that I know we aren't keeping and need to get taken out to the trash or to Good Will to open up some space.  Should be a busy week!


Oops - I meant to actually post this on Sunday of this week and forgot so, as you read this, understand that I working on the Bathroom and the next area in the basement this week :-)  Also, I had planned to post photos but I haven't taken my "after" shots yet - Hopefully when I post next week I will have photos to actually share!