It’s no secret that I keep a lot of things. An enormous amount of what is here is sentimental, my biggest weakness in keeping things. Some stuff is here because I am the daughter of depression parents and grandparents and just know that I can recycle something for another use and can’t just throw away something that is perfectly good just because I’m not using it now. Some things just get put in a drawer or a closet for no good reason. Maybe someone is coming over and I don’t take the time to properly store the item. Maybe I was lazy and threw it in a drawer or closet, knowing myself well enough to realize I wouldn’t really get back to it in the near future.

Anyway, I have a new plan for clearing out. I’ve tried to come up with strict rules, but I know myself better than that. I learned that raising four kids. . .don’t set expectations that will make you frustrated when they aren’t done right.

Here’s my plan. When I open a drawer, closet or cabinet that looks cluttered, I see if I can take 10 things out of it. I did this with my spice drawer and threw out at least 10 bottles or cans of spices that had been in there way too long or that I had never used. I did it with the drawer in my bathroom and got rid of old makeup, lotions, samples. I need to get rid of some clothes I never wear that other people would love to have. I can throw away, toss in the recycling bin or take things to someone who will use it now. Sometimes I choose more than 10, but 10 is a good rule.

Now I need to move on to my shoes, clothes, garage, desk, linen closet, hall closet, book case, kitchen, bathroom, and so on. There is stuff everywhere that I can get get out of my house and my life if I put my mind to it. I started to say that I wouldn’t ever put anything else in a space until I took 10 things out of it, but that was a little obsessive.

Anyway, I figure if I do this at least once a week, that’s 520 things out of the house in a year. I can do more than 10 easily, as well as more than once a week, but let’s get real here. That’s a reasonable goal to start with.

Sigh. . .now to get started again.

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