One Drawer at a time!

Today I am going to de-clutter my kitchen junk drawer.  It is a place that at one time was organized, but over time became a tangled mess of miscellaneous items!  It is a monster that can, over time, take over your space!  I am wondering why I even have one?  Many of the items are useless.  I don't know what they are for, or where they go.  I don't ever use them.  They get tossed into the abyss and are never thought of again.  Here is a before picture of my junk drawer.




I guess you have noticed there are three pictures here!  Yes it's true, my junk drawer has flowed over to other spaces because it is full.  Let's examine some of the things found in here!

Old cell phones, old cameras, hair clips, hair bands, needles, screws, unknown items and coins.  Needles, pins , pens, teeth!, baby shoe tie keepers, old elementary school papers (my youngest is 15!!) , batteries, cell phone cases for old phones we no longer own! Well you get the idea.  Most of these things are ok if they are being utilized.  Not if they are buried in a drawer.

Here are the after Pictures.  I cut the plastic packaging that the batteries were in to make holders for them in the drawer.   I don't have small children in my home but if you do please lock up the batteries!  Especially the button batteries as they can be easily swallowed and can cause death.



I found the drawer organizer at goodwill for $1.00.    I already had the white organizer.  I think it came from Container store but that was years ago. Small boxes would also work.  Cut up small food boxs and tape them together to help you organize small items.  Or use ziplock baggies!  Go to dollar tree and buy these for $1.00.

 Don't use a lack of organization tools or money to keep you from being organized and neat.  When things have a place to "live" they become easier to deal with and put away.  So ban the junk drawers in your home...One drawer at a time.
All clean and organized! This project today took me 45 minutes start to finish!
The steps.

1. Empty the drawer on the counter or a table.
2. Take stock of the items.  Quickly throw out the obvious trash and items that you haven't needed in the last 6 months.
3. Sort like items
4. Take items to the rooms they belong in for example, hair ties in the girls bathroom, screws and tools in the tool box.
5. Clean the drawer.  Vacuum and wipe out.
6. Consider using a  drawer organizer, cutlery tray,small boxes, ice cube trays or ziplock bags to organize the remaining contents.
7. Neatly place items you will use back into the drawer.
8. Take a picture and post it to the Facebook page so we can all admire your work!  
9. Smile!!

 I am renaming the drawers, the battery drawer,  scent drawer and utility drawer!

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!
๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

DVD's are clutter too!?

Today I am going to get rid of excess DVD's and electronic clutter.  First you have to decide for yourself if these items are clutter or not.  With the abundance of services that offer movie rentals you should ask yourself why own them at all?  How often are you actually watching the movies?  If you are a movie buff you may watch them often, and that's great!  You will need to find a way to store them.

Here are a few ideas.  Get this box storage at Amazon

 

Or this one from Miles Kimball

Or maybe you could use a shoebox.  Organization does not have to cost a lot of money!  If you want to get rid of the plastic covers but still protect the dvds you could use sleeves like these from super media 

I already own a storage case.  It looks like a large binder and it has DVD sleeves.  I am currently storing movies in it.  Also, I have a smaller one that holds wii games.  I have opted to throw out the hard cases.  This may not be an option for everyone but for my family it works!  I find that the discs take up less space without the cases.

Steps to clear the clutter.

1.  Collect all the DVD/VHS tapes/ gaming system games etc in one place.

2.  Decide which ones you will keep.

     a.  Ask yourself Have I used it in the last year?  If you answer Yes you may want to keep it, place it in the keep pile. If the answer is No.  Put it in the giveaway box.  If you are unsure set it aside for now.

     b.  If you are emotionally attached to it ask yourself if you are really ever going to use it again.  Is it worth it for you to store it?  Probably not.  This is difficult!  I have a hard time getting rid of old            

Disney movies because they remind me of my children.  I like to think I will play them for my grandkids someday.  But this is unrealistic!  Children today are technologically advanced, they will not want to watch movies on an antiquated system.  I know this may not be a popular idea, but when you clear your clutter you will start to feel better.  Give them away!

3.  Find a spot near the device (DVD player, gaming box, etc) to store the discs.  Decide how you will store them.  Store them away neatly.  If you want you can further organize them.  I am not going to get into this as there are many great organization blogs!  For now I just want to concentrate on getting rid of things I don't use.

4.  Take the discs in the giveaway box and get rid of them!  Before you change your mind.  If you haven't used it in a year you don't need it!

5.  Get rid of old technology!  Unless you have the machine to play it and you use it regularly you don't need it!

6. Now that you have cleared out some of your DVDs or VHS tapes take a look at your Unsure pile.  Maybe now it will be easier to part with some of them.  Or you could put them in a box, write the date on it.  Then in 6 months if you haven't looked in the box toss it.  It seems harsh but you can do it.  You won't miss the items inside.

6.  Finally, before storing your keep pile, look at it one more time with a critical eye.  If you can get rid of a few more, do it!  Make sure you only keep what you can reasonably store in your space.  This is a key point. If you have a large home with lots of shelving and storage space you can keep more than someone that has a small apartment or living space.  But I would like to add that even if you can keep more, should you?  Only you can decide this for yourself!

Now let's get to work!  

Here are some before and after pictures of my media cabinet!

This was crazy!  I was even storing some VHS cases without any movies in them!  

 I put all the extra cords in a zip lock bag.  The wii remotes and games are in the black basket. It took approximately 2 hours to clear this clutter, dust the shelves and rearrange the contents.  I threw away one full trash bag of empty VHS and DVD cases.  I will try to sell some of the DVDS and VHS tapes that I am getting rid of.  If I don't sell them within two days I will donate them to charity.  I feel awesome looking at this now!  I might even take time to watch a movie :)

Tomorrow I am taking on the Kitchen Junk Drawer

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The sock box.

Some of you may think this is ludicrous or funny but I have a sock box.  Well, I had a sock box.  For as long as I can remember I have been losing socks.  I don't know why or how.  I tried multiple methods of madness to keep them together.  Little clips, putting them in balls, washing them in laundry wash bags. All to no avail!  I've always kept them in a box, lonely and waiting for their sole mates!  I even had some toddler socks in there!  So today I took a bold step... I threw it out.  Socks and all.  Sorry socks, if you don't have a mate you can't stay here.

I have been saving these socks because I think I will find the match, or I think I will use the socks for some higher purpose, like cleaning silver (HA HA!) or wiping on stain.  Forget about it!  If I need some socks for something in the future I will go to the dollar store and buy a pair!



How funny, I just noticed that on the box it says "it's about time"!  Yes it is sock box, yes it is....

Farewell old friend.  If you have this problem, with mis-matched socks please offer solutions on the facebook page or in the comments!  I would appreciate it greatly!

Let's tame the Socks!

Do you have old socks hanging around the house that have lost their mates? Do this: Go through the house and pick up all the socks you can find. Match as many pairs as you can. Have your children help you, this is a good activity for them. They can even help you go on the sock hunt!
Throw away any socks that do not have a match. Wash all the socks that need washing. Put your socks together in pairs and store them in a drawer or box. While you are at it, decide if you can donate some of the socks to a homeless shelter or goodwill, etc. I am sure you have more pairs than you need. Happy Sock hunting!

Tomorrow's decluttering job will be to clean out the TV entertainment center, or DVD/VCR storage.  We are going to tame those electronics people!


Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

A little effort.

Yesterday I put away all my Christmas Decorations.  It wasn't perfect.  I don't have a shelf in my garage or anything.  No matching storage containers.  But, It is all put away in a designated area in my garage.  I will not be looking at it all year.  I took down the outside Christmas lights too.  Did you know you could use a rake to take Christmas lights off the lower portions of the roof if you used gutter hooks?  That's what I did and I didn't even need a ladder to take down the lights!  Easy Breezy!  I just pushed the forked end of the rake up to the clip and pushed up while holding the other end of the lights taunt.   Yes I know it's sort of a lazy way to do it, but anytime I don't have to climb a ladder it's better for me!

Today will be an easy task.  Just pick one area that is covered with clutter and clear it off.  Maybe it's a desk top or table.  Or a small table by your front door.  You  know what I mean!  Every house has one. Some organizers call it a hotspot.  It is an area that just seems to collect things.  First remove all the trash,  take other items to the area where they belong and put them away.  If it's an item you haven't used in a while put it in your giveaway box, you don't need it anymore!  If your item doesn't have a proper place at least take it to the right room.

Also, if you are still working on taking Christmas down finish that task today.

I have chosen 2 areas to clear off today, the table next to my chair and my kitchen table.  Time it took me to do it: 23 minutes and 27 seconds. Yes I timed it!  It didn't take long at all!  A little effort is all it took.  I made sure to put everything in it's right place or the trash!  I wanted to make sure not to start another "hot spot" in another area.

I would love to see your progress!  You can join my Facebook group and post pictures for us to see.  Let's do this together this year :) Here is the link for the group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1216759261703648/

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

2016 A new year begins!

It's a new year!  2016.  I've played around with the blog for several years.  I am trying again this year to  keep it up.  I am on a mission to better my life by de-cluttering my home.  If you want to follow along and see the progress please follow me.  I will also be posting about crafts, home decorating and life.

Todays challenge.  Put away Christmas.  I cannot believe I have had a box of Christmas Ribbon in my dining room for 1 year.  Yes thats true.  It has been sitting in a chair, in a corner since last Christmas!  (2014) True confessions of a bad housekeeper! Your mission if you choose to accept it...Put away christmas!  Every bauble and candy cane, each wreath and bow. If it is a Christmas decoration if has to go!  You have 2 days to complete this mission.   If there are decorations you no longer need or want.  Put them in your donation box!  My goal for the day is to get all the Christmas decorations in the same place.  I am going to make a designated place in my garage for all the Christmas stuff, with the exception of the wrapping paper.  Which I am going to store in a closet.

I'll post more pictures after I finish  Now I have to  get busy.  On Jan 3rd I will tackle another project/ area.

Enjoy the journey and seize the day!

๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ๑*¨*• Barbara •.¸¸..๑Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ