To 'purge' means to cleanse or purify. That is the feeling that I want to have in my home! I didn't just want to declutter, I wanted to purge!!!! What a great project:)
I recently realized that my May project was going to spill into June. I decided that I was going to rid our home of all clutter, junk, and exesses stuff! The torando last year made me re-think what was important to me in my home and what is really necessary to have. I know of 3 people who are moving and have talked about all the junk they've had to get rid of and how overwhelming it is to have to do that while packing. I felt I should take the time to put my things in order before something big happens. Why wait?? It's an ambitious project, but I have a whole month to do it in, right??
My original goal was to stock pile my garage with all our wonderful extra stuff and have a yard sale on June 2nd. When I realized that it was going to rain on that Saturday, I slowed down and decided to go through my rooms one by one and do a thorough job. Extending the deadline into June sounded more realistic. I have thrown things out from time to time, but this time I needed to be ambitious. I had 14 years of accumulated stuff and if I was serious about this project, slow and steady would be the best approach:)
I started with a pad of paper and wrote down each room on a separate sheet. I started with the kitchen because I knew there wasn't alot to rid myself of in there. I went through each cabinet and just wrote down the things that I didn't want or use anymore. Extra plates, cups, expired food, gadgets that I thought I had to have;), old towels, pot holders, cookbooks, magazines, etc. It felt so good just to make a list. I moved into the diningroom next because I knew that would be an easy room as well. Then the two livingrooms and bathroom. Extra towels, old shampoo bottles, empty packages, hairbrushes we never use. Books I'll never read again, old VHS tapes of trendy workout videos, magazines from 1998. Really? Why have them?? Out they would go. That was it for the first week.
The three bedrooms and office were next, (closets included), with the two baths and second floor porch. Everyday I took about a half hour and did this for each room in the house. It took about two and half weeks total. Once armed with my list, I felt empowered.
The following week with my list in hand, I started back at the kitchen and started with each cabinet and piled all my unwanted stuff on my kitchen table. One pile to the garbage, one pile for yard sale, and one pile for donation. This would be the formula used for each space I hit. It's best to have a bag or box on hand so you can sort as you go.
I have gone through each room and closet so far on the first two floors of my home. It feels so incredibly amazing to look at my neat closets, shelves, and drawers and know that everything that is in there is being used and loved. No more holding on to stuff that I may use someday or things that I thought I had to have because I wanted to remember something. Do I really need that faded, peach Guess sweatshirt with all the holes in it? Or what about the acid washed jeans?? Really?? If I'm not wearing it, out it goes! Elephant pants? Yea, let's not talk about those right now...
I'm in the process of working on the basement. I am about a third of the way done. I threw out six 30 gallon bags of trash alone from there and I'm only A THIRD of the way through!! Yikes. So many books, (especially homeschool books and materials), old clothes, games, dolls, videos, and dried up craft supplies have made their way to my garage.
I decided I would keep two containers in my basement. One will be for clothes that we decide we don't use or want. The other will be for stuff that we are getting rid of. Once they are full, we can decide to sell them or. more than likely, donate them to Goodwill. That should help keep my decluttered house, well, decluttered!
Don't worry, nothing is making it's way back in. Once it's out, its out for good. That's the firm rule.
Next will be the attic and I will save the garage for last. I may even delegate that to my hubby. Why should I have all the fun?
I'm hoping to have my yard sale on June 16th if it doesn't rain. If anyone is looking for homeschool texts, kid's games, clothes, brand new men's workboots (size 8.5), a Bopee, an exersaucer, stuffed animals (cleaned of course;) ), books, and other STUFF, just stop by and maybe we'll have something for you:)
I'll post pictures of the yard sale when it finally happens... Promises to be interesting!
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