Home organization. What do you think of when those two words come to mind? There was a time when I cringed. Shrank back in fear. Wore blinders and pretended that my home was organized.
The fact was, my home was cluttered. Not dirty, cluttered. And I was married to a man who despised clutter.
For the first seven years of our marriage, that’s how we lived. What-nots everywhere, things just thrown in drawers. The opening of a closet or cabinet door made you a sure target for “taking your life in your own hands!” Then I had my first baby, quit my job and became a stay at home mom….and everything changed.
I began to truly see for the first time, just how much clutter I had in my house…..and it was driving me nuts!! But by this time we’d become a one income family and now couldn’t afford all of those gizmos and gadgets to beautifully organinze your home…but never fear, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Honestly, the biggest change came when my mindset changed. Stepping back and taking a long hard look around my house revealed to me that I’d been driving my poor husband nuts for the last seven years….and things had to change.
I decided to start in our closets. I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath and opened the door. Thankfully, I was buried in a mountain of clothes…not even too much fell out, but it was a mess. I began with putting everything that didn’t fit in a pile to be taken to the thrift store. After that, I divided everything else up into winter clothes and summer clothes. I folded and hung up everything and began the commitment that each spring I would go through the winter clothes and in the fall I would go through the summer clothes. The clothes that hadn’t been worn in that six month period, went to the thrift store. The exception: if I knew they could be passed down from child to child or given to someone in need, then I folded and put them away for the next child or folded and put them in a box for whomever I was giving them to.
On to the kitchen where the cabinets were as overtaken as our closets were.
I pulled everything out and actually found that we were being overrun by two things: plastic bowls and lids and kids cups. They were everywhere!!! I did go to Big Lots and found this nifty little system for $6 that everyone has seen on tv….the one where you have three different size storage bowls and the lids fit every size bowl. Yes, it was the ‘off brand’ but it works perfectly and has for years. All those bowls in one little caddy that spins and fits in a tiny corner of my cabinet?? Perfect solution!!
I then sat the cups on the island and told my children to pick 4 each. It was tough for them, but they did and everything else ended up in a box on it’s way to the thrift store.
Opening the drawers in not only the kitchen and bathrooms found the same piles and the inability to find anything. As with the cabinets, I pulled everything out and found that not only was everything cluttered, but with the clutter came spending money I didn’t need to. Two open tubes of toothpaste, 3 eyeliner pencils, 4 tubes of Neosporin…you get the picture.
A trip to the Dollar Tree and for less than $5 I was able to purchase short containers that I could separated everything in and now I can clearly see what’s in there and I’m not buying things unnecessarily. This worked in the kitchen as well because I now have my different size spoons separated as well as the other gizmos that we all have in our kitchen.
For a little time and only a very few dollars, I have an organized home….which now that I’ve organinzed it I LOVE to keep it that way…and a very happy hubby!! A reward all in itself!!!
“Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.”
Proverbs 31:11
Deb, I’m so with you on this! I have do not have knick-knacks anymore. They just need to be dusted.
I just went through my closet and purged a bunch of top sheets my kids NEVER use. They are just taking up space! I even got rid of a blanket everyone avoided because it was too scratchy.
Stuff consumes our energy and our home. I am ruthless when it comes to purging! I get a high almost tee hee!
It is important to analyze what we truly need and what if someone else could use it more.
Loved this post!
Thanks, Deb, for sharing your story. I know a lot of folks whose homes are cluttered. Not dirty, like you said, just full of STUFF! That used to be me! When we moved, 4 years ago, I saw it as an opportunity to get rid of all the junk we didn’t need. I use a rule of “if I haven’t worn it/used it/needed it in a year, it has to go”. It was amazing how much stuff was just taking up space and not even being used!
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Great post, this is one of those things most of us “know” but need to be reminded of from time to time. My biggest struggle right now is trying to figure out how to do this around the baby, it seems like I don’t have time for a project like this (even taking a closet at a time). I’m also trying to figure out how to get rid of knick nacks, I agree they just need to be dusted but I’m having a hard time separating myself from the emotional attachment!! Thanks for the additional inspiration!
This is a wonderful and inspiring post! I’ve been in the process of decluttering and organizing our home, too. We’ve been sitting in clutter for … 6 years. Guess that’s about the cut-off point, lol. Though we’ve also been in apartments and it’s very hard to fit three people’s lives in an apartment – especially since we have hobbies like music, sports, and crafting that requires having stuff. But I’m getting better about organizing.
IKEA is a great place to find organizing stuff for not too expensive and browsing their showroom can give you ideas, too. The dollar store is another favorite – they have containers and nesting baskets.
it’s so much easier to think and work without
clutter, but it’s so much work to de-clutter.
why can’t i just put things where they belong
in the first place????
love the post!! i am in the organizing stage right now!!
I’m a clutter-phobe and we have been living with my pack rat inlaws for almost 3 years. The more stuff you have the bigger the messes your kids can make. I am in the mood to purge, purge, purge!