52 Weeks of decluttering - #16 Getting those drawers under control

I lucked out again - the area I had planned to attack is the one featured in this week's prompt @ organizing junkie!

There is very little in the way of drawer space in our 70s kitchen, just five tiny drawers. I really hadn't organised them for quite some time and had come to realise my previous system was no longer working as effectively. So time to do over! I only remembered to take one before photo, so you'll need to use your imagination! I my sights were the cutlery and utensil drawers.

Half-way through emptying the plastics drawer

The system I had in place was two utensils drawers - one labelled Metal Only, the other Plastic Only. While this was, in fact, working with our cleaner and the family, the result was too easy for everyone to just dump and run, which meant there was stuff in there we didn't need.

Such as half a dozen swirly straws my 23yo married daughter who has lived out of home almost two years admitted were hers! (She happened to be visiting when the project was tackled, so was co-opted to help!)

We had been shopping at Howard's Storage World earlier, as I wanted a new cutlery insert and other containers for the project. I found just the right cutlery insert:

Nice and simple

And was able to reuse the old one in one of the utensil drawers:

I was fed-up with sliding the top tray at every meal time.

Apart from wondering why we own so many chopsticks, I worked out that this insert was just right for some things but others needed something different. We were heading to Ikea the next day, so my mission was to find the right containers. Sadly, all the Ikea ones are designed for huge drawers and were no good to me, so we ended up at a different Howard's Storage and I was able to work out just what I needed and which sizes best fit the space, resulting in this arrangement:

Much more control

I got rid of a heap of duplicates (elder daughter is also planning on setting up her own home soon!) and got rid of the useless (6 kiwi fruit spoons???) And I am mostly happy with what is left. 

We did decide to keep the fork from the set of baby cutlery - we are sentimental like that ;)

52 Weeks of decluttering - week fifteen: Organizing Closets

I feel back in control a little this week, because I have managed this prompt over the past (chaotic) month.

I try to switch my wardrobe twice a year, around the Equinox in Spring and Autumn. Probably 2/3 of my wardrobe is in use year round, so it is only the items for extreme weather variation that move in and out - my fisherman pants and peasant skirts that are my base summer weekend wardrobe and my winter coat, jumpers and boots. My wardrobe (closet) is just over a metre wide, so I value the space I can free up by putting off-season garments away.

I have come across this a couple of times and toyed with the idea, but a quick count of garments on hangers blows the limit, before I even look at folded items, shoes, bags, scarves and jewelery! I tend to wear layers, which seems not to fit the minimalist capsule wardrobe concept :)

I hang by colour - helps me find things!

I use all the precious space

Off-season lives in the box - both ends are labelled, just turn them around!

I store my bras and knickers here and stack vertically. Other boxes hold singlet tops, tshirts, socks, scarves.
Also some shoes slot in here. Leggings are stacked in the corner/

Room for new additions! You can just see my leggings stack behind the scarves.

My favourite shoes live here, with my jewelry.

Having my jewelry displayed where I dress means I wear it more.

Perfect use for that little space

Because the walk-in robe is actually a walk-thru to our en-suite bathroom, I can dress easily when I am getting ready for the day. I usually plan what I will wear the night before, if it is a work day. Colour coordination means I can mix and match and I enjoy trying new options.

This week's questions:

Questions:

1.  Will you be tackling a closet this week?  If so, don’t forget to follow the PROCESS to make it quick and simple.

I take everything out of the wardrobe and reasses every item before it goes into storage or back on the hanger. If I don't love it, I don't keep it.
2.  Did you run into any road blocks last week?

Time and energy are my road blocks lately but life will calm down a bit now.

3.  Since starting this challenge can you name one habit you’ve been able to develop that has stuck?

Interestingly, I am shopping more conciously and considering if I have space for new items.

52 Weeks of decluttering - week 13

Sticking to my motto - I am never behind, I am just where I am!

The past few weeks have been a challenge for me physically, as I juggle a bit of an MS flare-up with my work and personal care. So decluttering has been low on the list - not of it completely, but more micro-organising as I go rather than Decluttering Projects.

I still feel less than 100% (to be fair, I can't remember when I last felt 100%!) but the mind continues to churn even when the body is in rest-mode!

Today, I tackled a small-but-irritating area - a set of drawers in our en-suite bathroom. So a lesson in decluttering for those having a Bed Day :)

I placed a towel on my bed and transfered the drawers from the unit:

Really a dumping ground for stuff we never use

But prime real estate under the vanity!

The bane of my life, it took only TEN minutes of my life to deal with! Turning mountains back into mole-hills!

Only ONE item ended up in Give Away!

I relined the drawers with some paper from my scrapbooking stash and sorted the contents so like is with like and - 

Ta da! Spare room, even!

Over on Organizing Junkie, this week's prompt is a subject close to my heart!

52 Weeks: #13 Purge magazine backlogs

which is on my hit list!

Your questions of the week:

1. How far back does your magazine backlog go?

Not including my collection of NMAA/ABA newsletters, which I keep for reference/historical purposes and go back to the 1960s (!), I have a couple of collections going back up to five years.

1. Will you be able to part with some of them?  What is the hardest part of doing this for you?

I have actually made the decision before now to get rid of most of them (excluding the above) and keep just a handful of scrapbooking ones I especially want.

I have weaned myself from magazines and no longer buy any! Not bad for someone who has had a serious addiction in the past. I now read two or three titles at the library but get my "magazine fix" through my blog reading these days - serves exactly the same purpose! I use Google Reader and have their NEXT book-marklet, so with a click, I scroll through articles  covering all my interests. It is a rarely-ending chain of information.

I might explore eMagazines on my Kobo when they come to Australia, more for browsing options away from home.

So I have a pile ready for the recycling bin and another to go to the charity shop my daughters works at.

1. What area(s) are on your list for next week?

Kitchen drawers are next on my list :)

1. For fun…do you do your laundry folding standing up at a table or sitting down?

I rarely do so these days, my cleaner does ;) but my preferred place is on my bed while I watch TV.

52 Weeks of decluttering - week ten

This is a catch-up post, because the past two weeks have not been conducive to decluttering. I am fine with this because, once again, I was able to appreciate how being organised reduces the stress when life takes over.


So, no projects tackled and no photos to share but I do have several prompts from the challenge site to respond to, so here goes!

week eight

1.  Do find cluttered surfaces make you a little crazy?

So much! I find disorganised clutter makes my brain fuzzy and even organised clutter gets to me. It makes it hard for me to think straight and focus on what I am doing, as my mind zeros in on where things are and where they should be.

2.  Are you managing to stay on top of your 52 weeks list?

When I started this challenge, I knew there would be weeks when decluttering would be an added burden, so as I reach those weeks, I accept them for what they are - times to live organised, not get organised.

3.  Are you being motivated by your successes yet?

Always. 

week nine

1.  Do you know what your “good enough” is?

y-e-s ... functional even if not perfect-looking.
2.  What did you organize this week?

I did tackle the "junk" drawer - well, where I keep some hardware type stuff. But it was really just tidying, not decluttering.

3.  Are there areas you are struggling with in this challenge?
Other people's stuff. It is disheartening to work so hard and then see others just dump stuff.


week ten
1. What are your hot spot landing zones?
My scrapbooking table and my bedside table for me personally. For others in the household, the coffee table and kitchen bench where the fruit bowls are.
2.Think about ways you can tackle these flat surface areas to manage the stuff that continues to pile there.
Not be in a rush. When I rush, I dump. If I have lots of rush days, then multiple dumping occurs. Also, a clear knowledge of what lives in the space, so that decluttering is what we call "eracing the evidence" - what should not be there needs to go to its own home.
3. What are you most proud of so far in your 52 weeks journey?
The public nature of my quest and the positive feedback I am getting from friends online and also hearing how they have also been motivated.

52 Weeks of decluttering - week eight

Checking in very late on this one as I was interstate last weekend and hit the ground running on my return. So before week nine's prompts hit the web today, thought I should quickly check in on the decluttering challenge for week eight!.

I tackled a couple of small projects in the week ending February 24, mostly because I spent the weekend resting a cold. But even the smallest tasks can make the biggest difference!

First was to reclaim what was supposed to be our command centre but had become "the place you shove bits and pieces that might have a home, but you can't be bothered looking for it!" (Can I just remind you I share this house with three other adults, plus two more adults who used to live here!)

Before

This sight was giving me heart palpitations on a daily basis! So I emptied it of everything and took the contents to my sick-bed and sorted it all. In fact, the mountain was really a mole-hill and (as always) the 20% that belonged there was just swamped by the 80% that need chucking out!

We do so little written correspondence these days, but this is nominally where we keep paper, envelopes and stamps: the stamps we have there are TWO price increases behind, so I shall take them and some 10c ones to use at work and just buy a couple of current postage for home.

After

Now I can keep my household notebook there, even though that is heading the way of the dinosaurs as more and more household accounts are paperless. One day, there will be no paper! (It does help that the last child finished school over a year ago - schools are the main source of excess paper!)

Another little task I managed from bed was tidying my bedside drawer, where I keep my medications and vitamins taken each day, plus odds and ends of nail care items etc. Shoeboxes work well to corral different items and stop the sprawl, but I prettied them up with some scrapbooking paper, seeing I look into this space every single day, it might as well treat my senses!

Before

After

52 Weeks o f decluttering - week seven, part two

Having some down time today, trying to get on top of a cold. So I thought I would catch up on the prompts from organizingjunkie for this week and last week:

Week Six Questions to ponder this week:
1.  What did you accomplish this week on your 52 weeks list?
Last week was my pantry and kitchen cabinet attack!

2.  Have you had a negative conversation check with yourself lately?
Haven't had time to pass the time of day with me, let alone talk negatively ;)

3.  Are you beginning to see new habits developing yet?
I am learning to love what I really love and ditch what I don't.

Week Seven Questions to ponder:
1.  Let’s talk stuff!  What have you tossed out this week?
Pens! I can't even recall the last time I actually paid money for pens, at home or work, so how come there are always so many? One of life's mysteries.

2.  Have you ever regretted something you’ve gotten rid of?  Why?
Yes - but oddly cannot remember a specific item! And that is probably the lesson here - stuff is just stuff and can always be replaced. Treasures can always be remembered, even if you no longer own them.

3.  How tempted are you to rush out and pick up pretty organizing containers first?
I have learned from experience that the shopping is the last step in organising, not the first. Most of the time, I already own the containers I need for the task and using them often allows me time to live with it awhile and see is it really is the right solution. But I also shop without buying a lot, so I know what is out there and can go get it when I do decide I need it.

52 Weeks of decluttering - week seven

Another shortened week, as I was at a conference last weekend. So only a small project on my decluttering list.

Our laundry is an awful space to use. It must have been just right in the mid 70s, when the size of the washing machine was most likely a twin tub, which was nowhere near as deep as modern machines. And dryers were a luxury item mostly seen on American sit-coms! So we were doomed before we began with the space.

Over the time we have lived here, I have made multiple attempts at creating storage space from where there is none. (Now if that great, big broom cupboard we turned into a second pantry had been built in the laundry, life would have been much easier!)

In our household, everyone is responsible for their own laundry (except me, who has my cleaner do it!) so the space is actually used by five different adults. It is also where the cat litter tray lives and where all the cleaning supplies and tools are kept.

I had a small, elderly cabinet scavenged from my parent's home which has done it's best to provide storage for some years, but it gets incredibly grotty incredibly quickly! And our cleaner was tending to pile all the cleaning products into a bucket anyway, to carry around the house and this didn't fit on the shelf, so ended  up taking up vital floor space.

The new bins on the old shelves

I was inspired by these at Ikea:

But was even happier to discover these at Officeworks:

Which were much cheaper and much closer to home! 

But they were out of the actual units when I finally went to buy some! So I bought the bins and pondered what to do. Then, when I popped in to the local store near work for some stationery, there they were! So I bought the medium-sized unit and my son assembled it for me.

I am really happy with the result! The cleaner can take them out to transport, I can add/remove or rejig the whole arrangement and it is easily wiped clean. I plan to stock up on the bins to use elsewhere in the house, as they are so inexpensive, and am trying to work out where else I can squeeze some units into - at $59 for the medium, compared to $95 at Ikea, they make for a very affordable option!!!!

52 Weeks o f decluttering - week six

For this week's challenge, I set the kitchen cupboards in my sites.

Our 1970s home has its original kitchen. It is what it is and it does what it needs to do.

The "built in pantry" was a new concept when it was built and it is amusing that the "built in broom cupboard" beside it was actually bigger! (shakes head at 1970s male architects). Once we worked out converting the broom cupboard to a second pantry was a smarter use of space, food storage became much easier.

My life-time collection of Tupperware Modular Mates containers have stood the test of time. They hold our dry goods - I have a very low packet-tolerance going back to when I first set up home by myself: mouse, cereal pack. Beginning of Tupperware obsession! That was 30 years ago next month!!!!!!!

Anyhow, back to now. Although I routinely sort things out every few months, I really wanted to revise the whole set up this time. As our children have grown to adults, one has moved to her own nest and the other two share cooking duties with their parents, our family diet has changed and evolved. Where once each had a basket for their school snacks, now there is no need, for example.

We grocery shop once a month, sometimes in person, sometimes online, depending on my energy, time and availability of a slave assistant. So we need to keep a supply of goods to last the four weeks between pays. Our meat, fresh produce, bread and milk are delivered through the week on standing orders with Aussie Farmers.

So here are my before pictures:

Still home to the vacuum,
the converted broom cupboard

Molly showing you where her treats live!

Shelf by shelf, I worked through, clearing, cleaning and replacing. I kept a running list of supplies to be restocked as I went and threw out a few expired or mystery items.

And here is the after:

Back in order

Didn't touch the pet food shelf - dog was excited enough!

I also introduced a new storage option - my healthy food cupboard! I had already been using the lower shelf for my supplies to make my steel cut oats in winter, and my Goddess smoothie supplies had begun to join them :) So, as I sorted out our pantry supplies today, I decided to make the move more permanent! My plans include buying new seals for my Tupperware, so everything in this cupboard is blue, leaving the yellow to the main pantry. (Have even placed the order!) Hoping that assists any helper fairies! 

My healthy cupboard

So Sunday, I tackled the next on the hit list - the cupboard above the stove where we keep our herbs/spices and cooking oils etc. And a rarely-touched alcohol supply!

Good bones but lack of exercise!

I had the structure in place, put there years ago, but sharing the space with others who shop and cook had seen a clash in buying and storage preferences! It was time to push the rest button.

I use empty pesto jars to store things - they are perfect and DH made the shelves for them. But you can see the girls prefer the jars from Masterfoods and McCormicks! LOL! I buy the packets because they are cheaper and decant them. (Someone who is female, lives here and isn't me had bought multiples of ground ginger!)

I now have a list of new residents who require pesto jars and they will join us over the next few weeks. The right hand rack on the door is now dedicated to salts and peppers, while the left one accomodates those commercial jars who remain. The oils/vinegars/soy sauce bottles are corralled in their space and the top shelf is now fully living up to its name!

Calm restored

I also decided to tackle the cupboard where we keep our drinking utensils, but forgot to take a before shot in my enthusiasm! But here is the after:

Switched - the glass-ware was on the bottom shelf, but we rarely use it.

Finally, thew Tupperware cupboard was brought back in order - a thankless task, because everyone chucks stuff in the wrong places! Especially the much-maligned (but wonderful) cleaner. I took out a box that was holding the "Heat and Eat" containers - want to get a slightly bigger one to replace it. The boxes act like drawers. Also read my son the "riot act" about mis-matching seal and base colours (tutt, tutt) when he freezes his spaghetti bolognese - luckily he shares my OCD traits and has promised never to do so again ;)

It is a simple system - I even use pictures from a catalogue! Sigh.

And my vintage shelf Contact survived yet again - each time I think I will remove the last of it and each time, I get lazy about removing the sticky residue! Has actually stood the test of about 20 years quite well - I bet a replacement wouldn't!

52 Weeks of decluttering - week five, part two!

I am taking a break mid-way through my kitchen organising and thought I would answer the prompts on this week's thread at I'm an Organizing Junkie


Questions to ponder:
1.  Name ONE reason you want to get organized.  It will be neat to see the variety of answers.
I have read a few other people's responses to this and observed a common theme of wanting to be "in control". My answer is different and I wonder if that is a reflection on my ten-year journey of organising?


I want to get be organised because:

• it allows me to focus on doing stuff, not being delayed in the process. 
• it removes the pressure for me to have sole responsibility, by allowing others to find/use things
• it reduces mental confusion and physical effort when I have a health flare-up
• we can use what we have without duplicating unnecessarily, better for our environment (personal and global)

2.  What did you organize last week & were you happy with the way it turned out?
I will skip back to the week before, because last week doesn't count.
I organised the hall and linen cupboards and am really happy with the result. And the change of labels for the towels was successful in modifying my cleaner's confusion between bathrooms!

3.  Have you had any breakthroughs or a-ha moments yet?  I would love to hear them!
I have been reminded that the main reason for clutter is having too much of everything. I could never be a minimalist, but it really helps to limit our options to that which we love or use. Our wardrobes become cluttered with clothes we don't wear, we have linen we don't want to use; the kitchen contains food we won't eat and tools we won't use. But we cling onto them because we don't want to be wasteful or we fear not being able to get things again. This mind-set has been passed down to our modern lives from the stories of the Great Depression and two World Wars. But we live in fear of something that will probably never happen and it prevents us enjoying the things we do have, which get trapped amongst the stuff we shouldn't have. 


We also cling to things that represent who we used to be or who we would like to be - for example, I have just moved our wine glasses from an eye level shelf to an out-of-the-way top shelf: I don't drink because of my medication and I don't have friends around to drink like I did a few years ago, so why did they have prime storage real estate and the mugs and cups I use constantly for tea jostled for space? It took maybe ten minutes and now the person I am right now is represented in this cupboard we use every day:" I am a person who drinks tea everyday and has glassware for special occasions like family celebrations."


We also hang on to things people gave us, as gifts or hand-me-downs, even when we don't like/use them.


Anyway, break-time is over, so it back to the coal-face!!!!!

52 Weeks of decluttering - week five

I am here to report that NO decluttering or organising was achieved this week and that is perfectly okay!

Instead, it has been the sort of week where we rely on what has been organised to get us through :) A combination of extreme heat and commitments away from home have left no time or energy to do anything organisational.

So I thought I would share some of my existing systems with you and how thankful I have been for them this week.

• Nappy-bag method - no, everyone relax: nobody is having a baby! However, one of the best tips I ever got as a new mum was to always keep the nappy (diaper) bag stocked and ready to go and to have duplicates of all items so you weren't constantly finding yourself without some essential. Over the years, I have applied this method to the kid's school/swimming/ballet etc bags and now they are all old enough not to have any of those, it is my turn :) Currently, I have:
• Yoga bag - with everything yoga inside, except the clothes. I have a specific bag for yoga, with aids like socks, jacket, towel-mat, water bottle, scarf and more. All I need add is clothes to change into after work, as I head straight to class. I also keep a set of toiletries in the bag to freshen up after the work day. I now keep a yoga mat in the car, as I have several and always used the studio ones, which seemed silly!
• Swimming bag - I attend two water aerobics classes each week, Monday and Friday, at two different pools! My swimming bag is where I store my swimwear and towel, so I don't needlessly have to transfer from a drawer - after they are washed, they go straight back in the bag. I have the most wonderful wet bag I bought at a baby expo I volunteered at - designed for mums using cloth nappies! It gets my wet bathers home from the pool without soaking everything else :) This bag has its own water bottle, plus a set of toiletries - body wash doubles as shampoo. I buy ten class passes for each pool and these live permanently in the bag, so they are never left behind.
• Laptop bag (currently a sleeve) - my work laptop is also my home laptop and the only computer I use, so it goes to the office and back with me three days a week. I have one laptop, but two power leads, so I never have to pack that unless I am at an external location. I also have two sets of USB cables which connect my Blackberry, camera AND my new Kobo (blessed be the people who use standard peripherals!) so I don't have to worry! This means I can charge them ALL through the laptop, but I also keep a second phone charger permanently at the office. And I keep a card reader at the office for uploading photos from my compact point and shoot (which uses a different USB cable :( )
• Handbag - much to the distress of those who put my body back together again (my chiropractor and myotherapist!), I tote a lot of stuff around in my bag :) I HATE being caught without life's essentials! So, I have permanently in there stuff like lip balm, Moo Goo moisturiser, Burt's Bees cuticle balm and other personal care items, I also have tweezers, tiny pliers (jewelery repair) and folding scissors! I keep my compact point and shoot camera in this bag and my retractable Sony headset, plus my wireless internet dongle. I have a tube of Pure Wipes and some Blister Stop. I carry a small tin of almonds for when I need a snack and a sachet of honey if I need a sugar fix (I am a fainter!). Like my mother before me, I carry a tape measure. I have a pen and my Moleskin notebook. Three pairs of glasses (reading sun and distance!). - but have a second pair of reading glasses by my bed.  A post-card sized wallet holds ABA postcards, receipts for petty cash and other active paper. A drink bottle. I just add my phone,  and my new Kobo (:)) and I am ready for anything!
• Shopping bag - I have posted about this before: a tote bag that holds six eco-silk shopping bags, my Fregie Sacks for fresh produce, my Keep Cup and an empty water bottle: all part of my pledge to eliminate disposable items as much as possible. Kept at the foot of the passenger seat in my car, grabbed for every excursion into any retail location, even if I am not planning to buy!
• Dog-walking belt - I love my DOOG Walking Belt which lives in the car, because it is most of use for our regular beach walks. In it are poo bags AND hand wipes (really brilliant!) but I also keep lose change for emergency gelati purchases ;). Hooked on to the belt is a pouch for my Blackberry and yet another water bottle! I plan to buy some sunscreen wipes to keep in here too. And I have some of my Squizz cards, because dog walkers make lovely new friends :)
• Dinner roster - four adults live in this house and four adults share the cooking! The two kids and I do two nights each, while my husband does one. Same nights each week, so nobody can say they forgot. I do Friday - when our fruit and veg box is delivered and Sunday - when I have usually been to a farmers market, so have lots of fresh goodness, which I prefer. We have other deliveries timed perfectly with my son's nights (he cooks spagetti bolgnese and salmon steaks every week), while my daughter draws on her pantry stash of tinned goods - ever the back-packer :). Rod usually cooks some sort of meat and three or more veg on a Saturday.
• Home delivered everything - fruit and veg, meat, bread and milk, monthly groceries! Even when I am too tired/sick/busy to shop, food arrives! Magic!
• Self-serve laundry - to each their own! All the family deal with their own laundry,* fitted into their schedule when it works best for them. Individual laundry hampers. My daughter likes the marathon of lots of clothes, less frequent laundry and major wash days on days off. My husband likes to get it all done on a Sunday, ready for the work week. My son does it when he runs out of clothes! 
• Paid help* - I pay for our cleaner who comes twice-weekly, as a management strategy to allow me to work, rest and play! So as well as all the house cleaning, she does all my personal laundry, plus towels and the bed linen for my husband and I. The kids do their own bed linen. Of the three days I work, one day's pay goes to the cleaner - and I get the four days I don't work to manage my health, community work and home management!
• Sunday night sort - not always Sunday, but mostly, I take 5-10 mins and prepare for the week ahead. I grab yoga clothes and pop them in the bag, return laundered swimwear and towel to that bag, tidy up my handbag and replenish where needed and make sure my phone gets charged etc. I also tidy my wardrobe of anything out of place, so come my work-day mornings, I can calmly and easily get ready. I try to work out what I wear the night before, to save me morning brain-power!

These are just a few of the strategies I have to keep the wheels turning, even when the wheels fall off! The best days are when I come home from work to a freshly cleaned home, with my laundry folded or put away, the fridge and pantry are full and there is a home-cooked meal underway  - it is like having a WIFE or MOTHER!!!!!! LOL!

52 Weeks of decluttering - week four, part two!

Just a quick note to share my attempt to resolve the towel confusion situation.

If this doesn't help, I will just throw all the towels away and buy white for everyone!

Towel Storage for Dummies!

BTW, I have the same system for towels as bed linen - two sets, one on, one off. I trained my family to rehang their towels years ago by fining them 50 cents for every towel found lurking in bedrooms or on the bathroom floor. It is now a family joke, but it used to reap a fortune for our Kris Kringle jar!

52 Weeks o f decluttering - week four

Patting myself on the back this week, as I got some serious decluttering and organising happening!

My target was our hall cupboards and linen cupboard. In the original design circa 1970s, the cupboard was a double hanging area, one assumes for coats. Probably really useful in a climate that includes ice and snow in winter, but slightly overkill in our temperate zone! So after we moved in, I added storage shelves. The linen cupboard alongside lost its floor storage to the ducted heating vent when we installed that.

Over the years the space has severed in a variety of ways. Now it is back to just being a general household storage zone. A good attempt was made by Melissa to stretch the space allocated to her sewing supplies, however I also had that in my sights this week!

I use the top shelf to store bed linen, which is separated into individual sets. I like the system of storing each set in a pillowcase, but my cleaner doesn't, so she just stacks! However, I was all getting a bit out-of-control so needed revisiting! Our collection of white bed linen had accumulated far too many pillowcases: each time I replace a worn out sheet or quilt cover, I end up with non-optional pillow cases!!! So I went through and selected my preferred ones (with the highest thread count) then moved the overflow to the "Spare/Guest" section. I plan to dye them in various colours to match with the kids sets . So now our stack is back to basics: I only have two full sets of linen for our bed, one on/one off. My cleaner changes and launders them once a week and cycles them through on the one day, so no need to have extras causing clutter. I also have this system for my son and did have for my daughter until she began buying her own: she now has four sets and not enough shelf room! mmm ... she plans leaving home soon, so I will be patient!

The next shelf down holds our small collection of place mats and tablecloths, whittled down over the years because we don't actually use them regularly, so they were just clutter. We also keep beach towels here.

The original third shelf had been removed without trace at some point (I have no memory why!) and that really affected the efficiency of the space, so we replaced that. the idea of this storage area (which is "high rent" storage real estate) is that it is for items that are used occasionally but regularly. What had started to happen (again) was it turned into a dumping ground for "I don't know where it goes" stuff! My intention is that everything has a home, but there are four of us living here!

I spent much of Monday afternoon sorting through all the STUFF and making good use of my sorting baskets - Throw Away, Give Away and Put Away. I good load wen off to Savers and a satisfactory lot went into the bin/recycling. I also separated out stuff that doesn't rate the real estate and shipped that to the storage unit (why were decades of xrays and scans in there, when the only time they are ever needed is when I see my neurologist once in two years?)

I had been accumulating used gift bags for reuse, but they had been joined by branded store bags, so those all went to recycling and I moved the gift bags into a flat plastic crate. And as I never, ever use gift wrap and certainly wasn't going to use the cheap rolls bought years ago, I shipped them off to Savers.

Electric extension leads etc were wrangled into a labelled box (again!) and assorted camera gear has a box of its own. Melissa is allowed a couple of her plastic sewing storage boxes, but the rest are in HER storage unit (did I mention she plans to move out??)

The purple crates hold my resting craft tools/supplies - like my pottery tools etc. Stuff i wouldn't want to replace but aren't in use for now.

Floor space is left clear for the portable air conditioner to sit - it is currently out being used.

Next cupboard over is the linen cupboard.

This space gives me more angst than it should! You will see the shelves are labelled - we had a cleaner a couple of years ago who was HOPELESS at putting anything away, so there are labels all over the kitchen and cupboards (still didn't help her!) and we just left them for future. But this is how it looked when I opened the door - the empty space is marked "bathroom" Those purple towels are in the space marked "ensuite"and those green towels should be in it! The purple ones should be in the space marked "bathroom". Now, that sounds uber-OCD, but it fascinates me! And then when I came home yesterday, she had moved them BACK after I moved them on Wednesday! Am thinking she is confused by the "Bathroom/ensuite" termonology, so considering changing to colour labels!

That top shelf was cluttered by Kaitlyn's "memory box" so she came and collected it yesterday! ( I think that was the last of her stuff!!)

Now there is room for the pet blankets, next t the blankets and throw rungs (the blankets are missing, being washed!)

(The towels look a little sad because there was a load on the line!)

The baskets hold face washers and wheat bags.

So now I just need to train the cleaner and I should be able to return to "set and forget" mode with this one!

I also cleared out the big bottom drawer in the big dresser in the bedroom, which stored memorabilia which was already decluttered - I moved those into a plastic storage box and used the drawer to hold cushions. A smaller drawer also got a big declutter - the big achievement there was I could finally reunite all 7 cassette tapes of the Chronicles of Narnia, which got split years ago! Not that we use cassette tapes anymore, but I kept them on principle!

Next target - kitchen cupboards, especially the out of reach ones and their secrets!

http://orgjunkie.com/52-weeks

52 Weeks o f decluttering - week three

My main achievement this week has been more on the organising side and less decluttering - as the year starts to get busy again, I have spent some time organising my car. Even though I no longer spend the time I once did managing "mum's taxi", my own commitments see me on the road most days: three days commuting to work and two weekdays and the weekend balancing home, health and community responsibilities.

Back in the days when I worked five days a week and spent an hour travelling each way, I learned that it pays to keep stuff on hand that you might just need. Here are some the essentials I keep on board:

• Enviro shopping bags: I now have a system where all my ecosilk and fregie sack bags are corralled into one tote bag, which I grab and take with me on any shopping trip, large or small. Also keep a refillable water bottle and a keep cup in there, to prevent the "I forgot" scenario!
• Weather kit: I have been caught too many times with our variable and unreliable climate, so now I am ready for just about everything nature can throw at me! As well as umbrellas, I have some of those throwaway ponchos an my gum boots (wellies, rain boots!); I also keep a long sleeved sweatshirt for when it is colder than predicted and for our summer, there is a hat, parasol, sunscreen, insect repellent and water bottles!
• Overnight bag: this is a new addition, which I have been meaning to do for ages. A small duffle bag holds nightwear, toiletries and a change of clothes (including shoes), plus medications for three days. The recent floods motivated me to get this sorted!
• Just in case: as well as a first aid kit, there is a bag of dog bits and pieces; personal care stuff; reading material; a rug and cushion; spare bathers and towel; pen and notebook and other odds and ends - If I get stuck somewhere I am ready for just about everything!

My work organising this week consisted of relocating all those archive files to my storage unit , making use of the space freed up by our working bee and getting them out from under my feet at the office. I might even be able to claim some of the rental on my tax!

So not a lot of use of my three sorting baskets this week, but clearing the decks for future progress!

I bought a set of these last year - best organising purchase ever!
From Flylady, of course!

http://orgjunkie.com/52-weeks