Clearing the Clutter

**I added a 5th category, as I’m sure you have deduced from the title**

Want a cleaner home? Own less stuff. Seriously, it’s that simple. I have been working on clearing out and organizing our home for over a year now. Most areas are sorted but I still have one that is a mess and hasn’t been touched in the basement. Honestly I’m a little sad that I’m almost finished. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who likes to get rid of things but a couple of years ago my friend, Michelle, said something (sarcastically) to me along the lines of, “If you guys ever move, you’re going to have a fun time with all of your stuff.” I was somewhat offended; like what does she mean, “all our stuff?” I didn’t think we just had a bunch of junk stashed away. Over the years our basement has become the catcher of things that I didn’t know what else to do with. My sister-in-law and friend, Lori, and I have a yard sale every year so I feel like I do a pretty good job of ridding the house of things we no longer need or want. However, I realized there were things I didn’t think to get rid or that we definitely didn’t need and just took up space. Thus began my Ebay selling hobby. I started listing things that I knew I wouldn’t even try to sale in the yard sale because people are cheap and I would never get out of it what it’s worth. Some will try to talk you down to a quarter on your jeans marked for one dollar that you paid $35 for and are still in great shape. I’m not sure why I even bother with the yard sale. It’s a huge task to mark all your stuff, drag it wherever you’re having the sale, beg people to borrow tables, haul those too, sort all the stuff and set it out, cover it and uncover it, hope it doesn’t rain, take the day off work, socialize with people, pack all your crap back up when it’s over, and haul it again—usually to the Salvation Army. All of that for not nearly enough money. Shirts I’ve sold on Ebay go for three times as much as I would get out of them at the yard sale!

Anyway, this is totally not going to be a motivational blog about reasons to sell on Ebay. The point  is that once I started  selling on Ebay and making money that made it worth my time, sorting my stuff and ridding the house of it became fun! I’ve always loved to organize, even as a kid. My mom used to love rainy days because I was especially fond of cleaning the shelves in the bathroom when I got bored and couldn’t play outside. I also used to dump everything out of the desk drawers in my room onto the floor and then arrange it all back in neatly. This is still how my process goes sometimes, ask Philip and the girls at the office 😂🤷🏻‍♀️. 

Sooooooo, if you’re looking for a way to get started with your own decluttering, I suggest you start with one room in your house, particularly the one that drives you the most crazy, make a list of what you would like to do, and get started. I started in the kitchen because that is where we spend the most time. I found a list on Pinterest called 100 Thing You Should Throw Away and tagged the things that were in the kitchen and made my way through the list. Of course, I don’t really advocate for actually throwing things away if they are still good and can be used by someone else. Those things you donate or sell. Only throw things away if they are broken and can’t be fixed. 

The next step after decluttering is to organize what’s left. We have a drawer of measuring utensils that was always a mess and we couldn’t find things when we needed them. Below is the solution I came up with. 

Now, you may be wondering why we have two sets of measuring spoons and my answer is, we actually have three. The third set is in the back of the drawer and doesn’t get used often. We both like to cook and I don’t like to put plastic in the dishwasher so the measuring spoons get washed by hand. They may or may not get washed right away so having two (or three) sets is handy for us. Also, having a set hanging on either side makes the drawer even, duh 🙄😉 (I know I’m a weirdo).

The next solution has made our addiction to travel coffee cups and reusable water bottles a more manageable storage situation. I actually put this wine rack in the yard sale a couple of years ago because it was just hanging out in the basement with lots of other bar ware that never got used, in the room where the bar never got built. I saw this storage “hack” on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea so I took the rack back and am very happy with the end result.

Another kitchen quick fix I used in the pantry is shown below. We ordered some knives and received a magnet strip to keep them on. However, that didn’t really work for our kitchen so I installed it in the pantry instead. I had extra magnetic bins that were just living on the side of the fridge, empty, so I brought them over to use for storing all the condiments that get thrown in the bottom of fast food bags. I rarely eat from Long John Silver’s because even the thought evokes a stomachache, however, I love their tartar sauce. So whenever I do decide to take the plunge and willingly make myself sick by eating it, I save the extra sauce to use with my homemade battered fish fillets. I also keep Arby’s sauce and Taco Bell’s taco sauce. The packets used to be all over the place so finding a storage solution was a must for my sanity. This works well and looks decent so I’m happy with it. 

The best part about having an organized home is not having to look for things. My system isn’t perfect yet(..it will be 😉), but Philip’s “husband eyes” are improving. What are “husband eyes,” you ask? The inability to find most things on his own. I love when he asks me where something is, I tell him, and he tells me it’s not there. I love it! It makes me laugh when I go and look and it is. This happens less often nowadays though . Now he likes to tell me I used my “wife eyes” if I look and can’t find something 😂. I suppose I shouldn’t label it in such a sexist way; there are definitely women who can’t find things either…right, Marsha? 😝 She just tells me she can’t find it so I’ll do it for her. Is it lazy or genius? You can decide. 

Stay tuned for more home decluttering and organization tips in the future. I’ll have some pretty cool bathroom tips in the next edition of Clearing the Clutter!

In keeping with tradition, Sansa is here to wish you good night!