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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

2017 Mission: Declutter

This month I've been following Laura @ theturquoisehome.com and trying to keep up with her  30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge.  I will admit I feel like I'm making some headway here and can't wait to say, "it's done!"  
Check it out here, it's not too late to start!





  I've discovered some tried an true rules to follow on my kid room clean-out jobs:



1. Schedule a donation pick-up before you begin.
This sets a "deadline" for your clutter and stops you (or anyone else in the home) from digging through the donation bags while they are waiting to be picked up!  I use the Vietnam Vets at pickupplease.org. They come in 24 hours on most dates.  They have been to my house three times this month already, maybe I'll leave them a snack next time.




2. Be picky about what you save for "hand-me-downs" between kids.
I have four boys, so naturally I saved everything to pass on to the rest...not knowing how different their build, height, and fashion sense would become.  I discovered 3 bins of out-of-style clothes I saved that have been taking up precious space in a closet.  Take it from me and only keep dress clothes and dress shoes.  (These don't seem to vary much in a few years time, and the cut in dress shirts/pants are pretty consistent for all builds).


3.  Start with storage areas first.
This is pretty obvious, yet I never start with an area that people can't see.  My first reaction is to pick up what is out and put things away.  You can't effectively put anything away if the storage area is full of too small, old, unused clothing.  Organize the closet and dressers, then focus on filling them. 


4. My final rule..Don't try to build Rome.  
Focusing on just one room or one closet at a time has made the task seem achievable.  Don't try to clean out all of the closets or everyone's dresser drawers in one shot.  You'll just get overwhelmed and give up.
After my home is all tidied up...I've got some fun blog changes to share, including a new site that's under construction! 
Thanks for visiting