Do we all remember my Ungrateful list where I mentioned that I was ungrateful for a small house that I couldn't sell because I owed too much? Well, I looked around at all the beautiful HUGE houses on MLS for a few days (even drove out to see one or two) and then I plucked myself out of dream land and back into reality and decided to love on my house a bit more because really, it is a perfectly wonderful house and suits our needs just fine--I just needed to adjust my attitude a little bit. I needed to
choose to be content. This feeling of discontent combined with the feeling of "holy crap, there are so many messes in my house!" led me to this great challenge on Pinterest to declutter your home in 40 days.
The Goal:
To spend less than 30 minutes a day on a specific area of the home AND to find 10 items to get rid of each day.
It seemed manageable--just a 15-30 min project each day and by the end I would have rid my house of at least 400 unnecessary things. It feels like a project that is right and good for me right now so I started on Monday.
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| Instagram can make even a mess look pretty :) |
On the first day I cleaned out our book shelves (all of them). On the second day I tackled the kitchen, going through each cupboard and getting rid of the things I never use and rearranging the things I do. That took me two days. I'm saving my recipe cabinet for a day of its own. Tim caught the bug as well and cleaned up all the papers/binders/etc. that were clogging up his side of the bed (without me asking). Then he got ambitious and cleaned out all the stuff that was underneath our bed.
I've kind of been amazed at all the multiples of things I have. I had 4 half used muffin cup liners and 5 jars of nutmeg. We also had double of all the church handbooks--that's not necessary. I've never thought of myself as a pack rat or a hoarder--I enjoy purging every so often, so I've been a bit shocked at all the extras that have built up. I've also been able to ask myself if I'm using the space I do have efficiently or am I wasting opportunities. The author of this challenge totally called me out when she asked if I was in need of more storage bins and/or baskets to store things rather than just editing what I already possessed. If I have anything to do with it, I will NEVER have a storage unit and my garage will ALWAYS be used for my cars.
Care to join me? You can find more info
HERE.
7 comments:
Haha. Good job! One of my other friends was 'complaining' about her home being too small as well and I suggested she take her five children camping for a week and see how she feels about their home then. Lol. Only because I felt so grateful after each camping trip this year. :)
P.S. I might buy that book you suggested. Although....one review is keeping me from doing it.
Jenny and I Love that book. Isn't that review enough? ;)
Awesome idea. I love purging so much. My kid are always clutching at their stuff when I walk into their rooms. Have you read it's all too much by Peter Walsh? He is a dejunking genius.
What book??
I love the idea of the decluttering, but part of me is afraid of looking at it! Plus, Derek is naturally inclined towards being a clean freak, I feel that's enough motivation in my life. OR, I could do the 40-day house detox and surprise his socks off. Decisions, decisions....
The healthy sleep habit book. My friend is having troubles with a toddler right now.
Thanks for some motivation. This is something I really want to do!
Healthy sleep habits is like my parenting bible!
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