Clutter Control in 2012

The arrival of our precious Bunny made one thing obvious to MM and I; WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!!  We knew that adding a 3rd person to our 880 sq. ft. home would make things, well, cozy, but we didn't realize just how cozy we'd be.  Just sitting down in the living room requires navigating a labyrinth of baby furniture, relocated adult furniture, toys, blankets, and etc., usually with the added challenge of clinging to a squirming 4 1/2-month old or a plate of food.  We have too much of everything.  Too much furniture, too many clothes, too many unused items stowed away in the deep recesses of our closets and cupboards taking up precious storage space from those items we use.  Unfortunately that means that those items we use end up strewn about in inconvenient places, like the floor in the guest room/office.

I am not typically a "resolution" kind of gal.  They usually end up being things like "lose 100 lbs", "save a million dollars", "open my own restaurant", and etc.  I'm not against them per se, but I know that they just don't pan out for me.  Lose 100 lbs?  Yeah, right, is that a cookie?  Save a million?  Oh please.  We have things to pay for!  Open my own restaurant?  You cray-cray, girlfriend!  But, if I were to admit that I was making a New Year's Resolution, this year it would be to de-clutter.  I don't want to just de-clutter my home, I want to de-clutter my whole life.  I am adopting a new personal mantra, courtesy of William Morris; "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful".  Thank you, Mr. Morris.  I will take your words to heart.

For so long I've been crippled by the thought that my getting rid of things given to me by special people would hurt their feelings or cause some ridiculous confrontation.  Well, I'm done thinking that.  A survey of Americans showed that having a disorganized, cluttered home results in an average of 40% more time spent cleaning.  I'm POSITIVE that my family would rather I get rid of a few things so that I can cut down on cleaning time and spend more time with my daughter, my husband, my family, and my friends.  If they feel otherwise, they don't care much about me or my loved ones anyways, so it's a moot point.

Baby steps are the key to survival for me and this "resolution", so I started small.  Without further adieu, here is our medicine cabinet makeover.  It took all of 20 minutes, but has already paid off in making it easier for us to find our and Bunny's medications

Before and After

 

Shelf One: before and after

 

Shelf Two: before and after

 

My tools:

 The project was easy enough to get started.  The first thing I did was purchase the storage containers.  I got them at Dollar General and paid $2.50 for each of the small ones and $3.50 for each of the big ones.  I didn't actually measure the cabinet before, but I figured I would return them if they were too wide and knew that the shelves of the cabinet were adjustable if they were too small.  The label maker was part of my Christmas present from my grandparents.

After gathering my supplies, a bag for medication disposal, and the trash can, I began to sort.  Expired medication went into the bag right away (to be disposed of by our local pharmacy), the non-medicine items were moved to the side so that I could find new homes for them, and, finally, the remaining medicines were sorted into 4 categories:  Bunny's Meds, MM and I's Meds, Misc Meds, and First Aid.  The sorted meds were then placed into their corresponding bins, then bins were labeled, and voila!  It's so much nicer to look at and I know that it will be a breeze for Bun's babysitters to find her stuff without any problems now.  That is a big weight lifted off this concerned Momma's shoulders!

So, yes, I have rung in the new year with change on my mind.  I am one small step closer to everything having a place in my home.  I know the medicine cabinet was easy and that some hard de-cluttering decisions are in my future, but I am more than ready to tackle the task in order to give Bun a clutter-free home that her parents spent more time loving her in than cleaning.

Thanks for reading and God Bless!