Done with Stuff

My family has too much stuff.  I'm done storing it.  I'm done cleaning it.  I'm done letting it stress me out.

It's  been almost 6 months since we moved into this house.  And half of our garage is filled with boxes that still need to be unpacked.  Only half because I made room to squeeze my car in a few months ago.  (Side note: did you know that you can put a car in a garage?  Well, my car has never lived in a garage before.  We feel very special, my car and I).

Most mornings, by the time I get home from dropping the kids off at school, Chloe is napping in her carseat.  So I've been taking advantage of that {short} time and going through a few boxes at a time.  Trash, give away, or put away.  Really, it only takes about 10 minutes max to get through a box.  I'm really seeing a difference.  (Oh my goodness, maybe one day we will be able to get 2 cars in the garage!!! Okay, slow down, Rebecca, don't get ahead of yourself.)

So anyway, this morning I got to a couple of boxes labeled photos and books.  Why am I storing photos in the garage?  I came across a great article a few months back from Orgjunkie.com on organizing photos - I'm going to give her method a shot. 

And the books?  I love my books.  But I'm lucky to have time to sit and read a book one time.  I think I'm keeping them for someday when I have unlimited time to read.  Well, that isn't happening anytime soon.  So, I will keep some of them, but most of them are going away. 

I know getting organized is not an overnight process.  (Although maybe with enough coffee it could be?)
And I'm nowhere near ready to live a minimalist life.  But I've let our STUFF take over our lives, and I've had enough.  My goal is to stop storing our stuff.  Garage stuff will live in the garage.  Tools, holiday decorations, sports & camping equipment...and a car (or two!)


Wish me luck!!

Project Simplify - Hot Spot #1 - My Closet

So I thought that I was excited to organize my house.  In my head, I can see the finished product and it's fabulous.  "A place for everything and everything in its place."  And getting there was going to be a piece of cake.  Right?  Right!

Then, along comes "Project: Simplify" from Simple Mom - what better way to get started than to follow along with another blogger's challenge, right? Work right alongside others who are in the same unorganized boat that I'm in! Right? Right!

Oh, but then Ms. Simple Mom has to start off with our own closets.  Um, no! Hello...still losing baby weight, still breastfeeding - not MY closet, I'm not ready! And there I was, making up excuses as to why I couldn't possibly play along.  And I was so justified.  Before I even got halfway through her instructions, my mind was made up - I was excused from this exercise.

O. K. FINE.  (Dragging feet, rolling eyes - my son's attitude has rubbed off a little on me).
Hmph.
I'll just take a peek in my closet.
Maybe I can do this.

And just like that, it came to me...Yes I Can!


And now I'm once again excited about organizing.  I realize that I will have a shelf (or 2) of clothes that I can't fit into yet.  But I realized several things will happen by the end of this task:

1.  I will have gotten rid of clothes that I don't like and that have never looked good on me, no matter what size I am.
2.  I will have a section of clothes that I KNOW I can wear NOW, so that on a rushed morning I can just grab something and go - no need to try on, get frustrated, and be irritated with myself
3.  I will finally get rid of my maternity clothes.  It's embarassing, and I can't believe I'm admitting it here, but sometimes I still wear some of my maternity t-shirts.  I mean, they're so comfy, and so easy to nurse in.  And I never intend to leave the house in them, but something almost always comes up, and there I am, in public, in my maternity clothes, with my 7 month old.  Yes, time to end that nonsense.

BEFORE PICTURES (Stay tuned for the after pics)

Misc. shirt drawer  - quick, find the white tank. No, not that one.  And not that one either.  No, that one fits funny...

The shelf in my closet that holds things that I try on, don't fit, and then get tossed up there in frustration. That's productive, I know.

Can you spot any specific piece of clothing?  Me neither. (This is another - try it on, can't wear it, toss it up there place to store clothes. I obviously don't fold the pieces that frustrate me.  Shoved in a heap on a shelf is a much better solution).

Full view of my closet.  I'm lucky, it's big.  But, that's no excuse to keep clothes that don't work for me. Oh, and the boxes of stuff that I still haven't gone through since we moved in October - those should probably go.

Okay, ready...set...here I go!!!