Purging the Clutter Monster: Kid's Clothes

Sometimes, I look at my son and can't believe how big he has grown. He recently moved into wearing 4T clothing. I am in disbelief that the tiny little baby that I brought home from the hospital less than four years ago could be such a big (little) boy now. Such is life. Children grow quickly and that cute outfit that you purchased at Gymboree with the matching hat is worn only a few times before he outgrows it overnight.

For years, I've been stockpiling outgrown shirts, pants, pajamas and onesies. There was a time when I easily had ten to fifteen large plastic totes lining (and filling) the shelves in our basement storage area. I figured that one day we might have another little boy to wear them and it would be silly to clear them out only to have to purchase new clothing. The thing is, my son is nearly four. Some of these items have been stored in plastic totes for almost four years. Sure, we may have another child at some point, but it isn't a guarantee that if we do have another that it will be a boy. A few months ago, I decided that it was time to let them go to new homes. I pulled out a handful of favorites to keep (less than one tote's worth) and the rest were up for grabs.

After offering them up to friends first, the rest, along with a few toys, are heading to a local kids consignment sale today. With minimal effort (placing items on hangers and printing out computer generated tags,) I have the opportunity to earn 70% of the sale price. I've never participated before, but I've heard great reviews. After the sale, I will pick up any left over items and donate them to a local charity shop. My son gains space in his closet, I gain space in our basement, and someone else has the opportunity to purchase high quality gently worn clothing for their child that might not otherwise have the option to buy new.

 

 

This was the scene when I dropped off my items and they still have drop off appointments through the rest of today. It is going to be packed with merchandise. I was given an early shopping pass since I am a seller, but since my child needs nothing. I will be offering it up to friends in the area. This specific sale (KidStuff Consignment Sale) is located in New Albany, Indiana this weekend, but if you do a quick internet search for seasonal kids consignment sales, you are bound to find one in your area.

Purging the Clutter Monster: Master Closet -Part 1

We are finally getting back into a routine after a two week fall break. I dropped my little guy off at preschool and I am currently enjoying three whole hours of quiet! Not to say we didn't have a great time together during his time off. We slept in until almost 9 am every morning which was amazing and we played games and generally just slowed down. I often forget how much we need that every now and again.

I've been spending my evenings reading the Becoming Minimalist Blog and it not only compliments what I'm trying to accomplish with the 31 Day Purge from A Bowl Full of Lemons, but also provides some great tips and philosophy on why it is important to loose the clutter from our lives. I don't know if I will ever be able to consider myself a minimalist, but if purging items makes my life simpler and more enjoyable, I'm game.

Yesterday, I was motivated and began purging my closet. I decided that I'd be a crazy person to try to do the whole thing at one time so I focused on the top rack which contains both long sleeved and short sleeved shirts. In addition, I purged my sock drawers (I am happy to say I am now down to a single drawer,) my winter accessories, my T-shirts, and my hats. The result was one and a half garbage bags full of items that will be heading to a local charity shop. I pulled out a handful of really nice high end pieces to take to a local consignment shop, but everything else is already packed into my car ready to drop off on the way home after preschool pick up.

I still have quite a bit of work ahead of me to get my closet cleaned out, but if I tackle a section and a few drawers every few days, it will be complete before I know it. I didn't get to this point overnight, and I accept that it will take some time to dig myself out, but I feel that I'll be happier without all of the excess.

Purging the Clutter Monster: Games

Today's challenge was to purge games. We keep games in two places: the playroom and in our hall closet. The playroom shelves have recently been purged since we had a neighborhood yard sale a few weeks ago and we already have a great storage solution for puzzles, but our closet needed some attention. I took everything out, checked to make sure that all the game pieces were accounted for, and then repositioned them neatly.

 I'm sure some of our games will be purged in the future, but my son is just getting into them and most are under a year old. Ideally, I'd like for the games to move down to the playroom, but right now we seem to end up playing with these favorites in our main living area frequently, so they are more accessible in the hall closet. While I wasn't able to purge many games, I was able to purge a few winter coats while tidying up the games, so I'll call that a success.

Purging the Clutter Monster: The Pantry

As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm participating in the 31 Day Clutter Purge over on A Bowl Full of Lemons. Check out the before and after photos of my pantry purge:

This job took me way longer than anticipated since my three year old insisted on "helping" me with the process, but it is finished and I love the fact that I can see what we have in the pantry at a glance rather than digging around or in some cases, making an unneeded purchase because I couldn't find an ingredient I was looking for.

In the process of organizing my pantry, I discovered an awesome range of food storage canisters from OXO. They are airtight and stackable:



 

I purchased a set similar to these at Sam's Club for $79, so if you have a Sam's Club membership it might be a good idea to check there first. I'd like to get a second set eventually so all of my pastas and snacks can have neatly organized homes, but until then, I'm happy with my progress.

Purging the Clutter Monster: October Challenge!

 

It's October, and what better time to tackle that scary clutter monster?

 
    I've joined the purge challenge hosted by A Bowl Full of Lemons. I'm in desperate need of some de-cluttering around my house, so when A Bowl Full of Lemons Blog announced their 31 day purge, I was definitely on board. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I needed this.

   My cleaning lady isn't allowed to clean my office due to the outrageous piles of stuff that has take up residence in that room. It is seriously an embarrassment. My husband jokes that all he owns are some clothes, tennis racquets, and his toothbrush and that the rest of the contents of our house are mine. Sadly, he isn't too far off. Between my love of all things crafty, teaching supplies, vintage finds, and party supplies there isn't room for much more. The excess really wasn't as noticeable before we had our son. I was able to squirrel away items in closets or tuck them away into cabinets, but with the added toys, books, and other kid stuff, I've lost some of my nooks and crannies. The result is a clutter monster that tries to escape into the common areas of our home almost daily.

   Don't get me wrong, I have some great stuff and I feel fortunate to have such excess, but when quantity starts to trump quality of life you know it is time to let it go and get things under control. I'm currently on day three of the challenge and so far I've tackled my pantry and my magazine obsession. Today, I'm moving onto my dresser drawers. Join the purge party at A Bowl Full of Lemons Blog and get your clutter monster under control.

* Like the monster art? Learn how to make your own cute little monster image using the Create a Cute Furry Vector Monster in Illustrator tutorial.

The Bin System: Organizing My Child's Messy Room

My three year old's room is always a mess. It doesn't matter if I spend two hours or two days straightening everything up into their assigned baskets and on their assigned shelves. If he is allowed to play for fifteen minutes, my hard work is instantly undone. I don't know if I should scream, laugh, or cry.

I came across this post yesterday and found it to be an interesting perspective:

 

While I can't imagine tossing all of my son's toys, the idea of living a simpler life (with less items to create less mess) is appealing. Instead of sending his treasured items to the curb, I've decided to try an out of sight out of mind approach that I hope will help control the clutter. I'm calling this idea "The Bin Project."

 

I've gathered bins (with lids) in various sizes and each bin will house a different type of toy. For example, all of his Disney Cars will be kept in a bin, all of his Trash Pack figures will share a bin, Jake and the Neverland Pirates toys will call another bin home, etc. We already sort the toys by type, so this part isn't exactly new. The difference will be in how the toys are accessed and the frequency in which toys will be available.

Once the bins are assigned and filled (and labeled in the near future) they will be placed on a storage rack in our basement storage room. Two bins can be "checked out" at a time and taken into my son's bedroom. He can keep the bins in his room for as long as he wants, but if he wants a different bin, he must first place everything back in his bins and exchange one of his bins for a different bin on the storage rack. I'm also thinking that there needs to be some sort of limit on how often bins can be exchanged, but I haven't worked that out yet.

Here is the progress that has been made so far today:

 



These items are ready to be transferred to the basement into the toy storage area. It will undoubtedly take me a few more days to sort through the rest of his items and start our new Bin System, but I'll be sure to write about the progress (and pitfalls) along the way.

Storage Solution: Puzzles!

  Puzzles are HUGE at our house. My little guy loves to sit by himself and work through them and I love that he can work quietly and independently and give me a little break. The great thing about puzzles is that they are cheap entertainment and you can find some really cute ones at the Dollar Store. The bad thing is that puzzle pieces are small, their pieces can be easily lost, and they come in tiny boxes of various shapes that are a nightmare to store.

 

 

  I found these great zipper pencil pouches at Big Lots in the school supply aisle for $1 each and their uses are truly endless. Each pouch has a durable plastic window on the front so you can easily see what is stored inside. When I was trying to figure out a better storage solution for our crazy mess of puzzles, I decide that these pouches would provide the perfect solution. First, I cut the front of each puzzle box and placed it in the front of the pouch and then stored the puzzle pieces behind the cardboard picture. Each puzzle is contained in its own little pouch and multiple pouches fit in a storage bin neatly tucked away until next time.