Did you get your windows/glass/pictures cleaned?

Well, true to word, I cleaned the inside of the windows in the house and any and all pictures whether hanging on the walls or sitting on a table or shelf. I have to tell you that on a day like today with the sun shining so brightly outside, you can really see the difference in the rooms of my house. Clean windows let so much more of that wonderful sunshine in which makes the rooms look so much bigger and brighter.

That was pretty easy to do and a great way to start off spring cleaning.

Now we are going to set the chore for the week. Here's where you need 3 trash bags or paper grocery bags or whatever you want to use. As you have time this next week, we're going to go through the closets and drawers and pull out what we don't need or want or use.

Here's where the 3 bags come into play. One is for items still in good enough condition that they can be donated somewhere. The second is for the items that are still in really good shape that you can take to a local consignment shop and the third is for the items that you wouldn't even give to your dog. Get the picture. Now here's is something I really want you to think about....the Consignment shops. Now they take a lot more items than they used to. If you think they will possibly take it then put it in that bag first. The worst that happens is that they won't take it and you end up adding it to the donated items bag(s). Might as well make as much money as you possible can out of cleaning things out.

Now here's the part where we are going to be realistic. We all have clothes in our closets and drawers that are the "wish I could fit into that" clothes. Here's the rule. If you are a 10 and it is an 8, you can keep it. If it is a 6 or smaller, get rid of it. You are only allowed to keep clothes you can currently wear or are 1 size off. Anything else, get rid of. The reason is simple....by the time you get yourself motivated to get back into the 6 and actually fit back into the six, odds are it will be out of style, date, etc. If you can't possibly fit back into it, it's outta there. Goes for closets and drawers.

This clean out includes book cases as well. Rule of thumb, when you pick up a book off your shelf if you can't remember when the last time you read it was, donate it to the local library. This goes for cookbooks, children's book, etc. The only exception is the how to fix something in your house books or reference books that you truly use. For example, I have a Reader's Digest book on plants/animals. I refer to it a couple of times a year when I am trying to identify the obvious plant or bird. The books I purchased while stranded in an airport in North Carolina due to weather, they get donated. I've read them and the odds of me reading them again are slim. Same goes for the cookbooks. If you haven't made a recipe from that cookbook in over 6 months, it goes.

Don't forget your kitchen drawers and cabinets. You wouldn't believe how many gadgets you have in your kitchen drawers, along with rubber bands or take out menus (how many do you really need from one place), etc., that you will find in your kitchen drawers. Do you really use all of the appliances in your cabinets? If you haven't used it in 6 months, then odds are you don't' need it.

And last, don't forget the bathroom vanity cabinet and linen closet. How many sets of sheets do you have in there that you don't use anymore? Can they still be used? Then to the donation bag they go. What about the drawers in the cabinets? Time to clear out the makeup you don't use anymore because there is not much left or you don't like the shade or whatever. Seriously, pitch it.

This is the weekly project. You don't have to do it all in one day. Do it as you have time. Think you don't have time? When you are making dinner and waiting for something to finish cooking, etc., pull out those drawers and go through them. When you go to take your shower/bath this evening, pull out those drawers and open those cabinets and go through them. It takes just minutes to do and you will be surprised at how many things you can get rid of.

And don't forget, get the kiddies involved. Let them know what the project is for the week and let them know which bag is which. Kids like to be involved. They want to be and feel like they are a part of things. By getting them involved you are letting them know you can use their help and you are setting a good practice for them in the future that they will take with them when they leave the nest.

Be honest with the bags you put the items into. If you wouldn't give it to a family member, then it goes in the trash. However, make certain you are giving it a good once over. Try to put as little as possible into the trash. If it is something that is broke that you were going to fix, out it goes. If you haven't fixed it, or sewn it, etc., by now, you aren't going to.

You'll be surprised at the end of the week how much you are able to get rid of.


This post is part of the Becentsable Gathering
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