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End of Year Purge

December 3, 2014 / 4 Comments
We still aren’t fully settled into our house (a year and a half later…). But we’re close! 
Last year, we took advantaged of the Container Store sale on their closet system. We also paid for them to install it. Even with the sale, it’s still an investment, but I highly recommend it if you’re working with a limited amount of space. Having closet systems maximizes every crevice, and the Elfa system is incredibly flexible and can adapt over time to meet your changing needs. 
[end of unpaid endorsement!]
I’d like to use the winter break to really go through everything in our house, get it organize, and set up systems for everything to have a permanent spot. I’d like to:
  • Take every.single.thing out of Henry’s closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of Tate’s closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of our closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the entryway bookshelf and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the guest bathroom closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the master bathroom closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the guest bathroom cabinets and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the master bathroom cabinets and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Shred all the bills and receipts I’ve been saving unnecessarily
  • Take every.single.thing out of the kitchen pantry and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out of the outdoor closet and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Take every.single.thing out from under the kitchen sink and then purge, organize, and put it all back in
  • Reorganize our napkin drawer

There are also other tasks we need to ask others to take on:
  • Taking care of our wood siding
  • Painting our deck (Matt started the job, but didn’t finish it)
And then there are the things I want to do to make our house more lived in:
  • Hang up more artwork
  • Finish decorating the guest bathroom
  • Decorate the master bedroom
  • Decorate our front porch
  • Purchase furniture for the backyard
Hmm…now that I’ve typed out that list, I’m not sure how I feel about devoting my winter break to executing on it. Home organizing is rewarding, but it is not relaxing for me at all. Last weekend I organized the cleaning closet and the refrigerator (not even the freezer!) and that was enough to leave me feeling exhausted. 
I’m also hesitant to take this on in the middle of the holidays, which come with their own kind of exhaustion.
I’m going to have to think about how to accomplish this list. The first step is to print it out and hang it on our whiteboard for increased accountability! 

4 Comments

  • Sarah Kopper

    December 3, 2014 at 2:27 pm Reply

    I have been loving organizing/purging/decluttering over the last five months. I always find it overwhelming to think about, but once I start, I do find it energizing. Though I agree the holidays are not an ideal time to start on large projects.

    I've also been reading a lot of minimalism blogs and books. One of the best takeaways from all the reading is that it is better to de-own, rather than de-clutter since any organization system inevitably gets unorganized.

    Good luck as you move through the list!

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