Last week, I shared my current struggle with feeling overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” we have in our home. Somehow over the years we seemed to have piled on more things without letting go of the old ones. Not that having material things is a bad thing, but it has gotten to the point where my time is now being split between cleaning and organizing our stuff or spending time with my kids. It doesnt seem like it’s a difficult choice to make, but when your house is upside down you don’t have peace of mind. Last week, I started our ten week journey towards a minimalism. It was a difficult week and I was faced with tough decisions while going through our things. We started with a neutral space (our kitchen) which made the purging a bit easier. We sifted through each of our cabinets and drawers and kept a few principles in mind:
- Take your time- we decided to break the house up in ten sections starting with the kitchen (because there’s less emotional attachment to our kitchenware) This allowed us to plan and purge a little bit at a time and not feel completely overwhelmed.
- If I haven’t used it in the past year get rid of it- we don’t cook much anymore so there are a lot of appliances that we no longer use (like our small fryer and rice cooker) We’re also trying to improve our diet so we only kept appliances and gadgets that align with our goals.
- Get rid of duplicates- this only pertains to bigger utensils and kitchen gadgets. We made sure we had four spoons, four knives four forks etc. we also made sure we kept at least two sippy cups for grace
- Don’t keep items out of guilt -goodbye grandma spoon
- Give everything a home- no more junk drawers!
- Keep the goal in mind- repeat it to yourself while you’re sifting through things
- After you purged, step away from it and purge again
I might be adding to this list as the weeks go on, but so far this list kept me on track.
here’s a picture of two of our cabinets.
We organized the cups, plates and coffee materials close to the bottom because we use those every day, while tupperware, wine and champagne glasses further away.
The bag on the bottom is full of stuff we’re tossing/selling/ giving away (we have two other bags by the door)
Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to purging? I’ll gladly welcome any help I can get.
Is there a before picture? I’d like to see how bad it got. 😉
I like the idea of starting in the kitchen and how you said there is less emotional attachment in that space. You are so right! You have inspired me and given me some tips on how to tackle something I have been putting off for some time. My biggest challenge is my bedroom! Keep us updated on how you accomplish the more difficult spaces.
Wait until you own a home! Twelve years, 6,000 sq. feet, 5 children later it does get better as the children get older…
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oh goodness! I don’t know what 6,000 sq. feet even look like!
Way to go!! My husband and I started on the road to minimalism about a year ago, and it has been the most freeing experience. I can’t imagine going to back to owning tons of stuff! We’re still a work in progress, and I think you’re spot-on that the best road is the slow one. This is a lifestyle to grow into. Congrats on your progress so far!
this is brilliant; starting with the kitchen!!! right now i live with my mom so my stuff is all crammed into one bedroom. i know i can live minimally in one bedroom but if i ever moved into my own space, i’d have NOTHING, you know? i’d LOVE to see before pictures or pictures of all of the stuff you realized you didn’t need. that’s a weird desire, but i don’t think i’d be the only one 😉
We are buying a new house and this sounds like us going through thins throw throw!!! I want to redo everything haha
Chelsea @ thewilliamsjourney1.blogspot.com/
Your thoughts on how to clean out and minimize are awesome! I’m slowly doing that own thing in our home. It’s a slow process but I feel lighter even when I take 5 minutes to go through a drawer! I’m a sentimental person but even I get to a point where some things just have to go!
I find purging difficult at times especially when I think of the back story to items such as who gave them to us on what occasion etc but I am becoming better at purging. Moving house is always my most effective time of purging!
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Thanks Brittany! It’s certainly a work in progress and something that has to be tackled a bit at a time.
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Thanks Stephanie. I’ll work on getting some pictures of things I’m getting rid off for the next post. As far as not having much… don’t worry about it… it’s a good opportunity for a fresh start
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Haha! I’m with you. Congratulations on buying a new home!
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Sara, That’s a great idea. I’m breaking it down into weeks but taking 5 minutes at a time each day to tackle a little area of your home is a great practice. Thanks for the tip!
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Ingrid, purging is difficult for me too! I’m a sentimental person 100% Honestly… sometimes I just have to will myself to be strong, throw it out an then take the garbage to the dumpster asap. That way I know for sure I won’t be tempted to go after it :0)
We live in a 2 bed flat but I am sure we have the same amount of stuff as a 3 bedroom house, its ridiculous. You never know when you might need that extra cheese grater!! 😉 Well done for doing it, I wish i was like you! #twinklytuesday xx
I soooo need to do this! We have so much stuff. And so much of it is, oh but what if we suddenly need it?! We regularly have a pile of ‘stuff’ sitting on our dining room table! If I can find some time, you have inspired me to have a clear out. Now, where’s that time?! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday