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Opening my fridge and freezer is so much nicer this week after clearing out all the extra food last week! I’ve made a point of labeling everything I put in the fridge and keeping leftovers in the same spot to make sure nothing gets lost. It’s significantly easier to tell what food I have on hand for planning meals when it isn’t all piled up or hidden.
If you are just joining us, here’s the deal:
I still had this mindset of decluttering being a big ol’ chore up until a few months ago when I read this fantastic post from Nony at A Slob Comes Clean. It was like a huge light went off in my brain! Decluttering is simply the act of getting rid of what doesn’t belong, isn’t needed, or belongs in the trash. It doesn’t mean buying a whole slew of new bins for your things to go in or coming up with some type of system that you hope will change your life – that’s organizing. It’s a whole different ball game. Right now, I’m in the game of decluttering. I just want things GONE.
When there’s less stuff, especially less of what has no purpose in your home anymore, organizing can often happen naturally. You won’t be cramming thirty towels into the closet because you only need ten and they fit nicely. You don’t need to dig through a tub of medicines to find what you need only to keep coming across bottles that are long since expired.
Here’s my challenge: Each week, take on ONE area of your home. I’ve already made the list for you so that part is done. Go to the area, throw away trash, put items that you no longer need but are still in good condition into a donation box, and put other items where they belong. Simple!
You can read more about the challenge on the week one post.
Week 12: Small Appliances
These days there seems to be a new appliance for every method of prepping or cooking you can imagine. I’ve tried to only have the appliances we absolutely need but occasionally our needs change and we either buy a new appliance we think we need or we hang on to an appliance long after its served its purpose.
The latter is the case of the two appliances I found to donate this week. There are no amazing before and after shots of our appliance area because our small appliances are scattered in various areas. I really dream of having a place to store them all together but that’s not the case here so I’m doing what I can.
First thing to go is this roaster. We got it for our wedding (possibly one of my bridal showers) and it’s been used a handful or so times. Never only by our family. It’s always come out when we have extended family around for a holiday and even then it only depends on what’s on the menu. I don’t think it’s been used since we moved to this house in 2014. It’s time for it to go. Plus it is missing one of the small inserts because the non stick coating was peeling off and mixing with the food. Gross.
The other appliance I chose to part ways with is our blender. This gets used more than the roaster, maybe a couple times each summer for ice cream coffee drinks but we have an immersion blender than can do the same thing. Maybe years down the road we will choose to invest in a better one but it’s simply not needed right now.
We have a touch more room in our front closet and on top of the outdoor freezer now because of getting rid of these items but nothing major. But the goal isn’t to get rid of as much as possible now, is it? Nope. The goal is to get rid of only those things that are no longer needed or useful to create a more purposeful home. These didn’t serve a purpose for us anymore so out they go. Hopefully a different family can find them at the thrift store and put them to good use.
What small appliances did you find to get rid of this week? What week of busting clutter has been the most challenging so far?
Share a picture in the comments or on social media with the hashtag #clutterbusterchallenge of what you found to declutter.
Come back next week for week 13 of the Clutter Buster Challenge when clear off our kitchen surfaces. This might mean your counters or a desk. It could also be a table or decorative storage item. Whatever surfaces in your kitchen need some decluttering attention – clutter bust them!
If you are looking for a better way of keeping on top of your homemaking tasks now that you are steamrolling through all this decluttering you might be interested in a new course from Humorous Homemaking. Home Management How To: A Guide to Daily Success is open now! I’ve got a post about my experience with this course here but this is a great course for you to take control of all the household tasks in a way that is tailored specifically to your family and life.
