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Wouldn’t you know that immediately after cleaning out the expired meds last week the little guys caught some type of bug that had them feeling incredibly tired and running fevers around 101*F. They moaned and rolled on the floor and left me feeling incredibly sweaty as they cuddled on the couch trying to feel better. Thankfully we still had a little Tylenol left but now we know for sure we need to get more for the next time it happens.
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 29: First Aid Supplies
I knew this was going to be like last week with a whole bunch of items that were outdated or not usable. I had a feeling I was going to find products from my rugby days in college and our early marriage years. We clearly don’t use too many first aid supplies if those are my expectations going in!
Last week I showed pictures of all three drawers in our “medical collection” because the top drawer was a mix of medication and first aid/health supplies. Here’s that picture again along with the bin we keep all the other first aid supplies in… as well as the oversized bottles of pain killers we buy because, hello Sam’s Club!
I’ve got several of these little containers floating around the house. I scored them all for nearly free years and years and years ago from Target during my couponing days. They were mini first aid kids with gauze, antiseptic wipes, and band-aids. We’ve used just about every item other than a couple gauze pads so I decided to consolidate and make use of these little gems for holding ALL THE BAND-AIDS. Keeping the various characters separate is simply not something that works. The boxes fall all over the place and it drives me bonkers. All split into two containers based on size now. Far easier!
While I love a good freebie after having five kids and getting five free thermometers at the hospital plus any other thermometers we received as baby gifts we have SOOO MANY THERMOMETERS! I want a decent amount because once the kids get to that age of insisting they are sick and needing to constantly check their temps they will start disappearing but I think I was up to ten. That’s way too many so into the donation box them went. I also found a few other odds and ends to toss like the Bengay and IcyHot… that expired in the early 2000s. Yup. Well over 10 years ago still hanging out in our stash. Be gone!
The drawer is now for thermometers, bandaids, and gauze while the tote is for the larger items like big bottles of pain Tylenol and Ibuprofen, Jamison’s inhaler, and rubbing alcohol. Now that I can see what we have I know what essentials I should think about grabbing to make this a better stocked first aid kit.
How is your first aid stash looking? Did you find expired items or way too many thermometers? What about band aids that have lost their stick? Do you know what you need to make it a fully stocked kit now?
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 30 when we sort through tools! Perhaps you only have the basics and this will be the fastest week yet or you might have a larger collection that is going to take some time. Our tool bench is somewhat of a black hole where stuff gets tossed to be dealt with later and then disappears so I know tackling it is going to be a challenge but I’m ready to see a change!
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.
