cleaning house

Another Post on the dang cleaning of my house!

But this one is actually a little more productive.  I am actually making a difference in my home.

I am doing a two box method and leave on the shelf.

So that is my own term if you didn't guess.

Starting with the bookshelves I used this technique.

I have two boxes.
1. Give Away/Sell
2. One Year

In each box I put the books.  The books that are a YES KEEP stay on the shelf.  The One year box will be taped closed, labeled One Year Books, and put in the silo.  After the one year mark if I can't remember which books are in each box I give it away with out opening it.

I have done my back room bookshelves, parts of my middle room, and parts of my kitchen.  I am loving this!  The house feels more open, I am finding more time to clean it, and finding that it takes less time to clean!

The items that are left on the shelf will be gone over again---really do I need 12 books on green house gardening when I don't even have a greenhouse?

Like I said in my last post I have gotten ride of about 4 trash bags of stuff--and boxes of 1 year give away items.  Honestly I have almost already forgotten what is in most of those boxes!  My Giveaway/Sell boxes will be kept until a later date--IF I have not had a yard sale--then by a certain date they are all going to the local thrift store.  I am so excited to do this in my scary room.

A few things I have learned--I have a really hard time with certain items--bathroom stuff, crafts, picture frames, and other small things.  I have a hard time letting them go.  I will have to have a buddy when I go through that stuff.

Something I have learned about myself. When I get in the mood to get rid of stuff I have to box it and seal it so I don't go back and pull it out.  I have also learned that my need to have STUFF isn't as great.  Before I could go into the dollar store and buy 50 things, only to have them end up in the scary room in a box forgotten about.  Now I can pass up pretty much everything unless I know I have a need for it within the next  month.

I am reading minimal living blogs and they are helping a lot.  I also love how the Amish "Decorate" with useful items.  They have their platters hang on the wall ~ So pretty.

Well I have typed enough on this--next time I am hoping to do some before/after pictures of my purge!