A recap of my mission on this organizing challenge: As you can imagine, my house is pretty organized. There is a place for everything and everything fits somewhere. And I keep on top of the maintenance and regularly reevaluate and purge what no longer fits into my life. But a few months ago, I really started thinking about what I own and I decided I’m ready for change in my life, ready for something new and I’m done with so much of what I have. I’m done thinking about how it used to fit into my life or that maybe it will again someday. So as a challenge to myself, I decided to do this work and document it for you so you could see how even an organizer struggles with the same things you do!
How many of us look around our homes and don’t even really notice what’s on the walls or what we’ve used to decorate with? We get so used to the looking at these things for so long, that we become blind to them, not really even enjoying them anymore. Or, you may just think that since something has been there for so long, it’s got to stay. Just because.
I have been thinking about parting with some fixtures in my home for quite some time and now I’ve done it! (Okay, some I know will go, but I’m waiting a bit). This isn’t exactly like the rest of the posts/projects I’ve done, but it falls within the same vein — getting rid of something that I no longer love or need.
The photo ledges you see in the photo above have been removed from the wall. For months, I’ve been thinking about updating the photos in the frames, which would have been an okay solution. But I realized I was tired of looking at those ledges period. I’ve have them there for 16/17 years! I did save the frames, for now. And it’s weird to me to have an empty wall, but it feels great!
These floating shelves are in a similar category, but they’re still on the wall. I haven’t had them as long and they serve a great purpose for storage in my kitchen. As you can see, I’ve relocated almost everything on there…and the glass jars are gone with the flour and sugar in smaller canisters in the pantry. Now I may decide to use these shelves still, storing pots and pans on them and that will free up some cabinet space, but it’s not necessary. What does bother me about the shelves is that they affect the walking in and out of the kitchen. Fine for one person, but challenging to have two people pass. And again, I’m tired of them. I’ll keep you posted!
I am 90% sure I’m getting rid of this bookcase. It has served me well, floated around my home for 15 years, but I never liked it where it was (I think it should be shorter than the window sill) and I’d really prefer something with doors so the contents are hidden. This bookcase has most recently served as my wine rack, bar, and catchall, but because I got rid of so many other items, the bar and wine have been relocated. It will be strange to have an empty space and I would hope to find a replacement piece of furniture soon, but I am going to move forward with letting it go! Now you may wonder why I don’t keep it until I find a replacement? I have made the decision to part with it so it’s time! I’d rather let go of what’s not working so I can be open to things that might work better. (Same thing goes for me with old socks I hate…I won’t buy new ones unless/until I throw the old ones out. Otherwise, everything witll stay the same.)
I don’t have photos for these few last things, but it felt good to move on from:
- Some home decor and accessories I no longer love looking at. There were also some pieces in my storage cubby that I had out of rotation. When I saw them again, I realized I didn’t really ever want them on display again so they were donated. Doing this with just a few items has even got me thinking about more knick-knacks that can go!
- I parted with some books and cookbooks, although I still have many! I am getting closer to parting with more…but I do love my cookbooks. And I have two tall bookshelves, filled with books I read and on subjects I enjoy so they are staying for now. But I’m toying with the idea of letting them go. I feel like if I were to move, most of them I wouldn’t want to pack and that is telling.
- I got rid of two binders I had made, with dividers and page protectors. One way take-out menus and they are all gone. For awhile, I felt like smaller takeout places didn’t have websites or menus online. I don’t think that is still the case and if it is with some place I’m forgetting about, I will deal with it if I need to. The other binder was filled with torn out magazine articles. Not recipes, but tips on freezing food, cleaning, laundry and other various household topics. It’s like I was compiling a “Best of” Real Simple Magazine. If I need that info, I can Google it!
- I am also noticing some art on the wall that I am ready to part with. The art is going to stay, for now. I still enjoy it in a way, but my style has changed and they don’t bring me the joy they once did. The reason they are going to stat for now is that I don’t want everything to look so empty and unfinished…since I am parting with accessories, shelving and furniture.
If you look around your home, is there anything you see that’s been a fixture and you’re ready to let it go?
Read back Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5.
Happy Organizing!
