I would estimate that since then, although I have not kept track as well as I once did, I have probably gotten rid of about three to five bags/boxes of things each year. I have probably gotten rid of over 100 books, have definitely pared down my running things (although those race shirts are like gremlins! How do they multiply so darn fast?) and have given away many kitchen items, toys and clothing. I have reorganized my stationary (why do I have so much stationary!) and sorted through all the screws in my WTH drawer.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done. So this year, just like last year and the year before, each month I will go through one section or room in the house and see what I can pare down.
January: Paperwork and Files. I always dedicate January to the following administrative items. Finalize prior year and start new year address list and other yearly spreadsheets, make new folders, go through all mail, file current mail, organize in file box, remove older items from file boxes, start new planner, make/update 2023 to do list (this is a running list but I like to start a new file each year). I also update my list of current accounts (for example, in 2022 I switched from Comcast to Sonic and so will change my master sheet).
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| 2022 - Throwing away user manuals |
February: Go Bag. This is kind of an extension of the last one, as I have a go bag with all of my important documents and information in it. So, after updating my master list, I make sure all of the documents and information in my go bag are current and updated. Additionally, this bag has food, some toiletries, flashlight, stove, gas etc. in it, so I make sure that the food does not expire in the next year, the batteries still work, the gas can is still full etc.
March: Kitchen -- Fridge/ Freezer. This involves throwing away expired items, and eating things in the freezer rather than buying more. This also goes hand in hand with my "no groceries" plan for December, January and February, which consists of only buying veggies and fruit and using up some of the other thing in my pantry and freezer than I already have. PS I have a lot of legumes.
April: Kitchen -- Pantry. After paring things down by eating them over the first quarter of the year, I like to reorganize everything and get a good handle on what I have left before starting to restock slightly. Also this is a great time to set aside some of the things I can use for camping food in the summer (instant mashed potatoes etc.) so that I don't double buy a bunch of things I already have.
May: Garage -- Camping Stuff. To prep for summer, I will organize all camping stuff, make sure it's all in top shape, update it, fix it, patch it, go through my food supply etc.
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| 2022 - going through garage boxes |
June: Bedroom -- Clothes. Easy wins are holey socks and underwear (I am getting good at getting rid of these tout suite!) and jeans that are long and need high heels, even though I never wear high heels. More difficult is the bleach stained Nike NYC half marathon shirt I use to sleep in that probably should go but likely won't. I have actually pared this down quite a lot over the years (i.e. I have not bought anything new in a long time) but I am still holding onto some of the oldies but goodies. But really, how many hoodies does one woman need? (the answer is...seven...or eight...or maybe nine? See what I mean!?)
July: Bedroom -- Shoes -- Yes, I am designating an entire month for shoes. In 2022, I tried to sell some of them, but this was a complete fail. I need to rework my plan to try to sell them, as some are barely used. I anticipate this process may take a little longer than normal as I clearly have some things to learn about it.
August: Kitchen -- Dishes, Pots, Pans, Cutlery -- just like the holey underwear, there are certain kitchen tools that I keep washing and putting back even though they have a chip or a rip. Also, I have collected quite a nice set of SF Giants plastic cups over the years. I will go through all of that and get rid of the unused, duplicates and misfits.
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| 2022 - washing and culling silverware |
September: Living Room, Hallway & Spare Room -- these are probably my three most sparse rooms. However, I do keep my linens in the spare room and have pared them down to basically nothing. It never hurts to reassess though! In the living room, I do a general drawer clean out and shelf minimizing before calling it a day. The hall has two closets, which hold toiletries, light bulbs and towels, so I usually make sure there are no holey towels and take stock of my sunscreen stash so that I know what I am up against come summer (PS I have about 6 different sunscreens as of this writing).
October: Reading Nook -- Entire Room. This room has three bookshelves and a trunk that holds blankets and crafty stuff. My goal is to have read at least 10 books from my shelves by October and to be able to get rid of them. Additionally, if I haven't read them, maybe it's time to reassess why I still have them!
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| 2022 - Purging the reading nook of books |
November: Health. Although this is not a purge, I always cleanse my body by making sure that I have all of my yearly checkups and if not, I book them for either November or December so that I am using the current year's insurance (for example, with the dentist and optometrist, you only get a set amount per year and if you play it right you can get twice as much by paying for one thing in December and another in January if needed).
December: Plants. Yes, plants. I have a lot of indoor plants and I love to take cuttings and make new plants over the months, but sometimes I fear that I will be one of those old plant ladies (hey, as long as its not cat lady, I may be okay with that). So I usually put some of the indoor plants out in the garden, repot and gift them, repot if a bigger pot is needed, etc.
In addition to each of these, I also go through emails, photos and files on my computer for a couple of hours each month and unsubscribe, delete, remove duplicates or fuzzy photos and organize and trim files. As you probably know, this seems to be never-ending and is on my list every year.
What is your purge system for the year? Do you do it all in one go or try to parse it out into smaller bits?
I am SO impressed by this system. I don't have anything nearly so organized, but I am definitely a year-round purger. We have a local thrift store that accepts donations and in exchange gives a coupon for their store. We drop off at least one bag/larger item each month. We are relatively minimalistic, but the kids are constantly growing out of clothes or footwear!
ReplyDeleteI especially like the idea of planning in a month for health/wellness maintenance like appointments. This is genius and really consolidates the pressures of staying on top of things through the year. I can never remember when I went to the dentist last, and having a specific month year after year for a checkup is genius!
Oh, I love that you have a thrift store that gives you credit! I wish ours did, but I still donate a ton of stuff to them regardless. However, sometimes I do need a new pair of work pants or something! I have been using ThreadUp, which is online but it would be better to go local. And yes, re doctors, otherwise I would forget; sometimes I do get them done early, but just in case I have my November back up!
DeleteThis is so smart! I think it's more manageable to break it out into a monthly focus versus trying to do it all in one fell swoop! The biggest thing we get rid of is things that Will outgrows, so it's a gradual process. The most recent thing we got rid of is our cloth diapers! We sold them on FB and didn't get nearly what we paid for them but it was still great to get them out of our house. I was willing to stick w/ using them but Phil was done with spraying poop off diapers, and they will start to work on potty training at school so it was the right time to switch to disposables/pull ups.
ReplyDeleteMy only thing I do monthly is go through the previous months photos and videos. I delete videos/photos that didn't turn out and then make a folder of my favorite photos of the month which I then use to make our annual photobook and the calendar we give my MIL every Christmas. In 2021, I went through all previous years photos on a monthly basis and then in 2022 I went through videos. I had SO MANY VIDEOS of my kids, especially Paul. So it was good to clean those out!
What a great system, in addition to my husband retiring we are also moving, and I am in the midst of a great purge and decluttering! It's so smart to break the purge down like this.
ReplyDeleteOh man it would be too hard sometimes to do it all at once! Although I think a big one is a bit like ripping off a Band-Aid; it hurts but once it's over, it is very satisfying!
DeleteThis is so organized! I love it. It's so easy to let lifestyle creep happen with your belongings and home life. I am someone who is always constantly purging. It always shocks me how quickly I can fill up a garbage bag with stuff to donate. After I do a donation, I'm always like, "It will SURELY be a long time before I need to do a Goodwill donation again," but then nope, it happens much sooner than I expected.
ReplyDeleteOh man, Kyria, I WISH I had a purge system. You're so organized. I should take a leaf out of your book! It's a great idea to focus on a room/area per month.
ReplyDeleteI find it is so much easier if I break it down little by little. I do not always get everything checked off, but even if I get 10 out of 12 done each year, I am pretty happy!
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