Stuff Diet

While you may be tempted to think that says "stuffed" diet, it doesn't. It means STUFF - you know, the clutter, junk, ephemera, and things that make their way into ones' house? Before you know it, you have rooms that look like this:

This is not a good thing. In fact, I've found that all this STUFF is dreadfully bad for you. You can't find what you want, you trip over it in the dark, it makes your head whirl with overwhelmedness, and increases your blood pressure and guilt level every single time you walk past it.

Therefore, I am on a serious STUFF diet. I'm being very ruthless and really paring down. Significantly. My mantra right now is SORT and PURGE. It began with the pens, pencils, and other writing instruments. I mailed part of it off to some other homeschool mom friends, and still have a few to go. But it's sorted and I'm keeping only what I believe we really will need and use.

Next up was the nail polish and acoutrement. It all fits in one sweet little basket. I don't even polish my fingernails much, if ever, any more. But in the summer I do polish my toes. Actually my toenails. That would be weird to polish my toes.




The makeup is also down to a nice small basket. I do have some additional items in a makeup bag (extra mascara, etc), but it's much less than it once was.




Cleaning the makeup also necessitated cleaning up the top of the dresser. So that was a good thing. It's much more peaceful to walk in and see dresser surface than a chaotic mess of things, many which don't even belong there.

Up next? My bedside table. The one that's been BURIED in books and magazines and pens and journals and whatever else has found its way to this perch. Now it, too, is peaceful and tidy. (insert big sigh here)

The latest purging venture is the cookbooks and recipes. I don't tend to use cookbooks very often, although I do use recipes that I acquire from other people. Actually, I would use my cookbooks more, but they've been hiding out in the bottom of a cupboard in the dining room. Out of sight, out of mind. I did a pretty good cookbook purge about 2 1/2 years ago, but needed to weed it out even further. I purged about 2/3 of my cookbooks, leaving me with this calm scene last weekend (or was it the weekend before?).

Today, I sorted through all the printed out recipes, hand-written recipes, etc. I'd been keeping some of them in a binder in page protectors, but the binder was too small. So I pulled out a bigger binder, more page protectors, some dividers, and have a new, organized, and tidy binder.

In front of my recipe sections are my meal planning forms, grocery lists, and a couple other master meal lists. It's what works best for me. Now I can get back on track with better meal plans (trying some new or long-forgotten recipes), grocery shopping, and cooking. Which will also allow us to eat healthier and move frugally.

Next on tap? I have NO idea. It will depend upon what strikes me. It's all been pretty small projects, but I have gotten rid of a significant amount of stuff, which feels absolutely W O N D E R F U L!!