Move It Out Monday

I'm retired...I should have all the time I need...right?  Well, it doesn't seem to be working out that way. Life and overbooking has produced a stressed out me...so last week...I made a plan...I'm reclaiming my LIFE.....I want to focus more on the things I want to do and do more of the things I love....It might seem selfish but its essential.  Plus many of those things are home, family and friends related. So its' time to TAKE CHARGE....and RECLAIM MY LIFE....

With that rant over we can get to the task at hand...It's Move It Out Monday...I have stuff lingering in the van that needs to go to Agape (our hometown version of Goodwill) so that is one of my Move It Out Monday goals. The other is to work on decluttering the laundry room as I do some laundry today.

Updating When I'm Going Nowhere

So I'm off track...big time...there are more projects getting added every day and "things" are piling up.  I decided to try to get back on my blogging schedule this week and so here I am blogging on Month by Month.....but what do you say when you are "stuck"? I decided to take a look at the list I put up last month!  P stands for a partially met goal and the X is accomplished.

[ P] Meet the 1000 words a day challenge for writing my book, The Birthing Tree.

[P ] Add weekly posts to the Soul Musings-52 Weeks book

[  ] Stick to the blogging schedule each week

Home Projects:

[  ] Tear up carpet in hallway and lay tile

[  ] Office Makeover project (this is a huge one)

[  ] Laundry room redo (another biggie)

[X] Finish patio project behind garage (Met except for pea gravel)

[ P] Finish corner garden

[X] Do the garden table(s)

[P] Finish fairy gardens in front beds and pot on front porch

Other

[P] Get creative again....do anything!

 [  ] Write and keep to monthly life goals

Things that weren't on the list that I did....

1. Cleaned linen closet
2. Sorted my jewelry
3. Cleaned front porch
4. Started taking down wallpaper border in kitchen
5. Sort three bins of toys in basement and took to Agape (like Goodwill)
6. Cleaned my closet and dresser drawers (purged stuff)

When I actually look at the list I start to realize that I have made progress. It's not perfect...its sort of messy...but hey I am getting there!  Obviously I am keeping the list for June. Now back to work!

Hello December

"Hello December." What those words remind me of is panic. December is here, that adds a whole other list of things that need to get accomplished and quickly...Christmas is coming.

Now is not the time to be fretting about big de-clutter projects and home improvements. If you haven't managed to complete them in the last 11 months, you need to put them on hold for December. You are never going to survive this month without keeping up with daily chores and holiday prep. You can't have it ALL....not now...not this December. However if you keep working your plan, developing habits and routines, by next December, everything will be better (and easier).

I had to remind myself of just this yesterday. Take one day at a time and work toward your goal....a peaceful, joyful celebration of Christmas.  I'll keep working the daily plans, add in some fun elf-ventures (adventures), some parties, some outings, and lots of special memories. I might hope no one opens the door to the linen closet (didn't get to it yet)  That's ok....January is coming with snow and ice and time to regroup.

I've actually accomplished a lot in the last few months. It's not perfect and there's still plenty of things on my to do list for December...but I'll get there...one day at a time!

Days, Decor, and Enjoying Your Home

It's Move It Out Monday, one of my favorite days here at Month by Month. I've come to appreciate decluttering because it allows me to create a home that is calm and "cute". It's not just a house filled with junk but a home filled with love and loving touches.

I decluttered the bedroom in October and then created a fun little space to share just a few fun things each month, It makes me smile every morning when I get up and it also helps not being surrounded by mounds of clothes!  It's not elaborate but it makes me smile and our homes should make us smile!

And when November 1st rolled around it was so simple to take down the October and put up a little November display. It makes the bedroom feel fresh and new!

I have created a few places throughout my home for little seasonal displays. The one below had Halloween stuff and then when November rolled around I just took out the Halloween related items and put in the turkeys and Thanksgiving. Presto change-o a new look.

 

Halloween 2014

 

                                                             Thanksgiving 2014

I'm already thinking ahead to December, January, February.  December I have tons of Christmas stuff so that should  not be a problem. I'm think it should be my Santa display!

                                              This is the kitchen Thanksgiving display.
I also changed up the shadow box display in the living room by replacing the Halloween with turkeys and Thanksgiving. I still have a couple empty spots that I'll add a few more items to.

 

You might be thinking CLUTTER...but the truth is, it's cute, it's me and it's what makes a home feel special. The only way I was able to do it though was to get rid of a lot of clutter. To let go of things I've been hanging on to. Decluttering is not about getting rid of everything and having bare space. It's about making room in your home for love and décor that makes you smile!

 

Monthly Menu Monday

Yes yes I know it's Move It Out Monday....and I do plan on moving out at least ONE bag of stuff we no longer need. However I thought I'd mix it up a bit this Monday and share my menu plans for the month of February since it is fast approaching. For February I decided to label a few days of the week with a "theme" like title and then build the menus around the themes.  I am planning Mexican Mondays, Hamburger Tuesdays, Quick Wednesdays, and Fast Fridays.  The menu of course might change based on availability of cuts of meat etc.

February Menu Plans.

February 1st is a Freebie for me...we are going to the high school for a Celebrity dinner (fundraiser)

February 2nd : Cowboy Casserole (in crock pot)

February 3rd: Roast with potaoes and carrots

Feb 4th: Mexican Monday: Tacos

February 5th: Hamburger Tuesday (Hamburger and Fries)

February 6th Quick Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy)

February 7th: Eat Out

February 8th: Fast Friday: Pizza

February 9th: Crock Pot: White Chili

February 10th: Italiana Baked Chicken

February 11th: Mexican Monday: Fajitas

February 12th: Hamburger Tuesday Hamburgers in Brown Gravy with Mashed Potatoes

February 13th: Quick Wednesday:  Lasagna (premade-frozen)

February 14th: Eat Out

February 15th: Fast Friday: Hot Dogs and Baked Beans

February 16th: Spaghetti, Salad, Greenbeans

February 17th: Baked Pork Chops

February 18th Mexican Monday: Skillet Burritos

February 19th: Hamburger Tuesday: Hamburgers and Mac and Cheese

February 20th: Quick Wednesday: BLT Sandwiches

February 21st: Eat Out

February 22nd: Fast Friday: Chicken Nuggets

February 23rd: Chicken Pot Pie

February 24th:  Onion Beef Cubes over Mashed Potatoes

February 25th: Mexican Monday: Taco Salad

February 26th: Hamburger Tuesday: Sloppy Joes and Fries

February 27th Quick Wednesday: Toasted Cheese Sandwiches with canned Chili

February 28th Eat Out

So that's what's ahead for February!  What are you planning to eat?

Move It Out and Repurposing

So it's another Move It Out Monday...the fun never ends!  I've been working this morning on cleaning out a couple drawers and my January through December files also.

I went through all of the January through December files and eliminated about 90% of the stuff in them. So the files are clear and ready for 2013! Yeah me!

The picture above shows a little antique wash stand that I decided to move from the living room into a corner of the kitchen. Some of my best decluttering occurs when I decided to MOVE something. So I've cleaned out the top drawer of you can not imagine...toys, crayons, old candles, papers, you name it and it was probably in there. Now it contains my coasters, some candle holders, and some party supplies. There's lots more room in the drawer but I plan to keep napkins and such in there. Now there are two more drawers in this little stand but I'm not sure when I will get to them. I have to say that the bottom drawer is pretty well clean and organized though.

I decided to place a little Valentine's (love) display on the stand to bring a little color into the kitchen.  I used my FREE printable Valentine's subway art, a red candle and a minature pitcher and glasses that I also have in red. I have talked a lot about repurposing and this is what I mean. Find some random pieces that you already have and create something cute!

Now the metal basket I already had from a flea market find but I wasn't sure what to put in it. I wanted to make some Valentine's balls using ribbon but when I went to buy the styrofoam balls at Walmart they were $4.67 for TWO of them. I wanted four so I wandered around and happened over to the Christmas clearance, where I found the gold balls you see in the basket. They were missing a little gold and they are really ornaments but for 25 cents a piece the price was right! I turned them so you can't see the top of the ornaments and they look just like the "fancy" balls you see...which cost a lot more than 25 cents each!

I know it's not fancy smancy....but it makes me smile every time I see it in the kitchen corner. I'll try to post each time that I swtich out the items so you can take a peek at my kitchen corner too!

Move It Out Monday: Groceries

How can Move It Out Monday feature....groceries?  Well for awhile there I was building up quite a stockpile of groceries. I haven't couponed in a couple months now so the stock piles are dwindling but the whole reason for this post is to remind you that....you MUST move out grocery items also! 

If one forgets, as I have on several occassions to keep track of your pantry and cupboard items...you can waste money by the need to discard items you left lingering too long on the shelves!

So this MOVE IT OUT is dedicated to groceries...

How often do you "move it out?"  Partly this depends on how much you keep at any one time in your pantry/freezer.  This varies for me. As I said for awhile there when I was couponing heavily I had quite the stockpile. Since grocery storage space is limited at our house I decided to STOP couponing for a bit and let the stockpiles diminish a bit!

Rotating your stockpile and keeping track of what you have can be time consuming. I have to balance the money I save couponing against the amount of time I spend...working with the coupons and rotating/tracking stock. Sometimes it can be overwhelming.

One way to "move it out" is to take one of your move it out days a month and work through your pantry. Pull out items that have been lingering...like that box of elbow macaroni. Make a list of items you have stockpiled that you need to "move out". Then build your weekly menu using those items. Make a list for the store of the items you need to round out your menu plans!  This can save you money for the weekly grocery budget and it can also help you use up items BEFORE they expire.

Move It Out Monday

I'm working on the basement this morning. If you remember my two biggest hot spots are the garage and the basement. The garage is decluttered but the heat wave has prevented us from painting so everything is still piled in hte middle of the garage. After painting I will move it back into place AFTER a final declutter and organizing round!  So today is the basement and its worse than ever.

I currently have three bags of trash to get out of here, an old printer, and a small box to donate.  That has barely made a dent. There are several larger pieces of furniture to get rid of and then I can actually start organizing that 1/4 of the basement. I'm going to need some help with those so for now I'm muddling through what I can do!

As I was digging through some stuff I found a little gold metal tree that I bought at the flea market a few yars back. It's not expensive but I really love it....and there it is buried under a pile of magazines, hunting gear and other stuff. It was slightly bent so I spent some time fixing it and placed it into the pile of wayward Christmas items. It gave me pause and once again emphasized what I have been telling my husband, Your "things" should be ones that you love enough to "take care of". If they are buried or lingering in boxes no one ever opens then how important can they really be?  It has given me enough energy for another round....sooner or later there will be chaos control down here!

Move It Out Monday

Well, well, it's another Move It Out Monday...which finds me in the midst of chaos. We are having a party Saturday so why oh why did I try to do a major cleaning of the office?  Right now things are sitting in the hallway...which I am bound and determined to go through them rather than just throw them all in a box and give up!  Worked my way through about three stacks today....but alas tomorrow is another day.

The more I declutter then more I am convinced I have WAY too much stuff. Took a big picture and a plant stand up to my office at school today because they are items someone gave me for my "beach theme" office! I'm feeling a bit stressed because I need to deal with the office overflow, work more on the livingroom and clean the fridge as well as routine cleaning for the party...YIKES.

Deep breaths...deep breaths....I'll be back Wednesday for Wild Card Wednesday and I hope I have progress to report as well!!

Move It Out Monday

It's another Move It Out Monday and boy do I need it. I am working with my daughter to go through clothes and decide which to keep and which to part with. This is a long, serious, sometimes frustrating process. That brings me to the idea, which I have proposed before...of a regularly scheduled time to do such things. As I talked about with the decluttered garage, unless I stay on top of it...the clutter will accumulate again quickly! 

What about with clothes?  Often spring/summer and fall/winter seem like natural times for decluttering and working with the clothes monster.  But what about "off season" storage? How do you store and organize those items that you are keeping but are not in season?  For me this is a big challenge as we do not have adequate closet space.

Currently I am working my way through a messy and cluttered laundry room filled with totes and baskets of old clothes, some of which could be being used except they are lost among the mess.  I cringe at the thought of buying another tote for "storage" of off season clothes because what has happened in the past is that the tote gets buried among everything else and not opened up and used again as it should.

Totes in and of themsleves are not bad storage. Realistically the first step is to decide just how many off season items do you really want to keep. I must admit I often keep clothes well past their prime. If I was more ruthless at the end of each season perhaps the clothing mess could be contained....with one off season tote per person in our household!

So today the goal is my college age daughter's clothes....divide what she brought home into seaon/off season and get rid of some items in the whole process. Then we will find a tote that is in the laundry room (hopefully getting rid of more items from that tote) and pack away the off season pieces she wants to keep!

Wish me luck!  I'd love to hear how you handle off season items and how you delcutter clothes. Please share your ideas by leaving a comment!

Move It Out Monday: College Clutter

Look familar?  College rooms all over the country are being packed up for the summer...randomly...things thrown into boxes, loaded into cars and deposited....you guessed it...right into our home!  Yikes.

Here are a few tips for summer storage...also know as Tips from the Frontline....(this is year number 12 of doing this...three children times four years each!)

1. If your student arrives home with random items tossed into boxes....make sure they go through each box, discarding trash and getting rid of items they no longer want. Leave in the box any items that are still needed but will not be used during the summer. If not at the end of the summer...they will grab what they want and leave you with the box full of trash and unwanted items.

2. LABEL boxes by categories: Kelsey's Kitchen, Kelsey's Bathroom etc...that way it is easy to grab what is needed from each box should the need arise.

3. Move those boxes to the garage or basement....leaving them stacked in the bedroom not only produces and overwhelming feeling but also invites them to dig and rummage through the boxes all summer long!

4. Discard any damaged or unwanted furniture NOW....don't wait until the end of summer.

5. Insist on a clothes and closet check....force the issue of getting rid of clothes that no longer fit or aren't "in style" any more, otherwise they will linger in the closet for eternity.

6. Throw away food items. You have no idea how long they have lingered in shelves or in dorm room closets.

7. Do all of these as quickly as possible. Everyone will feel better when things are organized and tidy!

I'd love to hear tips from others about managing the college-home for summer mess.! 

Move It Out Monday

It's time to start moving things out of the office/craft room. It is always a catch all....and accumulates things quickly.  It is a tiny room and it is stuffed. I need to take everything that is piled up and actyually "move it" out into the hallway, then sort and get rid of things...tghen bring back in only those things that I want/need to keep.

I always find that after I clean and organize this room I am much more creative!

What's your next BIG project...?  What are you moving out?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Move It Out Monday: Baby Steps

I have always heard that when you have a really BIG job that baby steps (or even just fifteen minutes a day) can help you reach your end goal. My personal problem is that those baby steps do not happen often enough and things build up again before I have even completed the job! While I do agree with the philosophy I will have to say that for REALLY big jobs like my garage....sometimes just jumping in and working like crazy through the whole thing works too. In fact does it not only works but it leaves you with a decluttering "high" that lasts for quite a while. I am currently dividing my basement into four sections and I plan to use this same approach with it also. However with my shoulder surgery today....best laid plans go astray....but I WILL get to it THIS year...before the end of 2012...that basement will be purged!!

So I would say if you are following the baby step approach and it doesn't seem to be working for you....I say try the Tackle the Big Job approach and see what you can get accomplished!

Move It Out Monday: Decluttering

I managed to accomplish a BIG declutter project....the garage...Thanks to the Termites!  It's not perfect by any means but I can actually open the garage door without cringing!  I am doing some other cleaning out there, a couple cabinets and totes but the really hard part and all of the junk is GONE!

Today I thought we would think a bit about setting up A DECLUTTERING SCHEDULE. For this I am not think of the to do list....not the areas that you still need to declutter....those are important too of course. But I am thinking about a maintenance schedule. I know that garage will start to accumulate clutter again quickly. How can I stay on top of it so it doesn't ever go back to the horrid mess it was?

Here's my thoughts for the garage.  Weekly declutter inspection on Wednesday night...trash pick up is Thursday. Monthly declutter on the last day of the month!   he weekly will simply be a walk around and pitching anything that might have found its way out there. Because of animals in our neighborhood we keep our trash cans in the garage. On my "to buy" list I have three big trash cans with wheels. I think they will manage our weekly trash just fine without a lot of overflow!  

Right now I don't need to write down my schedule because it is only the garage but eventually I am sure I will beed to add it to my home notebook!

Picture from Vintage Giraffe who gives a great explaination of her notebook!

Move It Out Monday: Cleaning the Garage

I just had to share a bit of a triumph with you....the garage is cleaned out.....yes I must admit it took a termit problem to spur on this huge accomplishment but it is done...!! There's still a bit of fine tuning...a few more things I can sort and get rid of but it looks so GREAT!

Which brings me to the whole point.....decluttering is motivating.....you get so much energy from CLEAN space that it's amazing. Here are a few garage tips/ideas that I discovered while rummaging through about TEN years worth of stuff!

1. Storage containers are clutter too. Get rid of them...keep only a very few. If you have dealt with clutter by adding storage containers you probably have this problem...you can't manage clutter by storing. I mean REALLY how much stuff should you store? Not much!

2. If you have items you aren't sure about keeping....put them in a pile and at the END of the decluttering day...look through them again and decide. You are much more likely to get rid of them at the end...you tired!  (hey work with what gets you through it!)

3. After you declutter a major area...set up a monitoring schedule....once a week...(or so) take a walk through and look around. Find any clutter? Deal with it immediately....that way it doesn't build back up!

4. Get rid of about 65% of what you have. This is when you have a big mess that has lingered for years. Once you start monitoring this won't be a "rule."  Seriously, we can live with WAY less than we hoard.

5. Ask:  Do I love it?  Do I need it? Could I replace it if I found I needed it?  If the answers are YES to the first two keep it!  If the answer to the third question is yes....get rid of it!

So I am happy about one big job down.....but there's more clutter!  So I keep moving forward....but the garage goes on the monitor list...not the "to do" list!!  CELEBRATE!!!

Move It Out Monday: Books

Books are my downfall...that's one reason my nook has helped me a lot!  I have stopped adding books to my collection and try to get rid of any that I do have as soon as I read them.  With that being said....downstairs in the dreaded basement...are three crammed full book shelves. I have worked on them several times but they are still overflowing...The books are my summer project....wish me luck!

Move It Out Monday: "Under the Kitchen Sink"

So this Monday....is CHALLENGE MONDAY.....and the challenge is under the kitchen sink...clean it...get rid of all those yucky almost empty bottles....throw out useless stuff and organize the rest...! 

Do it TODAY!!

Move It Out Monday: Rules to Live By

Move It Out Monday

It’s Move It Out Monday and I thought we’d talk about some rules to live by.   As I've said before decluttering is a process and it is unfortunately neverending. If we let up for even a little bit the clutter will reclaim the areas we have worked so hard on!

1. Participate in Move It Out Monday. Every Monday move something OUT of your house. A great goal is a bag or box full of items you have cleared from hidden or not so hidden spots in your house. Take that box or bag to the Goodwill store or the trash but MOVE IT OUT.  An alternative would be to move out one big item like a chair, old desk, etc.

2. Everytime you bring a new item in to your home, get rid of one item. Try to get rid of one "like" item. For example if my husband says he needs 2 new shirts then I ask him to pick two old shirts to throw away.  My husband the hoarder has a bit of a problem with this one but if you need new shirts then it means the ones you have aren't fit to wear!! LOL

3. Pracitce the USEFUL OR LOVE IT rule. Is it useful and do I actually use it? Do I LOVE it. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that because a loved one gave it to you that you must love it. In reality they probably have already forgotten they gave it to you anyway!

4. If something has not been used in over six months or is outdated (all those old VHS tapes) move it out!

5.  Ask for clutter free gifts.  If someone asks for gift ideas ...give them your clutter free list. Gift cards for pedicures or facials, restaraunt cards, etc

6.  Set up and use a "Move It Out" box or bag.  As you clean, place items immediately into it. As soon as it is full or close to full get it out of the house!

7. Take picutes of old sentimental items like stuffed animals or children's clothes or artwork. It's ok to keep some artwork but every piece is a bit unmanagable. Put the pictures in scrapbooks or a picture file box!  Throw out the item!

8. Set up a regular declutter schedule. Do you declutter your desk every Friday? Is the last day of the month the day you go through your closet?  It doesn't matter what time table you set up but do set one up. This is especially good for hot spots!  Take care of them before they overflow by hitting them at regular intervals!

9. Find clutter free alternative for some items. Get rid of books and treat yourself to a Nook or Kindle. Get rid of all those movies and sign up for Netflix or a similar service. Do you really need all of those recipe books with all the great FREE internet recipe sites. Most even let you set up your own recipe box!

10. Simplify your filing. Set up month folders rather than categories and stick items in each month. At the end of the year go through the files and refile in a yearly file folder those items that you need to keep longer!

That's all for today soooo....get moving...it's Move It Out Monday!

Move It Out Monday: Home Office

Oh how I wish my office was this organized........Isn't this a lovely set up!

But alas I must work with what I have...and it's not a large airy room with a great window!

One of the biggest hot spots in my home is my office. It's a small room to begin with which always makes things a bit difficult. In this room are two desks...one contains the computer, printer and bill paying center! The other desk is the craft desk and it contains all sorts of art materials.  I try to keep the surfaces of both areas clear and organized. It is a never ending battle~!

Here are a few tips that seem to help me

1. Set up a regualr weekly time to purge, organize and just declutter your desk top. Mine is Fifteeen Minute Friday!

2. Limit your desk top to things you use frequently. Store other things out of sight in a drawer or cabinet.

3. Find a filing system that works for you. I have tried tons of systems. Mostly I have not been able to keep up with them!  Now I have file folders for January through December. I purchased these from Current and they are colorful with the month names printed all over them in different fonts. When papers come across my desk I decide if they are a keep...if so...They go into that months folder. If not, they go into the trash!  At the end of each month...I take a quick look through the folder and discard any papers that i no longer need. The rest stay in the folder and the folder is moved to the back to make room for the new month at the front.  When the year starts over I go through all the monthly folders and clean them out. If the papers need to be kept. I put them in a labeled YEAR folder...if not they are trashed.

From Current. Price (on sale now) 7.49

These are the ones I use from Current but they have a new style now.



These are 8.99

4. Invest in a nice sized trash can and use it often. I need one!!  The one i have now is too small and is often overflowing!

5. Add some "pretty touches" to your desk. A framed print, some flowers, something that has beauty and you will want to keep your desk clutter free to enjoy it!

Move It Out Monday: Decluttering Thoughts

I have to admit right now my house is a cluttered mess. Things are all over the place, nothing seems to be where it should be. Its exhausting to look at. I think the thing that is most challenging about decluttering is realizing that it is NEVER done. A perfectly organized and decluttered area can become a disaster if let go for even a little bit! Let more than one area go...and ...well....you have a house looking like mine. It's like a jungle overgrown with vines, weeds, and fallen trees. Time to take ACTION.

I started yesterday on the office. This is a room that wasn't finished to begin with. Then I realized there are other areas that I really must tackle first.  When I say that I mean for my own sanity.  So I moved into the living room. I set up my donate box and started in. It was amazing how in about an hour I managed to at least create a bit of order!  There's so much more to do though!

Here are a few tips that might help if you have a BIG job like I have right now...

1. As soon as that donation box is full....get it OUT of the house....even if that just means putting it in the car to drop off later!  THEN get another box and start filling it up.

2. Be ruthless....don't keep anything because you MIGHT use it....if you are not using it and haven't....and if it can be easily replaced...get rid of it and see if you even miss it.

3. Let's face it ladies....it's time to get rid of those VHS tapes....pretty soon there aren't even going to be VCR players.  Donate or into the trash.....they are real space stealers! If you MUST replace your favorites with DVDs...but also remember with things like Netflix....you can have them at your fingertips without having to store them,

4. Don't get distracted by other rooms or areas (this is a biggie for me). When I head into another area to move something...suddenly I find myself working in there....NO....go back to your focus area and keep pluggin away.

5. JUST START.....I find that once I actually start....I can accomplish a lot....its the starting part I have trouble with.

6. Think of it as a game...and keep score...give yourself a point for every box or bag you get out of the house. Give yourself two points for every area, drawer, shelf or cabinet that you finish cleaning out. Set a goal and when you reach it....give yourself a prize...no clutter please...maybe a nice lunch out, a movie, or two hours of reading time!