Source List: Storage Containers

A lot of you have asked me where I get all my organization bins, boxes, etc. It's a mix of Target, Walmart, Aldi, IKEA, and Dollar Tree. But because we don't all have these stores in our area, I thought I'd get a source list going of the closest matches I can find online.

Toy Organization

• 20-pack clear storage bins. At just about a dollar a piece, these are great for separating out different toys -- like figures, puzzles, play-doh, etc. We keep extra toys in these all sorted by type and pull them out as needed.
• IKEA Sortera Bins are AMAZING. They may be my all-time favorite. We use them for block storage and for doll clothing and accessories. Very sturdy and stackable.
• Woven Storage Baskets -- helpful for organizing markers, crayons, and other things you want to keep in an open-top container.
• Tall Woven Storage Baskets -- same idea, just a taller option. 
• Chalkboard Labels -- these are reusable and dishwasher safe. You can use them anywhere. I recommend getting a chalk pen/marker versus using chalk.

Clothing Organization

• We use 9-cube organizers instead of dressers for the girls
• Stephen uses a larger 13" 8-cube organizer for his clothing
• It's cheaper to get 10" storage cubes and 13" storage cubes in a big pack online than in the store.
• Ziploc Storage Totes are perfect for storing all my hand-me-down clothing for the girls.

Refrigerator Organization

• Slim Storage Trays -- long a skinny, perfect for cheese sticks, yogurt tubes, and other small snacks.
• Rectangular Storage Trays -- helpful for hummus, guacamole, cheeses, and other medium-sized containers.
• I also find it helpful to buy a bundle of different sized trays that can serve many purposes and be mixed/matched in different spaces. 
• Fridge Storage Bundle -- this includes an egg holder, can holder, and four other trays that fit cup yogurts, fruits and veggies, and other things. I like that these are clear.
• Flexible Storage Baskets -- I use these in my freezer mostly. Great way to organize bags of frozen veggies.

Pantry Organization

• Slim Storage Trays -- long a skinny, perfect for pouches, granola bars, and other snacks.
• Rectangular Storage Trays -- helpful for wider bars, cookies, and snacks.
• I also find it helpful to buy a bundle of different sized trays that can serve many purposes and be mixed/matched in different spaces.
• Woven Storage Trays -- Similar to above, but prettier. I have these in my pantry. 
• Tall Woven Storage Baskets -- same idea, just a taller option. 
• Flip-Lid Containers -- for cereal, chips, pretzels, and decanting other pourable snacks.
• Wide Mouth Ball Jars -- quart (4-cup) size for all bulk items.
• Pre-Printed Labels to keep everything in order. 

The Rest . . . 

• Husky Heavy Duty Storage Shelving. This thing is huge and perfect for all our storage in the garage. We have 16 bins on it. I hear they also sell it at Costco.
• I use these Large Flex Tubs all over the house -- currently in the linen closet to hold all our sheets and towels. We also have one in the garage for dirty bathing suits/towels in our pool area.
• Similarly, these Bendy Bins flex and work well for multi-purposes. I use them for bath toys, Eden's bottles, and storage in Ada's room.
• Dollar Tree Rectangular Bins -- you have to order a multi-color case online or go to the store and hope you can find WHITE or GREY. The BEST.
• Dollar Tree Square Bins -- same idea. Use them anywhere.
• And if I had more money, I'd love to have all wire storage baskets. They are so classic and clean looking.

Read more...

Why Minimalism Doesn't Work For Me

Alright, so I definitely do label myself as an "aspiring minimalist" -- but really, that's not really what I mean. I definitely like the basic idea of only owning what you need . . . and living with less . . . and valuing quality over quantity . . . and examining priorities with regard to purchases and stuff in general. I like the aesthetic of a space that is calm and empty aside from the essentials.

And I freaking LOVE the feeling I get after a good purge.

Ohhhhh, yeah. Clear it all out. All of it!

Where my feelings on the subject deviate, I suppose, is when it comes to what I consider the new challenge culture that we live in. The rampant trend of minimalism. The consumerism aspect of it, too (crazy, but it's a thing!).

I'm the first to admit that I'm not high and mighty on this subject. I've tried many, many, many challenges and trials in the last many years. But it's the whole capsule wardrobe -- only owning 10, 25, XX items of clothing. Or getting rid of everything to the point of it being almost too much. Or feeling pressure to buy "the RIGHT" things to make myself feel like a law-abiding minimalist (which is wrong on so many levels, right?).

I think there's this tendency when we as humans get interested in any particular thing to go ALL IN. (Or maybe it's just people who have personality types like mine.) If I don't, I feel like I'm doing a half-assed job of it. Or like I'm setting myself up for failure. Or like I shouldn't even bother. For example, if my kids clothes don't all coordinate or mix-and-match, I'm doing it wrong. If I have too many coffee cups, I've failed. If I hold onto much sentimental (yearbooks, I'm looking at you!), it's ridiculous. Etc.

What am I saying?

OK. I think it's hard not to get caught up in the Keeping Up With The Joneses version of minimalism that's circulating the internet. The closet challenges. The photos of neatly coordinated wooden toys. The clean white sheets and crisp slipcovers. THE IDEA THAT MINIMALISM WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE PERFECT AND EASY. Sorry to yell, but I have found living this way to actually be quite hard work. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. But I'm sure a few of you in the back seats know what I'm talking about.

The thing is, it actually should be easy. That is, if you're doing it right for you.

This last time I purged my house and organized my belongings, I tried very hard to separate out my own needs from the ones that I've drooled over on Instagram feed. The ones that I've read "SHOULD" be how I do things. I've decided that "minimalism" can have a different definition depending on your own family's needs. Maybe that's not technically true, but I'm declaring that you can pick and choose what you want from the concept.

And maybe we don't have to label ourselves at all!

(Wouldn't that be wild?)

Here's what I like:

• Thinking before I buy new things. Taking a bit of time to ponder if I envision that new thing in a donation box in the near future. Or if we might already have something that functions just fine -- it helps me resist filling my cart at Target.
• Being grateful for what we have. This means taking care of our existing stuff -- however mismatched or basic it is -- because we already spent money and energy on it.
• Keeping what we are truly using. Versus just going through closets and drawers and tossing anything that doesn't fit my vision for my life, it's important to evaluate what we truly use. Even if it means keeping something like a gigantic tub of obnoxious plastic blocks because my kids LOVE them and haven't touched the blonde wood ones that were hand-carved and personally blessed by a mythical goddess (no disrespect -- but my kids like the plastic ones).
• Regularly revisiting and purging. It's important to go through every so often to see if there's something that is no longer meeting our needs, that's damaged/broken, or that we can otherwise clear out.

So, I guess it isn't that minimalism doesn't work for me. I am -- instead -- working (very hard) to make a version of minimalism make sense for my own family.

Why bother? Because I truly see the merit in the general concepts. And we have way too much crap. I'm getting there with my own process on my own terms. In my next post on this subject, I'll share what I did differently this time around when it came to purging my house, as well as how I plan to actually make it work in the long run.

Read more...

How to Clean Your Kitchen

I wrote recently on Instagram about the radical idea that cleaning my kitchen is a form of self-care. To me, this was kind of embarrassing and even seemed a bit silly. Cleaning. Self care? Seriously? I'm not a neat or tidy person by nature, so getting fire under my behind with organizing my house has been difficult. What I've found is a sense of serenity when thing are in order. And it's this feeling that seems to be filling me up with good vibes, even when everything else in my life seems a bit out of control.

So, I figured I'd share the quick things I'm doing each day to keep this particular space shiny and fresh. Now that I've got a system going, cleaning the kitchen when it's super messy/dirty only takes 10 minutes or so. And that includes getting dishes going AND steaming the floors.

What? I steam the floors? YES, and it's the best feeling ever.

Start with the 5-minute rule

I didn't invent the concept that you should do tasks that take just 5 minutes instead of letting them pile up. But now I'm the biggest cheerleader to this way of living life. Previously, I'd wait on the dishes and counters. They'd get beyond my ability to see the light. And I would feel like cleaning was a hopeless endeavor.

Things that only take 5 minutes or less:

• Putting dirty dishes into the dishwasher and pushing START
• Putting everything on the counters in the "right" home
• Wiping down the counters and appliances
• Vacuuming and steaming the floors (really! 5 minutes!)
• Tidying open shelving and dusting containers
• Taking out the garbage and putting a new bag in the can

Get the right tool and supplies

I use eCloth microfiber cleaning cloths on all surfaces. The company claims you can clean using only water, but I usually use some kind of spray. The advantage with these types of cloths is that they really seem to wipe up well.

I'm also a sucker for pretty and good-smelling cleaning supplies. I've recently become obsessed with anything Method -- especially the Sea Salt and Lime All-Purpose Spray. Their Stainless Steel Spray has also given me life. It's not that vinegar doesn't work. But to get inspired to clean, I needed something a bit flashy, if you will.

And my favorite floor cleaning supplies include my Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop and Shark Stick Vacuum. Again, you only need to use the steam to clean floors, but the Method Spearmint/Sage Floor Cleaner is divine.

Decant your groceries

This is an idea I got from Erica Flock (who, in turn, got it from another blogger). My pantry tends to be this black hole of craziness. The simple act of pouring my snacks and other foods into clear containers allows me to see how much is left, what exactly we have, and it keeps garbage from piling up. I can't tell you how many times I'd clean the pantry and have like two gigantic bags of trash/recycling to contend with.

Then all you need are flip-top containers. Try getting a set of clear containers that offers different size options, like this set of EAGMAK Food Storage Containers. Another favorite are the tiny containers that have flip-tops you can find at the Dollar Tree. They're similar to the smallest container in this awesome 10-piece Food Pantry Container set. In fact, I think those are the same exact containers I found at my dollar store. 10 pieces for $15.

I also use open baskets to separate out things like applesauces, granola bars, and instant oatmeal. And my bamboo bread box is my new favorite thing.

Clear out pantries and refrigerator weekly

Overwhelming, right? Stay with me.

Once you do an initial purge and start decanting, this step is very easy. When I do my meal planning for the week (or when I simply take a look at what we have before making a mad dash to the store), get rid of anything that is either past its prime (yogurt, I'm looking at you!) or that you don't think you'll ever use.

Example: We're not a pasta-eating family. My mother-in-law kindly gave us a gigantic bulk box of edamame pasta. It was sitting and taking up tons of space for months -- and we're just not going to use it. Stuff like that can go to a food pantry or even a friend.

When you clear stuff out, there's more space for the stuff you use OR there's just more space for your things to breathe.

Move stuff around

You need to make your cabinets work for you. Efficiency is key if you want to keep your kitchen clean and you want to do it FAST. If you don't have specific homes for everything, it's hard to unload the dishwasher in a timely manner. If you have some food in this cabinet and similar food in another cabinet across the room, it's hard to figure out where to put stuff.

Spend some time really mapping out your ideal zones.

Examples:

• We have a pantry where all the non-perishable food goes. 
• We have a coffee/tea bar on the counter and right above it, I have the coffee/tea stored away along with Eden's formula (the bottle warmer is right there) and bottles. 
• I have glass food storage in one drawer and in the drawer beside it are the lids. Separating them made everything so much easier.
• I have a whole drawer that's down low dedicated to our kid dishes. This allows me to store all the stuff together AND gives my kids some independence.

Think about non-kitchen items

If things are living in your kitchen that don't belong in your kitchen, take them out and distribute to where they belong. It's that simple. Alternatively, if you regularly do non-kitchen things in your kitchen, consider making a special home for those things.

Example: I always do my girls' hair at the kitchen island. So, I now have a little bin of all their hair supplies (hair ties, bows, combs/brushes, detangler) right above the refrigerator. That way, I don't have all that stuff scattered on my countertops.

While you're at it, embrace the junk drawer. It's OK to have a junk drawer. I just polled my Instagram followers and 86 percent of people shared that they have this chaotic space. I recently went to the dollar store and purchased some organizing containers (similar to these) so we can at least categorize the junk. This has been especially helpful for charging cords and batteries. 

Reevaluate your stuff

We had beautiful Fiestaware dishes that we got for our wedding. I did hold onto some pieces, but they were bulky and heavy and annoying to deal with on the daily. So, I replaced them with simple white Corelle Dishes. They are super lightweight, they stack nicely in the dishwasher, and they take up very little space in our cupboard.

We use Ball Jars for food storage and drinking glasses. This is one of the best switches we've made because they can be used interchangeably to suit our needs.

If you aren't using certain appliances much, store them away or get rid of them. I actually don't use my KitchenAid mixer much anymore. I have it stored away in a lower cabinet and pull it out maybe twice a month.

BONUS: When you remove appliances from the countertops, they're easier to clean. (And there's less stuff to wipe down in general.)

Stay on top of it

Once you make some changes, just stay on top of cleaning. That sounds easier said than done, but once you get things organized and start doing 5-minute tasks . . . the momentum starts. And some of those quick tasks become even quicker. Before you know it, you'll be cleaning your entire kitchen in just 10 minutes.

Bigger jobs can come at your convenience. But do them regularly!

For example, I clean the stovetop once a week . . . and it actually only takes 5 minutes but is a bit harder because I have to remove all the grates. I used to just not clean it . . . and then everything would get burned onto the top and take FOREVER.

I try to deep clean the refrigerator monthly. That may not seem like a lot, but I used to only do it maybe twice a year. In fact, that's on my list of things to do this weekend. Monthly makes those stuck-on messes a bit easier to lift.

Anyway, these are some basics that have helped me transform the way I deal with our messy kitchen. I hope you find them helpful. If you have anything to share, please leave it in the comments!

Read more...

Simple Cleaning Lessons

My house is tidy. Mostly picked up . . . most of the time. But it's actually quite dirty. Like, stuff-stuck-on-the-floors, soap-scum-residing-in-the-tub-for-months, need-to-scrub-all-the-toilets sort of dirty. I go in waves with my enthusiasm for cleaning. Right now in the third trimester? It's exhausting just thinking about getting on my hands and knees to do the work.

I've read all sorts of articles on embracing the madness. That a messy home is a home full of love. And all that stuff. But I've also hit the nesting stage and it's bothering me -- BIG time. I would like my house clean. At least sort-of, kind-of clean. And I think there's a happy balance to be had.

Nerd alert: I spent a good deal of Eloise's nap looking up cleaning videos on YouTube yesterday afternoon. Yes, I have a writing deadline I should have been working on. Yes, I could have probably better used that time to actually get off my butt and clean. But I'm desperate. I am trying so hard to figure out a better way to keep my house clean, not just picked up.

There are a few things I learned, and I thought I'd share them here. Because I was THISCLOSE to calling a cleaning company, which is a luxury I think to be totally worth it if you have the funds. I cannot allocate money in that direction right now, so figuring out a way to simplify my cleaning practices is key. That said, we may be saving up some dollars and cents to hire occasional cleaning in the first few months after baby comes this time around. Because no new, breastfeeding-constantly-always mama has time (OK. maybe time, but desire!) to scrub with three kids and a husband who's gone six days a week.

// 1: Stop zone cleaning. 

This was interesting to me. Several articles and videos I watched said to stop approaching the house from a "clean the living room" or "clean the bathroom" perspective. Instead, do tasks like dusting throughout the entire house first, then move on to cleaning windows and mirrors, then move on to wiping down surfaces/scrubbing toilets/etc. and then to floors. I've never tried cleaning my house this way, so I am intrigued.

// 2: Prioritize. 

Stephen and I have really different cleaning styles. I get bogged down basically taking a toothbrush to every microscopic area that could be gone over. He goes really fast and glosses over a lot. We need to marry these approaches, at least sort of. Like I could be LESS detailed and he could be MORE detailed. But we need to prioritize the areas we want the cleanest together. Generally things like kitchen surfaces and toilets/tubs are big priorities. Dusting the tops of the kitchen shelves and ceiling fans might not be something that makes it as high up the list.

// 3: Gather together. 

I don't have one of those cleaning buckets or baskets. My cleaning supplies are scattered in different areas by room. Because as I mentioned before, I used to clean by room. But if you do tasks, it makes more sense to gather everything in a basket or cardboard box -- whatever -- and take it to the areas you're cleaning in that moment so you aren't running around the house like a crazy person.

// 4: Enlist your kids.

This is something I have just started doing recently, and I'm seeing how it goes. Ada is old enough now to help with more cleaning tasks. Since my belly has kept me from wanting to bend over, I'm taking full advantage and asking her to do more. For example, after dinner ends up all on the kitchen floor . . . I ask her to go through with our hand vacuum each night and suck it up. No, she doesn't do a perfect job. But I don't have to do it. I have also asked her to start picking up toys (which is easier having gotten rid of so many!) with Eloise. Their top motivator is playing cleanup songs on YouTube. Yes, I could have started that way sooner, but I am a control freak and often figured it would be faster if I just did it.

// 5: Set a timer.

This is my own tip, because otherwise I think I may spend the next year cleaning without any breaks. I am planning to set a timer each day for 15 minutes to dedicate to cleaning. On another day each week, I may set it to 30 minutes or -- alternatively -- 15 minutes, twice that day. And then on the weekend, I may set it to 45 minutes or 15 minutes, THREE times in a day (with the whole family's help that day). I have trouble setting out to clean and having no set start or end time. If I break it into chunks, I think it will feel more manageable. I don't want to spend hours cleaning, but I am hoping by dedicating time each day -- even just 15 minutes -- I'll be able to power through better.


Do you have any cleaning tips to share?

I've seen so many "rhythms" and methods for taking each day to zone clean . . . but none of them have ever worked for me.

And if you're curious, my favorite cleaning YouTuber is Clean My Space. She uses VERY simple DIY cleaners. Mostly baking soda, vinegar, and water with microfiber cloths. No fussy recipes. She also gives tons of tips for fast cleaning and more deep cleaning.

Read more...

Airing My Dirty Laundry

My friend Taylor said something that really resonated with me last week. It was something to the effect of "organization doesn't need to be pretty" -- and she's absolutely right. I think I've been caught up in the past when I'd be trying to clean. Maybe all the stuff was put away, but the room I was left with wasn't exactly Pinterest-worthy. Despite the accomplishment of organizing, I was left with a sense of failure. And feeling negative about the experience didn't exactly help with motivation to keep it clean.

So, today I'm airing my dirty laundry, so to speak. Because there's actually no dirty laundry on my floors upstairs. After my marathon cleaning sessions this weekend, my ENTIRE upstairs is organized and tidy. Better yet, MOST closets and drawers are organized as well. The exception is that 4th bedroom closet. We don't have much basement storage, we have no attic storage, and the garage is tight this time of year. This is our only space to keep extras. I'm hoping that will change sometime soon.

So, my rooms aren't all painted or decorated, but I'm proud of this progress.

Eloise even has her own tiny capsule wardrobe!


I think this is the first time in years I would have photographed every room in the upstairs at the same time. They have never all been clean at once. Now, I want to organize that 4th bedroom closet better than it is now and relocate the last of the boxes in that room. But this is HUGE progress. And, no. I don't think these rooms look great. Maybe Ada's. Poor Eloise deserves a painted room already. She's 19 months old!

One thing at a time. More soon!

Related:

Minimalist Kid's Room Tour
Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists

Read more...

Decluttering My Life // 2018 Cleanout

After writing up my What's in My Makeup Bag post, I realized my microblogs have gotten a bit lengthy. I want to stick with writing, so this week I need to change things up a bit. Today I'm going to write up a short and sweet list of accomplishments I made toward my organization/cleaning/minimalism goals. There's more to just cleaning -- it's changing the whole cycle of buying and identifying needs vs. wants. But that's a post for another day.

To recap: Here's my action plan for getting rid of our clutter.

TOYS

• Cleared out most toys from our first floor living room
• Purged half the toys from the basement playroom 
• Leaned out more toys from the bedrooms
• In total: Have donated or packed away a total of 2.5 large bins of toys

CLOTHING

• Collected two garbage bags of clothing to donate
• Identified some items to sell on my Poshmark store
• Separated out spring from winter clothing to have less stuff out
• Packed away one large bin of clothing as a result -- less laundry!
• Made a capsule wardrobe for myself of 25 items for winter
• I didn't yet have Stephen go through his clothing -- doesn't have as much as I thought

KITCHEN

• Went through all drawers and cupboards
• Got rid of one large box of items, including glass jars with no lids, broken stirring spoons, etc.
• Relocated a bunch of stuff that had no business being in the kitchen (toys, personal care items, etc.)
• Still have more to do . . . 

HOARDERS ROOM (a.k.a. 4th bedroom)

• I could barely open the door to this room. No joke!
• Found THREE bags of paper and other trash (broken things, not pizza boxes) in this room
• Found a bin of maybe items that we'll hold onto for a month or so before donating
• Have almost cleared the whole room out, except the closet -- which is amazing!

BATHROOM CLOSET

• Go rid of near-empty bottles of product by combining with newer bottles
• Organized our bulk items (soaps, shampoos, etc.) into bins for easy grabbing
• Got rid of a bag of trash in this area
• Found tons of used water glasses and dishes in the closet for some reason

All and all, these activities didn't take a single hour as I had hoped they would. It was more like on-and-off for two days. I'd say maybe five to six hours total. Yikes. But it was necessary. AND I'M STILL NOT DONE! I am hoping to give you some visuals in the coming days. I'll probably devote this entire week of blogging to organizing and minimalist stuff. 

Stay tuned . . . and check out more of this month's micro-posts.

Read more...

Overcome by Clutter: Action Plan

I've written about our efforts to become more minimalist in the past, so I also feel I should share when it's just not working out. Like now. OK. So, we were doing well several years ago, but I noticed the creeping of stuff started after Eloise was born. I think it was a mix of getting an influx of baby items and putting my guard down. It's an excuse, yes, but it's harder to stay on top of things with a baby/toddler around AND sometimes there's stress. And as much as I'd like to say it isn't true, I do still have stress-shopping tendencies.

We're all works in progress, right?

Anyway, as I sit in our basement playroom, I'm a bit disgusted. We have all these beautiful new and old toys strewn about. Many of them aren't getting good use. Instead of appreciating them, I'm incredibly annoyed at the moment. They're a giant source of stress for the adults and kids alike. Stress for me and Stephen because of constant pickup. Stress for the kids because there is so much, they're overwhelmed, hopping from thing to thing.

I woke up wanting to throw everything in the garbage. So, before I do something crazy, I decided to write this post. Thing is, I don't even know where to begin. The main level of our home is relatively tidy most of the time. Not ever when I hop onto Instagram for some reason, so that's a fairly true representation of what annoys me. It's nothing a half hour of picking up can't fix, though. The second level where we sleep? Yikes. It was clean before Christmas. Laundry abounds from all corners now, along with some Christmas items that never found proper places to live. And, of course, the basement is an absolute wreck.

Minimalism is about a lot more than just a clean house, and I think that's one area where we've strayed. Now, I also want to explain that I've always been more of a wannabe minimalist. We, as a family, are getting there. We're slowly arriving at a point where we're accepting the core principles of living with less excess and embracing those things with purpose. Anyone who's done it will tell you it takes time, and there will be back-sliding.

All of this is to say that today I have written up a short to-do list that I'm hoping will help get us back on the right track. And, at least at first, this mostly means clearing some stuff out so I can think. So we can ALL think.

• Donate/get rid of one bag of my own clothing. Re-create a capsule wardrobe for winter. 
• Have Stephen donate/get rid of a bag of his own clothing.
• Weed through Ada's and Eloise's clothing to store away anything that no longer fits them/is damaged/etc. or donate.
• Go through basement toys and pack away/donate at least one box of items that are no longer used or are damaged/missing pieces/etc.
• Reevaluate all toys and books in the living room. This is our most annoying area of clutter where Eloise's just grabs and throws things all over. We may temporarily eliminate toys in this space because it's getting to be too much at the present moment.
• Go through all mail and recycle/trash what isn't needed.
• Weed through kitchen drawers and donate/get rid of random cutlery, cups, appliances, etc. we're either not using or that's broken/missing pieces/etc.
• Identify a better storage area. We don't have many bins of storage, but keeping them in the garage isn't working out.
• Gather up a box of "maybe" miscellaneous things and put them away for a month or so to see if we actually need/want them to stay in our lives.

I'm hoping these activities will only take an hour or so, and I'm also hoping I can update you on my progress next week.

More Minimalism:

Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists
Five Things I No Longer Buy

Read more...

Five Things I No Longer Buy // Minimalism

This whole minimalism thing is a process. That's for sure. It started out long ago with just a thought. And then a bit of passion. From there, it got physical. And by that, I mean we got rid of a bunch of stuff. Remember last year when I took you all on our spring cleaning adventures? By the end, we had figured out some major stuff about how to clear everything out and we were down to just a few bins in storage.

Amazing. Not so amazing is where we're at a year later. I blame it on having a baby. But the stuff, or maybe should I type out The Stuff, has slowly made a return. Not to previous levels, but we definitely need to take some time again to get back on track.

The hardest part isn't actually purging. Sure, you need to make those keep, sell, donate, and trash piles. Sure, you need to part with things that you may be emotionally tied to. But once you've done that -- it feels amazing. The hard part is actually NOT BUYING and NOT BRINGING HOME things to fill all that empty space.

So, here are some things I have stopped buying since committing to being more minimalist. We're still a work-in-progress over here. But saying no to these areas has helped tremendously. We need to add more items to this list, and I'll note those down below.

5 Things I No Longer Buy

#1: Paper towels, plates, etc.

We do not buy any paper towels, paper plates, napkins, paper cups, etc. Not only are they wasteful, but they also clutter up the trash can and pantry space. This isn't to say we don't have some rogue ones around the house. My parents and in-laws (trying to be helpful -- so we appreciate the sentiment) do end up buying us paper towels on occasion. My mother-in-law also has a thing for getting Ada decorated paper plates for holidays, birthdays, etc. We try to use them sparingly and re-use them as many times as we can (for example, I may use them as paint trays a few times).

We have a cloth towel system for cleaning the house. We also have two sets of Corel dishes in plain white. It is enough for eight people total. We very, very infrequently would need more than that.

#2: Cleaning Supplies

You guys know that we make a lot of our own cleaners. A great all-purpose spray is just vinegar with water and some essential oils. You can use different ratios of this to get the job done. You can add some rubbing alcohol to make it suitable for cleaning glass. In other words: Vinegar is awesome. Here are many ways you can use it.

We also make our own laundry detergent, dishwasher tabs, and even some of our own personal care items, like deodorant, lotion cubes, and face scrub.

#3: Fast Fashion

I have so much to write about this topic. I think my LuLaRoe obsession was my breaking point. I had this brief love affair and bought #alltheleggings and it left me feeling really empty and sad. I've made some major changes to my wardrobe, including selling most of my LLR (in my Poshmark closet) and buying the vast majority of my clothing second hand now (again, on Poshmark -- you can use code NYRLS to get a $5, btw -- not sponsored).

I have been trying to switch out my clothing with more timeless pieces. Also buying natural fibers, like FLAX, that are made to last for many years without wearing out. I will talk much more about all these changes when I show you guys my 33-piece wardrobe. That post will be a video. I'm in a weird place with my wardrobe right now because one day it's 65 and sunny . . . and tomorrow we're expecting up to 18 inches of snow.

#4: Sheets and Blankets

When we were doing the great purge last year, I discovered that I hoard blankets. If I see something warm and cuddly, I simply cannot pass it up. Or, at least I wasn't able to a year or so ago. I am happy to report that I have not bought a blanket in a little over a year. We've even pared down on our sheets so we have just one pair of flannel and two cotton for our bed.

In Ada's minimalist bedroom tour, you can see that I also stored away the top sheets on her bed and only use the fitted.

#5: Toys

OK. So, this one isn't something we totally don't buy. We have just changed a lot about how we buy toys. As in, we don't buy many . . . and we are continually looking to pare down on them. This is really difficult with so many generous friends and relatives. Instead of toys, we try to buy Ada things to do, like coloring books, where she's being creative. Or we try to invest in experiences versus stuff. Like with clothing, this is a topic I need to devote an entire post to writing.

I also need to give you guys a tour of our basement play room. This is one area that I just cannot seem to totally control. Part of it is because it's hard to make kids give up toys. It's also hard to part with things that were given as gifts, whether or not the child plays with whatever it is. I think you parents out there know what I'm talking about. This is a tricky area.

Our policy in the house is that we do not buy toys unless it is a holiday, like Christmas or birthday. There are limits on the number of toys. And we like to get rid of something if we are bringing in new. I won't lie, though. Right now my basement looks a bit like a daycare center. That's what a late November birthday, Christmas, and having a new-ish baby will do!

We're Not Perfect

Thing is, we are far from perfect. Minimalism has been a two steps forward, one step backward process for us. What remains a constant is that both Stephen and I see value to trying to live with less. We may fail at times, but we regroup and often chat about how to get where we want to be.

Here's something cool, too. Using the cash envelope system is really helping us bring less stuff into the house. It's because we end up writing out shopping lists, seeing where our money is going, and thinking more about the purchases we make in general.

Good Resources

If you want to read more, check out these links.

How to program your mind to stop buying crap you don't need via LifeHacker
10 ways to stop shopping for a while via Be More With Less
Giving up (new) clothes for a year via Becoming Minimalist
How to not buy anything for a year via Two Less Things

More Minimalism:

Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists

Read more...

Green in 15: Dishwasher Tabs

It's been a while since I did a Green in 15 post. If you're new to this series, so far I've covered how to revamp your cleaning with natural supplies and all the details about our no more paper towels system.

I've been making our own dishwasher detergent for quite a while now. We keep it in powder form in a small jar near the dishwasher. We fill the rinse dispenser with vinegar and occasionally add essential oils for extra punch. The thing is, even with my airtight container, the mixture gets clumpier than I'd like. Plus, I eventually decided we needed to change our formula to help with water stains from our hard water.

So, I searched around on Pinterest and found basically 10,000 slight variations on this recipe. The epsom salt helps with hard water while the addition of vinegar and essential oils help bind everything together and get dishes smelling great.

DIY DISHWASHER TABS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups washing soda (or baking soda)
• 2 cups borax
• 1/2 cup epsom salts (or kosher salt)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar 
• 20 drops lemon essential oil
• 2 ice cube trays
• Airtight container for storage

Method . . . 

1. Simply mix together all the dry ingredients and then add the wet. It will start clumping on its own -- just make sure it's well incorporated.
2. Then press mixture into your ice cube trays and packed as it will go.
3. Let dry 24 hours (I found that overnight was long enough for me) before popping out of the molds.
4. Store in airtight container.

To use:

Put one tab in your machine's slot. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 vinegar in the bottom of the machine to act as an extra rise aid (again -- we have really hard water, I just do this anyway). And run the machine as usual. These tabs work well even on my machine's eco-setting that doesn't use super hot water or drying.

// RELATED

Green in 15: No More Paper Towels
Green in 15: Revamping Your Cleaning
DIY Natural Lotion Cubes
Powerful DIY Laundry Detergent
Cleaning with Vinegar
5 Green Cleaners That Work
5-Minute Homemade Deodorant
8 Ways We've Eliminated Plastics
Cleaning Produce The Natural Way
Chemical-Free Clean With Castile Soap

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Why Organizing Doesn't Work (For Us)

Here's a long-overdue spring purge post about why simple organizing just doesn't work to spiff up our spaces. I mean, we're still learning as we go along. I can't believe how many times we've set out to have "this clean" be the "final clean" -- but something was actually different about this time around. Versus organizing the crap we had around the house, we actually got rid of most everything we deemed nonessential.

Getting rid of a large portion of your belongings can be overwhelming. There's this tendency, at least for me, to feel like I'm foolish getting rid of something I might need in the future. I would stow things away for someday, thinking of all the many scenarios where I'd need five different winter coats or all those old issues of Runner's World or six thousand serving spoons. I'd feel guilty getting rid of anything we were given as gifts even if they were broken or just didn't fit out lifestyle.

Here are the three main reasons organizing doesn't work (for us). File this post under opinions. Food for thought. It's not how YOU should approach life or your home. It's just how we've started seeing things, and it's been quite life-changing.

You still have all that stuff. 

Even if you go through, categorize, and put everything away in clearly marked boxes -- you still have things literally hanging over your head in the attic. Or it's in countless bins in the garage or basement. We had over 20 bins of things . . . and when we really took the time to go through the items one by one, we realized that likely most of those things would never make it back into the house.

It took several moves and tries, but finally letting go enabled us to see how foolish we were for schlepping that stuff around. How much energy we spent moving those bins from our old house to the new house. Or moving them from the attic to the basement, etc. How much mental energy we spent on, well, things that we didn't really need anyway.

In my humble opinion, even if your stuff is out and away, it's still stuff. Heck -- we considered getting a storage unit at one time. Why bother?! This is stuff that you might not need for years . . . or, truly, EVER AGAIN.

So, why bother giving it any more of your energy, time, or money?

You're wasting money.

At least we did. I can't even begin to tell you the dollars we have spent on cube organizers, shelving, and other tools to wrangle our crap into better order. It's shameful, really. In the end, it always gets messed up again. We still accumulate too much. It was, for us, a losing battle. The more stuff we got, the more things we needed to store it in. The more places we needed for storage, the smaller we felt our house was, etc.

I feel like so many people think they need these gigantic houses because they need places to hold all their stuff. When I watch HGTV, closet space is like one of the top concerns. The host always jokes that the woman needs that gigantic walk-in closet. Our old house was 1,200 square feet. To be honest, we mostly lived in 1,000 square feet of it because one room was usually storage. Now? We have around 1,900 (1,600 above ground). I love our new house and neighborhood, but I can confidently tell you that living with two kids back at the old place would be totally fine.

Plus, you don't need big closets if your wardrobe is pared down to 50 or fewer items. You can get dressed much more quickly, too. Our old house was really lacking for closets. Somehow when we moved, we filled all these large closets that we didn't used to need. Weird, right?

I also discovered that we were wasting our money because with so much stuff, we always felt like we needed more -- well -- stuff. We were in this really bad cycle of consumption. Perhaps out of all this cleaning up, the biggest lesson we learned is that we needed to stop shopping for mindless entertainment. We needed to examine our priorities. And we needed to stop bringing so much crap home with us. It was draining our wallets and moving us farther from our core values.

You're wasting time.

When Stephen and I sat down together and examined our goals in life, the one that stuck out the most was that we wanted to have more time with one another. You know, time that isn't spent cleaning up toys or wading through excess. Or feeling stressed about money, etc. We just want to be with our little family and live a simple life, whatever that means at this stage.

You'd think organization would make cleanup easier, right? We have two 9-cube toy organizers in our basement, for example. And this is one of the few remaining problem areas of the house. You'd think organizing toys into separate boxes would make spaces clean. Nope. Instead, we filled the boxes. All of the boxes. Family bought gifts that filled all the boxes. All the boxes were overflowing. And with a 4-year-old, unless we spend time each day or week going through them, everything is out of place. A toy-plosion, if you will.

Not only we were wasting time trying to put toys away. Ada, too, was wasting time being overwhelmed by options. When I was younger, I would spend hours just . . . coloring. Or playing with one doll. Somehow, along the way -- toy options have gotten out of control. Kids seem to need everything and . . . they get it from well-meaning parents, relatives, and friends. But it's part of what's fueling the whole over-stimulation thing and, again, that over-consumption.

There's just too much!

More thoughts:

I'm sure you can see how this applies to most every area in your home. If you step into a Bed, Bed, and Beyond -- there are entire walls dedicated to useless kitchen gadgets. When you buy electronics, their lives seem to be ever-shortened, creating a whole junk drawer full of outdated cameras, phones, etc. Life didn't used to be this way.

So, I guess you could say we're rebelling. It's hard. The temptation is strong to go into a Target and walk out with a cart FULL of amazing things. Now that we're gotten rid of a good deal of the bins, the maintenance is our main effort. All it takes is saying NO. Walking away. Waiting to make purchases. Unlinking PayPal from online shopping accounts, etc.

In my next post, I'll do an updated house tour and highlight some problem areas we were able to kick into gear by purging. And as I wrote that last part, I think the how NOT to buy is another good area to write something about. I'm still learning the best methods. 

Is there anything more you'd like to hear about our big spring cleanup? Let me know in the comments!

* Image source

Read more...

Our House Cleaning Routine

Skipping ahead of myself again to share something I've been meaning to write up for quite some time. Our cleaning routine! And the reason I've wanted to write about it but haven't is because we weren't in a good groove . . . and I thought posting would help push us in the right direction. Well, now that we've cleaned and cleared out in our minimalist efforts, everything is falling much better into place.

Here's how we approach cleaning our spaces, how often we clean what, and what things we tend to leave for longer periods of time. Note: I'm not slating this as some "best practices" kind of post. Just merely sharing what we do. I'd love to hear how you approach cleaning in your everyday life!

Everyday

#1: The kitchen tends to be the busiest spot in our home. I typically cook most of our meals and snacks from scratch to help save money in the budget for other areas. As a result, I use my food processor, blender, stand mixer, slow cooker, and multiple pots and pans almost daily. Holy dishes! Cleaning the kitchen consists of getting the dishes through the washer and putting them away. Cleaning any kitchen tools we've used. Wiping up crumbs and grime from counter tops. Sweeping any big messes off the floor. This isn't a deep clean, it's simply to keep things running smoothly.

#2: Tidying up clutter. I run through the main areas of the house regularly throughout the day and attempt to keep whatever near its "right place." Ada's toys are the things that migrate around mostly. We have a few baskets in the living room to put blocks and a few other quiet toys in. Stuffed animals are her favorite, so I find them everywhere. It's not a big deal if they're around, but there's something so soothing about walking around the house at night and it's all clear for the next day.

Also: We've been getting Ada in on the task because we've put a metal bucket at the bottom of the stairs. In the evenings, we ask her to get anything that belongs in her room and put it in the bucket so we can put it back before bedtime.

#3: Paperwork. This is something new we've attempting to tackle every single day. We noticed that so much of the crap we've been stashing for far too long was junk mail and other documents that could be cleared out almost immediately. I don't know what our hangup was. Now I try to recycle junk mail and take care of other random papers coming into the house the day we receive them. It's a work in progress.

Every Other Day

#1: We vacuum the floor on the main level of the house just about every other day. A lot of this ends up being mess from eating in the dining room, cooking in the kitchen, or general crumbs and dirt from the outdoors.

#2: Laundry. I'd like to get on a better, less frequent schedule with washing laundry. Part of this battle has been paring down our wardrobes. Part of it has been being more patient if favorite clothes are soiled. I think we could be better at waiting longer between loads, but it seems like we're doing at least a few every other day. I wrote a whole article about how we should wash our clothes less often for Wisebread a few years ago, it's an interesting read!

#3: Recycling. We have a huge bin for recycling in our kitchen and we try to empty it into the garage bin about every other day. But here's the problem -- I don't know WHY we seem to have so many boxes, plastics, and other things going through the house. This should be a once a week thing in my opinion. I'm really trying to examine why we have so much packaging. BTW: Check out this great article about Surviving a Week of Zero-Waste Shopping. We have a lot of work we could do in this area. Oh, goals!

Once a Week

#1: Bathrooms. I feel like our bathrooms get so dirty so fast! We tend to give them a total clean once a week, consisting of cleaning the toilet, wiping down the sink (toothpaste + 4-year-old = ugh!), spritzing the mirrors, and clearing out any empty containers.

#2: We vacuum the basement carpet once a week. If it needs to be cleaned more often, we can't ever tell because it's all different shades of brown and masks things well. I would like to get a shampooer to give the thing a good wash a few times a year. Anyone rent or buy one and have experiences to share?

#3: We wash our paperless towel system once a week -- sometimes more if we've been using a lot of them.

#4: Bedrooms. I'll just tell you I don't make our bed every day. I probably make it once a week. I used to make it mostly daily, but since being pregnant, I crawl in and out on occasion -- so I figure, what's the point? Ada's bed is the same way because she's still napping. And as good as we are with washing our clothing, we are slow to put it away. This is something I'd like to work on because having calm, clean sleep spaces is important. They're not horrible, but I hate seeing laundry piles.

#5: Change sheets. I say weekly because that's what we usually do. But if I'm being totally honest, there are times when maybe two weeks go and we don't change the sheets. Still, I try to keep this a weekly thing. If I can remember to do it before bedtime, I'm golden. If I continue to stay up too late, it doesn't get done in a timely manner. Is that gross? Probably.

#6: Trash. I am surprised this doesn't go out more frequently. Somehow, we haven't had a ton of actual trash. It's more about the recycling. Of course, if something smells or is full, we take it out right away. But usually we do the bathroom bins once a week on trash night. The kitchen has been mostly once a week since we started composting. There are always exceptions to the rule, but -- yeah.

Less Often

#1: So, we don't really vacuum upstairs all that often. It's a mix of being too lazy to take the vacuum up the stairs and the fact that we don't wear shoes or eat much up there, so there's less mess to contend with. I'd say we end up doing it every other week or every three weeks (is that awful? it's been working well for us!).

#2: I have this thing about cleaning our windows. I mean, most people I talk to don't worry about it but once a season. I really like to give ours a good scrub once a month or so. I think having plantation shutters also exposes more dust that needs to be cleaned. So, I use some homemade cleaners and spritz everything about once a month.

#3: Dusting. I feel kind of weird admitting that I don't like to dust, so I don't do it often. I mean, dust accumulates, but it never seems terribly overpowering to me. If if notice a lot of dust, I'll of course wipe it up. Otherwise, I'd say I don't dust more than once a month. I think that's one benefit of having less furniture, too!

#4: OK, so I do a surface cleaning of the kitchen every day and it keeps things sane for a while. I do a deep clean probably every three weeks to a month. Like wiping out and clearing out the refrigerator. Cleaning the (outside) of the stove. Digging into the pantries to see what's expired. That kind of stuff. In an ideal world, I'd do this weekly or every other week.

#5: Wiping down furniture. I clean off the dining set about once a month unless I see something on it from an afternoon art project. We also recently washed and conditioned our leather couch after about a year of letting it go. We should probably vacuum under couch cushions more regularly. And one area I'm always embarrassed about? Underneath our bed. I don't know how so many clothes, toys, dust bunnies, etc. end up there . . . but they do, in droves.

#6: Closets. As we've gotten rid of more, we've needed to clean our closets far less often. Only a few sets of sheets helps with the linen closet. Fewer clothes means less mess in our bedroom closets. The worst closet in the house, though, is in the craft room. When I say we're mostly done with our leaning out, it's because the office/craft room is still a mishmash of things. We're working on it, and I hope to do a before/after really soon!

So, that's our general cleaning schedule. I have probably forgotten something major and you've all wondering WHY I don't clean whatever it is . . . but I assure you, there's nothing smelly or too terribly disgusting lurking inside these walls.

Happy Friday, friends!

// RELATED

Green in 15: Revamping Your Cleaning
DIY Natural Lotion Cubes
Powerful DIY Laundry Detergent
Cleaning with Vinegar
5 Green Cleaners That Work
5-Minute Homemade Deodorant
8 Ways We've Eliminated Plastics
Cleaning Produce The Natural Way
Chemical-Free Clean With Castile Soap


Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

How We Purged // Spring Clean

There's really no secret tip or trick for the best way to actually go through your stuff. For us, it made the most sense to touch everything -- or at least get our eyes on each item. Tedious? Indeed. But this way we could ensure that we weren't parting with anything that was actually important or critical (which is particularly key when going through old paperwork!).

Our Method

Here's what we did. It may or may not make sense in your situation:

• First cleared out the main house from anything -- like extra furniture -- we didn't want. This uncovered all sorts of stuff that had been hiding in nooks and crannies. We created a few "miscellaneous" bins and put them in the garage for further investigation.
• We also went through closets, drawers, and cabinets for the same reason. More misc. boxes came out to the garage to be staged for the next step.
• Then we went bin by bin in our garage (it was helpful to have an outdoor space so close to our car) and started sorting things by where we intended to take it. (You can read more about that below.)
• As we got enough stuff to take to a certain place, we'd clear some of it out. For example, we took two trips to the Salvation Army in one day to make room for more organization. Then later that day, we decided to take a trip to the trash place with our construction waste, again, to make more room to continue on.
• Anything we were keeping was promptly put into it's right place in the house. In the case of sentimental stuff, we did put it back in labeled bins that went down to the basement. 
• And then we just kept at it. We took more trips to the drop-offs and kept clearing out. After not too long, the space was clearing and we could breathe again.
• We saved our paperwork for last. We took our time on this one because we didn't want to get rid of any documents that might be important in the long run. 
• Then we decided to go through the house just once more to make sure there wasn't anything left that we could part with. We actually got another van load from our second go-through. I think it's because once we got started, we realized how freeing it is to purge. And it helped put the stuff in perspective . . . so we were ready to just let go.

Where Stuff Went

Salvation Army

The majority of things went to our local donation center. We even called a number the person at the checkout gave us for some furniture pickup that's scheduled for next Tuesday. Always make sure to get a receipt so you can write off your donations next year at tax time.

Once Upon a Child

This is a store in my area (and I think in other areas) that buys gently used and good quality kids stuff from toys to clothing. We sold a bunch of things we know we won't need with baby #2 here. And you know how I found a brand new BOB stroller at Target on clearance a few months ago? We sold our old one (it was in OK condition) for $75! I think that's a great return on that. With everything we sold (which was only a small box), we made out with nearly $200 without having to host a yard sale.

thredUP

I sent some of my nicer clothing to thredUP and am waiting to see how much $$$ I'll get. It's always worth a try to send clothes off (or go to your local consignment shop) to see if you can get anything for them before donating.

Waste

We had a lot of construction waste, like old boards with rusty nails, etc. We took all this stuff to our local center to dispose of it properly. In addition, we took some trashed computers and other recycling there because they know what to do with it. Just make sure you've cleared off any information that could potentially be taken. You never know.

Friends, etc.

We did find some things we thought our friends could use, so we asked and gave as the opportunity arose. I like the idea of having clothing swaps and the like. We have done that even with kitchen things in the past. It takes a village.

What did we do with Ada?

So many people have asked where Ada was during all this cleaning. Well, I estimate that we spent around 4 hours a day actively sorting and taking trips. We used Stephen's spring break versus doing something fun, so it was a big sacrifice. But we did the bulk of it during nap time (Ada slept 2 hours most days). Now that she's four, though, she was able to hang around us and even help. Her favorite part was taking small boxes to the van for donation.

In other words: It wasn't hard. I don't know what it would be like trying to do this with more kids, but we've always been able to do house projects and stuff with Ada right alongside us. Don't let it be an excuse!

OK. It's Friday, so next week I'll start off with a post I'm calling "why simple organizing doesn't work." We're getting close to the end, so if you have any more questions about this process -- let me know!

And don't forget to catch up on this series:

Eliminating the Maybe
7 Clutter Categories
Cleaning Week Snapshots
Wannabe Minimalists

Read more...

Eliminating the Maybe // Spring Clean

So, let's back up for just a minute. Did you know that there's a mental cost to clutter? Like, it has the power to make or break your daily life? I suppose I knew this on some intuitive level, but after doing more research + purging of my own -- I can truly tell you, it's true! For example, I'm a very visual person, and seeing lots of stuff around is actually quite over-stimulating and distracting.

And think of it this way: If you have lots of crap in your attic, you literally have weight hanging over your head. Then come the feelings of guilt or even embarrassment when, say, you can't open your garage door without everyone on your block seeing your mess. Oh, yeah, and it's nice to finally know where my birth certificate is because, well, I didn't know for the bulk of the last year -- talk about stressful.

I mulled over all this during our spring cleaning escapades last week. How did we have so much stuff? Why did we have so many bins of things I wasn't quite sure if I could part with? And why -- after having major cleanings before -- did the things keep piling up year after year?

Then it clicked. I wasn't truly letting go.

When I've organized and cleared out in the past, I've approached it by creating piles.

• Trash
• Donate
• Sell
• Keep
• Maybe 

The thing is, that maybe pile kept getting carried over and over again every time I'd go to organize. (And, seriously, this whole minimalism thing is about so much more than just material objects. I'll get to that in my feelings post.) We schlepped a lot of maybe things from our college days to apartments. We schlepped a lot of things from old apartments to our first house. We then schlepped even more maybe things from our first house to our current house.

The maybes kept piling up and up and up.


What was in these boxes? Clutter -- in this order -- from these categories.

• Clothing
• Someday Stuff
• Gifts
• Forgottens
• Sentimentals

. . . Maybe someday those size 2 jeans will fit me again.

. . . Maybe I'll find a use for that fancy vase I've still not taken out of the box.

. . . Maybe I'll want those hundreds of photos of people I can't remember.

. . . Maybe we'll start entertaining outdoors more and need that patio dining set.

. . . Maybe that stained chair can be reupholstered if we save our pennies.

. . . Maybe I'll want two different baby gyms for Baby E.

I think you see where this is all going. It's a clutter purgatory of sorts. So, when we did cleaning this time, we eliminated the maybe category and had to get a lot more decisive about all this stuff we had been carrying around from place to place for the last decade or more. Mostly, the answers became:

NO.
Get rid of it.
I haven't looked at that in years.
I totally forgot about that.
No, I have no desire to exercise and diet to fit into all these old clothes.
We have too many dishes already.
Etc., etc., etc.

For our clothing, we tried a modified KonMari approach -- both of us -- where we simply held the item, decided if it "sparked joy" (not necessarily if it was practical to hold onto or anything like that), and said a hard YES or NO from there. And now my seasons of clothing fit neatly into narrow sliding containers. I have 25 items in my closet currently -- but I won't delve too deeply into this part because I'm pregnant and it's not the best time to talk about a capsule wardrobe.

There was no special trick to letting go. It was more of a mentally ready moment. And this idea can actually carry over into other areas of your life. I mean, how often do we say MAYBE when we really mean yes or no? Whoa. That gets deep!

This post got much longer than I intended. I have had such great feedback with sharing about our journey to wannabe minimalism, I may add a few posts to my original plan. (Like -- tomorrow will now be that post on how we got rid of everything.) I hope that's alright! If you have questions or comments -- leave them down below. I'm happy to answer anything and everything.

Happy Wednesday!

Read more...

7 Clutter Categories // Spring Clean

When we set out to start our spring cleaning, we were dealing with a lot of different obstacles. We just didn't know where to start. So, we decided to think about the different categories of stuff we had cluttering up our house on the inside and out. It helped us get in the right mindset to go through whatever we encountered and -- then -- to bust through.

Once we got a handle on all that, our plan of attack became much more clear.

Clothing

Of everything, clothing seems to suck up the most space in our house. For me, it's from my ever-changing body. I was one size before I had Ada. Another size afterward. And another size last year. Now I'm pregnant and have two general sizes of maternity clothing. That's just me. Ada had WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES to even pass along to Baby E. The way we could tell our clothing was out of control? We had bins upon bins of it in the garage. We also had quite a laundry pileup on the daily.

Someday Stuff

This is stuff we were hanging onto for one reason or another. Like, just in case we might need a random chair someplace in the house. Or that extra tricycle someone found at a garage sale. Basically, this category is really broad and showcases our mini hoarding from either getting deals on stuff, buying multiples, or generally over-consuming.

Trash

Then there were boxes of papers and documents that we were hold onto because we didn't know what to do with them. Or they needed shredding and we hadn't gotten around to it. Stuff like old checkbooks, tax returns from the early 2000s, mortgage paperwork from our first house, computers that hadn't been hooked up since college, etc., etc., etc. We had several bins full of this stuff we were simply too afraid to throw away. On top of that, we found a bunch of items that were broken beyond repair that we were holding onto thinking maybe someday we'd figure out how to salvage them.

Gifts

Well, not necessarily gifts . . . but stuff we came into possession of whether we wanted to or not. We're talking bags of clothing from friends and family. Random toys or other items that were either duplicates or just never used. And a lot of this stuff we had said YES to accepting, etc. This category is really tricky, guys. Because we're always thankful at the generosity of others. A lot of times, we can all benefit from sharing things. But there are other times when the influx of stuff is just overwhelming. Then there's guilt for getting rid. Right?

Sentimentals

Yearbooks. Photos. Albums. Old sheet music from sophomore choral and band festivals. Video tapes, CDs, and DVDs from life events, college papers. I mean, you name it -- we have it. This is a category we are still dealing with because we didn't want to purge and regret. I'll get more on this in my next post.

Demo Remnants 

We work on our house. A lot. So, in the winter, we tossed demo materials in the garage for spring cleaning only to find out that our trash collection no longer takes these items. In all, we had the leftovers of a huge tool bench from the basement, several doors that we had replaced in the house, and other odds and ends of splintery, nail-poked wood.

Forgottens

Last, there were boxes of things we would open and be like -- WHAT? I don't even remember this stuff? And you know what we did with those boxes? We sort of looked through them, just to make sure nothing important was mixed in. But if it had been out of sight and out of mind long enough for us to forget -- we donated them immediately.


Stay tuned! In tomorrow's post, I'm going to talk about how we dealt with these categories from a letting go perspective. How we decided what to keep, what to give away, and how we were able to make $200 from selling a few things.

Read more...

Snapshots // Spring Clean

Stephen's spring break was all last week. And, no. We didn't jet off to some tropical location for a vacation. Instead, we decided to dedicate most of this chunk of time to our wannabe minimalist + organization goals. After over 4 hours each day (about 36 hours total!) of dedicated cleaning, fixing, and tooling around in the house -- we're probably 90 percent of the way done.

Ninety percent! It feels SO GOOD.

I have decided to dedicate this week on the blog to spring cleaning. Today I am going to show you a few teaser photos from our progress. Another day, I'll be sharing some tips we found handy for dealing with the various types of clutter we encountered. Yet another day, I'll go over some of the methods we used to clear everything out. I'll try to get an updated house tour up to show the before and afters. And then there will probably be some reflection on how this all makes us feel (surprisingly, it's had a huge impact already).

Sound like a plan, friends?

The garage was our main area of focus. These photos aren't current -- it was actually WORSE than this. We had 23 bins of random stuff that we either hadn't gone through since our move or that were disorganized. And a lot of these items were things we were just holding onto for some reason. Oh, we also hadn't put a car in the garage in like a year. (Nothing like airing our dirty laundry nooks + crannies, eh?)

We were especially lazy with old paperwork and things that needed shredding.


Anyway, here's a few progress shots.


But this is only the tip of the iceberg. I have so much to share! You don't need to dedicate an entire week of time all at once to cleaning your spaces. You can split it up. We decided on this intensive boot-camp approach because Stephen's track schedule is about to go wild with late night and all day meets -- before Baby E comes, we didn't see any other opportunity.

Have you made headway on organization goals recently? What's your method?

I'll be back tomorrow with some practical tips we learned along the way.

(PS: I'm 27 weeks! Anxiously awaiting my gestational diabetes screening results today...)

Read more...

Monday Motivation: 5 Things To Do Today

Spring is giving me this whole new awakening. I'm shedding layers and embracing what's ahead with as much positivity as I can muster. The thing is, I am often lost for inspiration. I need a little nudge to get myself going and fully riding these good vibes. So, I thought I'd share a few things that have me feeling good lately. And they very well might be things you want or need to do, too.

Here are 5 things to do for yourself today. They might seem small or insignificant or even silly, but I'm betting that we all need a reminder to get going from time to time. If you're short on time, try to dedicate just 10-15 minutes to each "task" and go from there. That's just around an hour to a better day/week.

#1: Move your body.

I don't care if you run a marathon or just do a workout video for 10 minutes. But move your body. I'm sure we've all made so many excuses for why "today just isn't a good day" for working out. Try to shift your mindset. Moving your body doesn't always have to mean intense calorie burn or exercise for gains. It's just, well, movement. Motion. Getting into a good flow can help your mind move to new locations, too.

What I'm doing today: During nap time (or quiet time), I'm working on some freelance deadlines. Still, I'm going to bust out a 30-minute Barre workout, even if it means I need to work into the late night hours. Probably one that's more focused on stretching than strength.

#2: Go outside.

It's rainy and cold here today, but I'm still planning to go outdoors when we get a break from the precipitation. The time change -- however exhausting -- is incredible because it means so much more daylight. And even though it's still a bit chilly, that fresh air does wonders for these stuffy lungs. Even in the dead of winter when it's below zero, I try to get myself outside for at least a bit each day (10 minutes is better than nothing!).

What I'm doing today: Rain or shine, I'm going to walk outdoors for 30 minutes before dinner.

#3: Clean out a corner. 

Or a drawer. Or an entire room. Let it breathe. You can spend 15 minutes or hours on this activity, depending on your workload. Toss away anything that has been hanging around for far too long. Give something once cherished to a friend. Move the rest back into their intended spots in your home. Then marvel at the emptiness and organization of that space. Let that empty space sink in and make room for new opportunities and goals.

What I'm doing today: After a weekend of massive clearing out of our main living level (hooray for progress on my Spring Cleaning Goals!), I'm turning my attention upstairs to my office (whoa, I don't know how it got this messy!) and Ada's bedroom (the big winter to spring clothing switch!). I'll probably spend an hour organizing these space while Ada does art after her nap.

#4: Feed yourself.

Cooking doesn't have to be this intense process that takes hours. Heck, I work from home and still manage to not find time to cook a "proper" meal on many days. Whether it's a smoothie or a salad, a stir-fry or a full-on 3-course dinner, take time to connect with food. One trick I've been using lately since Stephen has started coaching is buying bags of frozen veggie mixes. I can prepare a protein and side like rice and then just steam or otherwise cook the veggies for a quick meal.

What I'm doing today: I already made myself (and Ada) a glorious smoothie this morning with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, kefir, oats, peanut butter, and arugula. Great way to start the day. I'm hoping to prepare some kind of creative carrot soup for dinner tonight because we have SO MANY CARROTS and I don't want them to go to waste. I also need to plan our meals for the week because I fell behind.

#5: Cross something off.

We all have to-do lists. Mine sits in a mental drawer that I often forget to open. And then days and weeks will pass, and those items stay on there -- stagnant. Eventually, they contribute to this unsettling weight of mental clutter. I find myself feeling behind and disorganized and otherwise frenzied, which just paralyzes me on certain days when life is hectic. Time to get to doing.

What I'm doing today: I'm writing down my to-do list so I can post it someplace in my home and stop fretting over it in the hour or so before I fall asleep. The item I hope to cross off today? Finishing a chunk of tax-related stuff that has been sitting in my folder for a week. I cannot wait to get my taxes done!

What are you doing for yourself today?

Happy Monday. I hope it's a good one!

Read more...

Spring Cleaning // Wannabe Minimalist

The weather has taken a major turn toward spring this week. Today's high should reach close to 60 degrees! Though I'm sad and frustrated we didn't get a single snowstorm this year, I'm ready for change and sun and warmth and, well, spring cleaning.

Because this year? I think we're ready for the big purge.

No, this isn't my junk. I took this photo several years ago outside a Salvation Army after we had donated some things post move. Honestly, this photo stresses me out to the max. Though I'm not the tidiest person ever, I very often get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff we have in our house, our garage . . . and with how much that stuff just continues to accumulate year after year despite our efforts to pare down.

Seriously -- how does this happen when we have good intentions? With a baby on the way, the stuff issue has been even more at the forefront of our minds. We want to get a handle on this before she arrives in June.

I don't want to utter the word minimalism, but -- yes -- OK I do. I just went there. I rolled my eyes a bit, too. It's so darned trendy . . . but I think we might be ready to adopt some of those principles. They simply make sense!

We're asking ourselves some questions inspired by this great post on Zen Habits.

• Is all this stuff important? (Obviously the answer is no.)
• What can we get rid out without regret?
• How can we stop attaching regret to things anyway?
• What are our family's core goals and how does paring down fit in? (Definitely ease of cleaning our home to make it more calm is a big one these days.)
• Can we purge without replacements? (We've tried editing down several times in the past only to end up replacing the old with new, defeating the entire purpose)
• How can we bring these ideas to other parts of our lives? (Simplifying our meals, social calendars, etc.)

With the home stuff, we're hoping to use Stephen's spring break to go room by room to start clearing out. We have some pieces of furniture that do little more than collect stuff and dust. Then I'll probably go through this Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home for the rest. Hopefully I can blog about it along the way.

Like I said, we've tried this whole idea many times. I think this time it might work better because Stephen is really on board this time around. It takes the commitment and energy from the whole family to get this sort of thing going, eh? Stay tuned for an update later in the month.

What are your spring cleaning goals? 

Have you successfully adopted a minimalist home or gotten close? 

What are your tips for making work -- especially if you have kids!

PS: Congrats to Andrea, winner of our PinkBlush giveaway. I'll be in touch soon about your $75 prize!

Read more...

Half Bath Mini Makeover

I have to admit in the nearly two years we've been in our "new" home, the novelty of having more than one bathroom has certainly not worn off. Our first house had a tiny, window-less bathroom on the second floor. One toilet. One sink. One tub and shower. And it was fine . . . until it wasn't. I remember dragging my huge pregnant self up the stairs in the final weeks before Ada was born and, ugh, it was pure torture.

So, this has been amazing:

The one thing we never liked about the bathroom off the kitchen was the pedestal sink. (Well, and the impossible-to-clean flooring.) I mean, it was lovely looking. But it was always unstable because it wasn't installed properly. Then we had the whole matter of a four-year-old hanging all over it. We tightened and tightened and secured. It'd never fail, though. A couple weeks or months later, everything would be loose again. This time? The plumbing connections started to fail.

Leaks -- we had enough.


Ah, that's better:


All the while, we've really wanted to expand the use of the bathroom and make it more utilitarian. We wanted a nice, deep sink for soaking or spraying off muddy shoes, dirty scrub brushes, (maybe bathing baby?), etc. A good cabinet as a place to store all our homemade cleaning supplies. Most of all, we wanted it to be sturdy.

I've been eyeing laundry sinks for the space, but most of them were too deep to fit. When we decided we wanted to change the sink, like, NOW -- I was thrilled to discover that Home Depot now carries a laundry sink cabinet that is under 22 inches deep with lots of storage and an AWESOME spray thing.

We rushed right over to pick it up along with some new vinyl tile flooring we've been meaning to install.


Stephen installed the sink in a matter of an hour. We love it. Stainless steel is perfect. The sprayer is already getting good use. The sink itself is 9 inches deep, so I definitely think we'll be bathing the baby in here often. And, like I mentioned, while we were at it, we changed the flooring by getting some of those 12 inch by 24 inch vinyl tiles and using grout to make them look more like real stone.

It totally transformed the space:


On the other wall, we have many of our cleaning tools hanging around on a simple accordion rack:


Overall, it's made us love this bathroom. It's the one our guests use when they're visiting, so it's nice to have it looking sharp. It's also nice to have a super messy craft project with Ada and have a great place to stick all the paint and goo until we can clean it. I can't believe I'm so excited about a simple sink.

Our house has come a long way since we moved in. And even since I did the updated tour in June. I guess it's time to do another tour. Maybe a video idea! My biggest project goal is to install a sliding or French door in the living room (in place of an existing window) that will lead into the backyard. We're thinking of getting a few quotes soon just so we have a number in mind so we can save. (I'm clueless on how much something like that would cost.)

Happy Thursday!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...