Tidying Up

I think it is safe to say that I am fully onboard the tidying up bandwagon. After being frustrated with the overflow of clutter and crap, Friday night I streamed Tidying Up on Netflix. I was inspired after the first episode. While everybody else (except Hamlet)were sleeping Saturday, I woke up inspired and ready to work.

After surveying my home I decided to begin the purge in my kitchen, which tends to be the hub of the house. I'm frustrated by never being able to locate what I need, and I am tired of ducking every time I open the top cabinet for fear of the roasting pans falling on my head. Following the lead from the show, I started easy (or so I thought) and went through my spices.

I was aghast to discover that I had spices which expired in 1998. This means that they have moved with me at least three times since they had expired! I cleaned out my spice cabinet and two drawers which were overflowing with bottles and bags of various sizes. Four hours later I was finished and had consolidated my spices to two neatly organized and clean drawers. 

My tidying up project naturally snowballed through the weekend. After I cleaned through my spices I discovered that I had a completely empty cabinet in the corner of my kitchen. When I organized my decorating and baking supplies I had created even more space in another corner. By the time the sun set on Sunday, I had removed four large landscaper trashbags overflowing with garbage and filled three boxes for donation. 

After working through the weekend, I have cleaned exactly half of my kitchen. During the process a few things have begun crystal clear. First of all, organizing reduces my anxiety. Secondly, as a family, we have accumulated way too much stuff. I have given myself the lofty goal of tidying up our entire house. I am also realistic and have provided myself the timeline of completing the job by New Year's Eve. If I do it correctly, it will probably take me all year.