Last week I decluttered my Tupperware cupboard. I didn’t actually get rid of any containers I just found a way to use them all. I had packets of pantry food sitting on shelves sealed up with sticky tap and clips while perfectly good Tupperware was going to waste in another cupboard. I am not sure why I had let my pantry get like that, I am usually a far more organised person. While I was at it I reorganised the cupboards beside my stove and the rest of the pantry as well. I now have one more empty cupboard in my kitchen and I have a mind to empty one ore two more.
This is a perfect example how disorganisation can cause clutter . Fortunately I wasn’t disorganised to the point where I had doubled up on items in the pantry but this can certainly happen when things get more out of hand. I have written about this before on day 72. There are several areas in a home that are particularly susceptible to this problem. The kitchen, the garage, the toiletries cabinet (vanity), wardrobes and deep drawers.
As I said on day 72, a little bit of sensible organisation can help cut down on clutter and save a few dollars simply by putting things back where they belong when you are done using them. You won’t be forced to replace an item when you can’t find it, therefore doubling up, if you always know where it is when you need it.
ITEM 187 OF 365 LESS THINGS
This toiletries bag hidden away in my wardrobe contained double ups of a few of items like dental floss, shaver handles and a hair brush. These items were either immediately useful or no longer necessary so I emptied it and it is not needed any more either.
Just a general comment – I really look forward each day to your down-to-earth posts and your pictures. It’s inspiring 🙂
Hi Debbie V.
thank you very much for that nice sentiment you are most welcome to leave a comment any time. I love to hear from my readers each one has unique life lessons to share and we can all learn from each other.
When I cleaned our bathroom, I realized we would never use all the little shampoos and soaps we’d collected on other trips: we simply had too many. I poured the shampoos into one bottle and put the soaps in with our regular supply. Now they’re getting used. It’s an obvious thing to do, but not until someone pointed it out to me! Thanks Colleen.
Hi Cindy,
this comment would have fitted well with the use it up challenge a few weeks ago. I did something similar with one of those tiny little bottles of perfume a friend gave me. I have a small refillable perfume atomiser bottle which I am more inclined to use so I transfered the perfume from one to the other. What a challenge that was! The little bottles are designed not to spill so I had to stand there and tap the tops of the bottles together for about ten minutes to get just 2.5 mls to go from one bottle to the other.
Colleen, I’m a certified professional organizer and NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) member. I don’t know if you are as well, but if you are not, you should be after this adventure. I LOVE this entry, and actually did this myself last year. I took all the “disposable” tupperware and used it for food “ends”–as in the last few pretzels in the bag, the last 1/2 cup of brown sugar, the last handful of raisins, all of which sat in bags in the pantry. KUDOS to you! Great experiment!
Hi Heather,
thank you for joining us and also for your kind words, coming from a professional they are high praise indeed. It is funny you should comment just now because my husband just asked yesterday if I have considered following this as a career path. It is something I have considered even long before I took on this challenge because I have always had a bit of a passion for organising. My mother-in-law always used to say that I would put the kids toys away before they were finished playing with them. Actually disorganisation makes me irritated which I think is one of the reasons my current job drives me mad. I am having a career path assesment done by a professional consultant at the moment so I am definitely open to new options. Maybe I should strat investifation what is available in my area.
Thanks again and please join more regularly in future we would value your input.