JANUARY = DEJUNK MONTH

Setting New Years Resolutions are not really my thing. I like the idea of setting goals and New Years Resolutions. I'm all for ideas that better ourselves, our habits and our homes. I just don't like the cliche that we don't keep our resolutions. It all seems so doomed to fail. And honestly, I'm one of the many that has tried the "work out resolution"... and like many others, I made it to about February or March. It's a dreaded task for me, which means it won't easily become a habit.

I need a goal that is attainable to turn this doomed concept around. Sure it can still be dreaded but to make it doable, I make the entire month of January a deJunking month. It is liberating to let go of all the little unnecessary things that get collected all year long.

TAKE CARE OF THE HARDEST PART FIRST
I used to enjoy putting away Christmas because it was easy. I had ONE bin. But now, I have collected quite a lot of decorations, I'm up to six bins for Christmas (that's probably less than most people, I realize). Like most, I have bins for other holidays too, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter, Summer/Spring... I also have bins from past parties so I can reuse decorations I've made.

As I pull out decor throughout the year, some gets put away in it's proper place and some doesn't. Some is out on loan and gets put away in the wrong place because I can't even reach the bin that it's supposed to go in. So before Christmas, the storage room is a fright.

As a result, putting away Christmas decorations means it's best to organize the basement storage room first... The aspect of this goal that is a bit of a chore BUT I love the way it feels after it's done!

Color code bins by holiday and/or season:
(I use Target's Sterilite bins because they sell different colored lids throughout the year):
Aqua - Easter
Blue - Spring
Pink - Valentine's Day
Green - Summer
Silver - Various Parties
Orange - Halloween
Bronze - Thanksgiving
Red - Christmas

NEXT ATTACK THE BUSIEST ROOM
After Christmas has come down and the storage room is in order, I move on to the next biggie; the play room. I let the kids in on this one. They "get to" pull out 10 toys that they no longer need. I try to talk up the "get to" because it's hard for them to let go of toys. They've never been the kids that give up their favorite for the child in need. They're not there yet. I have high hopes that they'll be compassionate one day ;)

We put the box in the middle of the play room and load it up. I then load it up when they're not looking with other things that I feel can go. Every mom on the planet loves to get rid of some toys. You know the ones from Wendy's, McDonald's, puzzles without all the pieces, toys that are too young for them.

I keep one bin with baby toys that are sentimental to us. That way if any friends come over that have a baby brother or sister, I still have toys for them to play with.

I TRY like the dickens to edit out the stuffed animals. I'm not sure why this one is so hard for us. I even get attached to some of these toys. If we can pull out 3 plushies each we're doing great!

USE THE ENTIRE MONTH FOR ALL THE OTHER ROOMS
Next I go after our closets. My husband and I edit out our closets easily, we know what we don't wear enough to justify taking up space. He's a shoe guy so it's always great to lose a few of those. Big feet = big shoes = space takers.

Then I edit out the kids clothes. I have the clothes in bins by size. Clothes that my youngest can wear are most accessible and the small sizes that both my girls have grown out of are put away for the long haul. In those bins, I only keep the extra special, sentimental outfits, the clothes that they may want for their own kids later.

Next, I edit out the bathroom cupboards and drawers, the medicine cabinet, the food storage, and kitchen cabinets.

By the time January is over we all feel refreshed. It's amazing what editing for a month can do to the way your home feels!