Last week was a great week spent playing with my kids. We participated in lots of activities, most away from home, and had a great time. Though I did not make much progress at home, I would not trade the time spent with my family. Priceless!

In sharing Week #2’s Project Simplify task, I could not decide which area to tackle: my pantry or my freezer. Well, I decided . . . with the beautiful weather and my children outside, I chose to defrost, clean, and reorganize our chest freezer.

Week #2: Kitchen and/or Pantry

Though not housed in my kitchen, our chest freezer is definitely at the heart of our kitchen. With items placed, removed, and shifted to find other items, I no longer knew what food I had available in the freezer. In addition, the inside had accumulated about ½” thick of ice. So, it was time to tackle the ice and the clutter while organizing our freezer space.

• Remove all items out of the freezer. Yep! I used boxes and placed similar items together.

• Scrap and de-ice the freezer.

• Organize the items

1. Breakfast Items
2. Breads
3. Desserts
4. Meats
5. Vegetables
6. Dinner entrées

• Place the items into designated space

• Close the freezer before the food defrosts. 🙂

Before                                                           After

Now I know what foods I have which allowed me to pass on a sausage deal this week because I had 4 packages in the freezer. Prior to organizing the freezer, I would have purchased more sausage because I did not know how many I had in my stockpile. By organizing and reorganizing, I am saving money, energy, and time, and that is using time wisely.

If you participated in this Project Simplify task, then please leave a link to your results or post your pictures in the comments.

Week #3: Closets, Countertops, and Drawers (oh my)

With Week #1 and #2 complete, Project Simplify is moving to Week #3 – Closets, Countertops, and Drawers. As I return to our normal routine, I hope to make some good progress on our home this week. Next week, I’ll report back on my progress. Enjoy the process, and happy organizing!

Question: How often do you declutter a space in your home?

In between catching up from our family’s trip to my Grandma’s funeral and daily life, I squeezed in time for organizing.

Participating in Tsh’s Project Simplify, I determined to get my toddler’s nursery decluttered of baby items, cleaned, and organized. Though it wasn’t easy, I finished the task on Saturday afternoon and added lots of baby items to our donation pile.

Week #1: Kids’s Stuff

The main project in my daughter’s nursery was the closet. I had pillows, diaper bags, infant toys, slings, carriers, and coats taking up valuable space in her closet. To best use the available space, I followed this system of organization:

• Remove all items out of each shelf

• Sort items into 3 piles

1. Keep
2. Give  (donate)
3. Sell

• Organize keep items

• Place keep items into designated space

• Put give and sell items in their designated spaces

Before                         After

The result turned out better than I envisioned. I love to see empty spaces! My daughter’s closet now holds items she uses, and the extra stuff is not cluttering our home.

This Project Simplify task – organizing Kids’ Stuff is complete. If you simplified your kids’ stuff this week, then please link or post your pictures in the comments.

Week #2: Kitchen and/or Pantry

With Week #1 complete, Project Simplify is moving to Week #2 – Kitchen and/or pantry. Hmm . . . my freezer and my pantry need some attention. Oh, which one do I choose?

Well, come back next week to see my before and after pictures of my progress. Happy organizing!

Question: Which area needs more attention in your home – pantry, freezer, or kitchen?

In working on my goals this month, I am currently falling flat on my face. Between my family visiting, two parties, and piles of insurance, taxes, and miscellaneous paperwork, I have put most of these goals on the back burner.

Well, that was the first half of the month. Here comes the last half of the month.

To get these goals underway, I am determining to rid my house of at least 20 items this week. My February monthly goal centers on decluttering my house. Though I started this project in January, I have hit a plateau.

To jump-start my focus, I will take on this challenge of ridding 20 items from my home in one hour. You want to join me?

The 60-Minute Challenge

With a busy week ahead, schedule one hour to focus on decluttering. This 60-minute challenge can be done in sections. Just evaluate your time frame, and while using time wisely, choose an option that fits your busy week.

Option 1: The 15-minute Sprint.

If you are short on time, try snagging 15-minutes to remove 5 items from your home.

Spend 4 days this week completing this task, and you will have 20 items to sell, give, or trash.

Option 2: The 30-minute Jog

Do your children enjoy helping? Let them help you twice this week by finding 10 items in each session to sell, donate, or trash.

My girls love to give to others. With their limited attention span and our busy schedule, this option works for our family.

Option 3: The 60-minute Marathon

Block out one hour to tackle that closet, drawer, or room. Enjoy the process because you may find more than 20 items to rid from your home.

Whichever method works for you, challenge yourself in taking baby steps. Breaking down the big goal of decluttering your home into bite-sized chunks, removing 20 items this week, starts your project. As you work, you will gain momentum. The more stuff removed means the less to clean, pickup, and store. 🙂

Though you may get delayed in your progress, regroup, adjust, and continue on. Keep up the great work as you seek to reach your goals. Happy organizing!

Question: Which challenge option will you choose?