From the category archives:

30-Minute Organizer

Hello, tossers! Now, I know that means something completely different in the UK than it does here… And though I don’t know exactly what it means, I know it’s not complimentary. So if we have any Brits in the audience, I apologize in advance (and you can enlighten me with regard to UK slang in the comments section).

ANYWHO… today, Gail Blanke took us to the kitchen in our quest to toss 50 things. This stop proved a little harder than the others on the tour. I guess I typically do a pretty good job of keeping the cupboards organized, and the two moves in the past year have helped me purge the culinary supplies.

In the book, she focused heavily on “that” drawer. You know, the one with all the leftover bobby pins, used batteries, screwdrivers, and other odds and ends. I took a look in ours and found a few things that could go on to a new home, but it wasn’t momentous.

To be honest, this chapter in the book kind of annoyed me. She is very conversational in her writing, almost too much so. She takes us through the purging of her own junk drawer, and she was able to locate a pile of trash that was pretty amazing. I guess I was thinking, “If SHE can’t keep her kitchen junk-free, what hope do we mere mortals have for the future?” After all, she’s a professional! It’s sort of like finding out Jillian Michaels has a secret stash of Ho-Hos in her gym locker. Boo.

All the same, I’m progressing. Here’s the scoop:

7 slightly sketchy items from our refrigerator

1 old set of chopsticks

A half-dozen assorted pencils and pens that are past their lifespan

A couple of lousy cookbooks

2 bottomless plastic tub lids

Total from this week: 5

Time for this week: 15 minutes (including wiping down the refrigerator shelves)

Running total: 30 items

…and that was it. Kind of disappointing. But that’s okay.

Upward and onward!

P.S. Did you miss the last post in this series? Catch it here: Decluttering Update #2.

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I hit the bathroom HARD this week! In Chapter Two of Throw Out Fifty Things, Gail Blanke says the bathroom is rife with tossing opportunities… and she was right!

One of the things she wrote that struck me:

Not deciding is the number one cause of all the clutter — physical, emotional, and spiritual — in our lives. And if we can’t decide what to throw out of our clothes closets, how in the world are we going to decide what to throw out of our mental closets — closets that are overflowing with the debris of indecisions?

INDEED!

I tossed:

  • Old medicine (expired cream for a rash that I don’t have anymore)
  • 5 bottles of nail polish (unfortunately they only count as one item!)
  • an extension cord (I have no idea… don’t ask!)
  • Toothpaste I hate
  • 5 tubes of lotion from when I used to review spa supplies (counts as one)
  • Bath soak (if it doesn’t make bubbles, what’s the point??)
  • Body scrub (I love how it smells but one of the kids spilled it and all the “juice” is gone and only the salt is left — ouch!)
  • YonKa face stuff that I know is deadly expensive but I have no desire to use
  • Corn removers (ick, I know, TMI)
  • Perfume sample
  • Eyeliner
  • Two kids’ necklaces
  • A cute fabric flower I will never wear from a shirt I purchased over 5 years ago…
  • Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup CD (If I haven’t watched it by now, I’m never going to watch it)

Total from this week: 14

Time for this week: 10 minutes

Running total: 25

How is it going for you?

P.S. Have you missed the other entries in this series? You can check them out here:

Clearing the Clutter Challenge: Throw Out 50 Things

Throw Out 50 Things Update #1

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Saving Time for the Love of…?

July 30, 2010

So what’s with all the talk about saving time anyway? What’s the point of trying to get things done in 30 minutes? When I think about the point of doing things more quickly, I think of the last lines of one of my favorite books, Cheaper by the Dozen (Just for the record, though I [...]

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Throw Out Fifty Things: Update #1

July 26, 2010

  I’ve finished the first chapter of Throw Out Fifty Things, and I’ve thrown out eleven. Here’s the count: -Dress (I thought it looked cute until I caught a BLIMPSE of myself — misspelling on purpose! — in a mirror!) -A pair of skivvies (sounds cuter than undies, doesn’t it?) -Eyebrow pencil (I have no [...]

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Halfway Through Summer?

July 22, 2010

Can you believe that summer is half over? The good thing is, there’s also half of it left! (Yes, I am an optimist!). My lemonade pitcher is definitely HALF-FULL!! Earlier this week I was interviewed on how to make the rest of summer fan-tan-tastic. My friend Deanna Collins did a great job of getting all [...]

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Multitasking Moms Timesaver #2: How Your Emotions are Wasting Your Time

July 21, 2010

Want to hear more about “Time Suck?” Check it out here!

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