I have been a little under the weather for a week, so I haven’t had much energy. Thankfully, my COVID test was negative. Not being one who does very well just sitting around, I have been doing some cleaning and organizing. I decided that this needed to be done anyway, and if Mike and I decide to sell our home in Raleigh soon, (still not sure!) this cleaning out will come in handy. Those who know me know that I go through this organizing phase fairly often. Unfortunately, at times I think I do more moving things around than getting rid of anything!

In cleaning out my kitchen junk drawer, I threw away expired coupons, as well as a lot of other stuff that I have no idea why I kept. I don’t know why I even bother to keep coupons, since I usually do not use them and throw them away when they have expired. I decided that I needed a couple of containers for that drawer, although my friend, Leah Friedman, professional organizer par excellent, (Raleighgreengables.com) says, “Do not buy more containers to put stuff in, get rid of stuff!” I believe this makes sense in general yet having these containers to contain stuff I am keeping makes me feel calmer.

I also cleaned out my bathroom makeup drawers and threw away a lot of makeup and samples that I will never use. I still have too much skincare stuff, and I have difficulty throwing things away, so I am not through with those drawers yet.

I am packing up some china and related items that I will likely never use and taking those things to the antique and consignment stores. This is harder for me than the junk drawer and the bathroom drawers, but I have decided that it is foolish to hold onto things that I am not using and will most likely not use. The fact that it is difficult to get any value from these items makes letting them go more difficult. But there is a limit to what even I am willing to hold on to. I have a cabinet full of bowls that I never use, and if I haven’t used them by now, I most likely will not use them. I bought them through the years because I liked them and they were a good price. I still like them, and yet not enough to keep them when it is clear that they are taking up space unnecessarily. Of course, the daughters do not want them! I do not need to get started on that!

I went to a friend’s new house earlier this week and was amazed at the amount of white space everywhere. There was absolutely nothing on counters in any room. While I will never get to that point, I am ready to move from where I am. I am looking at my spaces with new eyes and realizing that having a picture or a collectible everywhere there is space, feels cluttered to me. And the amount of furniture we have is totally unnecessary. So, I am now emotionally ready to get rid of a lot of stuff, whether we move from our home or not. Making these changes now will prepare us better if/when we do move.

How about you? Have you done any cleaning out lately? Do your spaces give you a sense of calm, or chaos?