Decluttering 2019

One of my goals for 2019 is to DECLUTTER! We live in a very nice size house, almost 4,000 square feet. Over the months and years, one tends to accumulate while at the same time not getting rid of the same amount that you bring in. I love organization but at the same time am sentimental and practical. It is hard to get rid of some of my kiddos childhood things that hold so many memories. I also hate to get rid of stuff that is still useful but don't really need or use anymore. I am by no means a HOARDER! I actually get a great cathartic thrill when I declutter and once, I get started I am a woman on a mission. My husband says, "Declutter as if we are about to move. If we wouldn't take it to move than get rid of it. It makes total sense." As my children are getting older and leaving home and getting jobs and are not home as much, I am no longer cooking needing to cook LARGE portions. Unfortunately, more often than not I still find myself falling back into my old habits of cooking too much. I find myself buying larger quantities of food items than I need that end up going to waste. I am determined in 2019 to make a concerted effort to buy for our shrinking crew’s needs. This will actually enable me to buy more healthy, organic choices and spend the same amount of money. Win, win! Today, I took to decluttering my kitchen and pantry shelves. I was SHOCKED at the amount of canned and boxed items that were YEARS out of date. I only share this because the craziness of life tends to make you forget what you do and do not have. Before you know it, you have four bottles of catchup, three cans of salsa, 9 various boxes of crackers, and cans of tomatoes at the back of your pantry that are bulging out that expired in 2014. You know that fifty-dollar bottle of Manuka Honey that you purchased at Costco over a year ago that you haven't been able to find. Well, you would be surprised to find that it usually shows up during the declutter process, lol. 

If you have kids and live in Texas, the great Clothing Migration tends to take place all year long! Just in January alone one day it will be in the high 60's and the next day it will be in the 30's. With a large family that leads to A LOT of clothing. Luckily, I only have to really deal with my younger three now. It is a constant process of sorting through because of clothing getting to small and needing stuff that is bigger, or clothing getting too worn/holes/torn, sensory issues with the clothing, just not my style, and so forth. I am constantly going through the clothing and assessing what needs to get donated, given away, or taken to the resale store. Having five girls and one boy (one not at home anymore) makes this process so much more difficult, lol. 

As I peruse my homeschool inventory, I am a bit overwhelmed at everything I have. There is so much I don't use or haven't used in so long. Do I keep it or get rid of it? That is next on my agenda.