Commentary by Krista Bocko
I love a fresh New Year. There’s something special about these long winter nights, where life’s rhythm changes a bit. They make me want to do some purging and organizing and get life in order. It’s the perfect time, too, because after the holidays my house can sure use a re-set. Here are three ways to free up some space:
- Re-organize kitchen cabinets. Yeah, it sounds like a dreary chore, but I am always glad when I do this. Gather similar items, i.e., all baking dishes and pans, all kitchen tools and utensils, all pots and pans, glassware, etc. Consider whether you need or use all of them and if it makes sense to keep all of them. You might be surprised when you see everything together how much of it there is. What can you live without? With your items, it’s helpful to ask yourself, ‘Would I buy this again?’ or, ‘If I moved, would I want this enough to pack and move it?’ If items don’t pass the test, they go in the donate pile. Even if you don’t donate a thing, just getting it stacked neatly and put away will free up so much space. And if you have duplicates, this might be a good time to let go of one of them. For a long time, I had two bread machines, only because they were garage sale finds, but they weren’t worth the space they took up.
- Take consumables out of their original packaging. I love to do this in my pantry with dry goods like rice, beans, flour, sugar and so on, and I put them in a variety of jars which look so much better. And in bathrooms, rolls of toilet paper go into baskets, which is infinitely better than being in the plastic wrapping (same with paper towels in the kitchen).
- Go through bookshelves. I love, love, love books, and there are many that I won’t part with, but at the same time, my kids acquire many books that they read and are done with, so I pass them on to the library book sale. I’m a nerd, and styling bookshelves is one of my favorite things to do.
It’s a great feeling to have everything in its place and free up space for new, good things to come into your life. Happy 2018!
