This week you can:
- find out what a true pack rat is....are you one? do you live with one?
- take a clinical look at the bonus areas of your home. what works in these spaces and what doesn't
- decide what concrete steps you can take to make these areas work better
- begin your shopping list for the month's projects
Woo! This is going to be one heck of a month for me!! I have all of the areas mentioned except the attic. Well, OK, I have an attic but the only things up there are insulation and a few dead birds. I know, gross, right? They squeeze into the smallest places then can't get out. I hate it!
In the introduction to the month, starting on page 118, Regina talks about these places that we traditionally use for some type of storage. Usually they hold things that we are reluctant to make decisions about. I never thought of it exactly that way, but it's true. These are the places that I'll put things when company is coming and I don't want them to see it. We shove things in and shut the door. Sometimes we don't touch these thing again for months, but for some reason we couldn't part with it when we touched it in the first place!
I like how she says on page 119, that we free our spaces and ourselves when we let go of stuff. Amen to that!! Too much stuff, especially the stuff that I'm not sure what to do with, weighs me down. It actually makes me feel yucky. When we bought this house, I just went along with my husband when he didn't get rid of anything. His take was, well, we're not using the space it takes up so we might as well keep it. And since I grew up with a mother whose mantra was "you'll never know when you might need that", as I said, I just went along. But no more! If we end up with some big empty open spaces, so much the better for us, the animals to move around in, and it will be easier to clean!! I almost feel bad that we have a bigger house than two people really need, but you know what? I've looked into smaller places....we actually can't afford to go smaller! So I guess we just enjoy our space. And to do that it must be cleaned out and organized!!
So, I made a chart as Regina suggested with all of the rooms and what I like and dislike about each one. Most of what I dislike can be easily solved using the methods I have already learned in the book. The one area that can't be easily solved is the downstairs living room. It's a very nice space, and when we have company it's great that the guests can sit here and maybe stay up later than we do and watch TV or read. The problem is that I love books. Now, I have really, really pared them down...yes I have!!! And I have been doing MUCH better at not buying so many. But the fact remains that I have a lot of books. There wasn't a single shelf in this house when we moved in. I only have 1 large bookcase and 1 small one......and a lot of piles! The pic above is close to what I would love to have. In the middle above those drawers is where I would put the TV, then above and on either side of it I want shelves taking up the whole rest of that wall. That should give me plenty of room for all of my books, and I could get rid of the other two mis-matched bookcases. Of course, I can't afford that right now, but it's on the dream list!
The only thing I will need to purchase for all of these rooms to be organized, is something to hang in the spare bedroom that's half office half gym. In the closet is where I have shelves with those bins I've talked about before. I think a curtain would be best for this, closet doors wouldn't really work with the way the room is set up. For all of the other rooms, all I need to do (all, HA!) is rid things out, clean, and then organize what's left. Of course, my husband is going to have to help with two of the spaces since most of what is in those two areas are his things. Getting time from him is going to be the hard part since he works so much. But my goal is to get these areas done by the end of May. I don't know that I will be successful, one or two might have to be put off, but I'm going to do my best to get it done now.
Wish me luck.....and good luck to you!!
Until Next Time.....
Franny
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