I’m a declutterer, not an organizer. You know that, right?
One of the best things I ever did in this deslobification process was to realize that.
I always thought I needed to get organized. Organizing (in my mind) meant finding a way to keep all my stuff under control. A way that would work perfectly for the rest of my days upon the earth.
I could do some mean sorting and straightening and containerizing, but then 24 hours (or less) would pass and that super-smart new organizing scheme would fade into oblivion.
So I stopped organizing and just started decluttering. I got rid of stuff I didn’t need (and often didn’t know I had) and left only the things I used. And empty space.
Turns out, Only The Stuff I Use + Enough Empty Space to Be Able to See and Get to The Stuff I Actually Use . . . is pretty much the same thing as being organized.
Who knew?
But alas, my Slob Vision means spaces get cluttered again. And again.
I suspect this blog will never show a Final After Picture.
But thankfully, each decluttering becomes easier and requires less time for the space to once again feel like and function as an organized space.
On my Crazy Cleaning Day recently, I took a whole ten minutes or less to declutter my pantry. I mostly just straightened and purged and hoped Paula wouldn’t reach in and grab the box of apple cider packets that is stuck to the shelf.
Oh. And I put things like Organic Quinoa front and center to make myself look a little more hip.
I pitched:
Sunflower seeds from our second fruits-and-veggies-only-for-two-whole-miserable-weeks experiment. That was over a year ago. Hubby bought these because they were cheaper, but I wasn’t about to shell sunflower seeds to put on my salad. I thought I’d save them for baseball season. Baseball season came and went, so these went in the trash.
Yes. I feel guilty.
Taco seasoning . . . with COCOA in it! I’ve had this for years, always intending to pass it on to someone. I’m allergic to chocolate, in case you didn’t know. Some chili-type things have cocoa in them, and I just happened to decide to check this before using it. (BTW, I believe it is cruel to put cocoa in things that don’t need cocoa, no matter how random and obscure a chocolate allergy is! And I wonder how many of the “colds” I’ve had might be due to unsuspectingly eating cocoa at a Mexican restaurant!)
And finally, a can of milk from my fanatical couponing days. I have never purchased canned milk except during those days. I’m pretty sure it was already expired the last time I decluttered my pantry, but I tried to be resourceful and tell myself that it was only very recently expired and was probably fine.
I’m sure you see why I finally gave up on that delusion.
Have you been able to separate decluttering and organizing in your mind yet?
Canned milk is great in mac n cheese-makes it creamier and less watery than regular milk. Also on the rare occasions I make instant potatoes I use it. Same thing thicker and less runny than regular milk.
Yes! That is what I used the other cans for in the past, and it was always handy to have one when I ran out of milk but needed it in a recipe!
Since gluten makes it hard for me to breathe…and my feet and ankles swell up like balloons…I have to read the label on every food item I buy these days. I probably couldn’t use your taco seasoning, not because of the cocoa (why would they do that???), but because of the wheat 99% of them have. Amazing the junk that goes into our food supply these days.
As for being able to separate decluttering from organizing in my mind….hmm. I do know that I can’t organize clutter. I know I have way too much stuff. Stuff we don’t need, stuff we never use, and stuff we’ve forgotten we ever had. I just have to figure out how much time I have to devote to getting rid of stuff…divide that by nine rooms…and spend time each week in each room purging the excess.
I’ll be glad when I get to the place where you are someday….whether my pantry is organized as nicely as yours or not. 🙂
I’m still working on both, but I view the organizing as a temporary solution at best. Needs change, things change, and the more flexible my containers/shelves/whatever are, the better I can mix it up next time. Of course, a lot of that is just because I still don’t have enough homes for the things I am keeping, since floor space in the basement or the loft above the garage is just a recipe for disaster. One I’m quite familiar with, by the way. I think it’s my best dish…
As for the final “after” picture, I don’t think they ever exist. I follow an organizing blog, and her stuff looks amazing but it is always changing to how her family works at that time. Perhaps some of that is to keep the blog content, who knows, but it makes me feel better when she posts something and says “well THAT didn’t work for us!” And even better, she is tackling a massive declutter/purge of her hidden spaces and is honest with the mess and the chaos that comes with it. Her house is a disaster when she is simply in deal-with-all-the-crap mode, and it makes me feel so much better! I live in DWATC mode right now, so it helps me feel less bad so long as I make progress.
Anyway, I love your blog and it has helped me a ton. I need to do a ton more work, but seeing the progress you make is amazing. I love looking at the evolution of the “before” pictures, because while it still gets bad it is nothing like it used to be. Go Nony!
I hear you on the ‘hidden’ ingredients! I just found out that chocolate pudding mix has Red 40 in it, which one of my boys is REALLY sensitive to.
I have several pantry spaces, and have started the purge recently. Hoping to finish before Thanksgiving, but we will see.
You are doing a great job, take each day as it comes and the long term changes will be noticeable (at least that is what I keep telling myself 😉 ).
“For the rest of my days upon earth” literally lol!
This is my favorite time of the year to clean out my pantry because so many places are holding food drives. I can get rid of stuff (not expired of course) and not feel guilty that food is going to waste.
When I saw the insides of your refrigerator and pantry on television, I was really impressed! There was so much empty space and everything was in place. I was silently thinking, “Go, Nony!” Everyone who saw that segment but doesn’t follow this blog will be wondering how you can keep them both looking so organized.
Your pantry looks like mine. I’m about Rio do a big clean out/declutter on mine too. We have packages of stuff stuck to the shelf from a honey leak my son didn’t clean up. Over a month ago. It’s time.
I just stumbled across your blog, and I feel like you describe me. Or at least the way I used to be. In this post you said: “But alas, my Slob Vision means spaces get cluttered again. And again.
I suspect this blog will never show a Final After Picture.” Speaking as on who has been there, that’s not true! You said yourself each time you declutter it takes you less and less time.
I started decluttering in 2009. At that time we lived in a little house, and how we ever put so much stuff in it, I’ll never know. Our master bedroom became the catch all. Anything that we didn’t want someone to see when they came in the house (cleaning stuff, mail, things we didn’t know where to store) got put in our room. Not restful. The whole house was cluttered but the bedroom was especially bad. Since July 2009, our bedroom has NEVER been like that again. I can’t explain how my understanding of clutter shifted, but I know it did. I’d been praying about not being lazy for years. I didn’t know it wasn’t laziness, it was clutter that was the problem.
Anyway, last week I had a realization. Not only was my house neat, but I would feel comfortable with someone coming in and opening any door, cupboard or drawer not in my teens rooms. That had never been a goal of mine, but I’d progressed even farther than where my goal was set. Every other part of the house is organized and decluttered. And it doesn’t even seem hard anymore. So yes, someday you actually might be able to post a “finished” picture.
Blessings!
This is my favorite type of post. Somewhat of a quick project with a before and after picture. Examples of what you threw out. Love it. Thanks for the inspiration!
This simple thought of needing to declutter and not organize what I have has sent me down the road I have been trying to walk down for several years. I LOVE to organize…….but I have way, way to much “stuff” to organize. I am very thankful that I found your blog. This is the year I finally let my family “live” in our house.
30 years ago a friend shared an easy recipe for taco seasoning that contains neither flour or cocoa and is easily made in bulk and needs no refrigeration. Compared with price of the ‘other brand’ it costs pennies.
Whenever I see a picture of your former home with the blue plaid shelf liner, I think of my mom who used that same pattern to cover some boxes. Thank you for reminding me of my mom, not that I need reminders because I think about her every day. I really miss her!
Also, I should tell you that today’s plan is to clean out the refrigerator and pantry. When I saw your email come up today about this topic, I knew that was confirmation that I need to do this!
How awful to be allergic to chocolate! I guess there are many other wonderful foods in the world, but still…
Thanks for sharing! I love your columns!
I can relate to “hidden ” why in the world ingredients. Have had to go back to full time from “scratch” cooking since a family member developed soy allergy. Read every label! Why would saltine crackers
Contain soy!!???
I promise to ask guests about chocolate when I want to serve vegetarian chili which calls for cocoa.