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Getting Organized Mission: Using Everything We Have

I am on a mission to use it or lose it in our home. Whether that comes to food, household items or even entertainment, I bet we only use 75 percent of the things we own on a regular basis. Making an effort to use what we have is saving us money and clearing the clutter.

My recent efforts to use what we already own has given us some pretty interesting adventures. It really makes me realize how much stuff just sits there on a regular basis. I’m trying to be systematic about using items that we have, one section or even one item at a time. As I get through the areas, they will naturally start getting de-cluttered, and the bonus is that we have been saving a bit on our monthly budget as well.
It is amazing how many things that never get around to using up or using at all.

Here is an example, we have a secretary desk that tends to collect odds and ends. I’ve written about it before. A quick 10 minute exploration had me pulling out all sorts of things, including little individual packets of tissues. I kid you not when I say that we probably have had them for at least four years. They just weren’t getting used.

Whenever we need tissues, we grab some from a regular box, even if we are heading out. So, I simply put these little packages in our normal spot where the boxes of tissues go. We are still in the process of using them up, and I didn’t have to buy a box of tissues at the store this week.

Next, I have been going through all of the little samples and travel sizes of products that we usually get for free. I was saving them for travel, but we haven’t been traveling! We needed lotion for our dry cracked hands. Instead of buying a bottle at the store, I came up with enough sample and travel sizes to last us the month, even with five people in the house. We are also making an effort with shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

I finally tried a sample of pore cleaning strips I bought on impulse once about two years ago. One use and I knew I could donate the rest. Soon that shoe box that was taking up space in the closet will be empty and gone.

Finally, my mission for this week has to do with clothes, specifically my panty drawer. Without giving too much information, let us say that I tend to reach for the same items that are at the front of my drawer. This week, I’m going to start from the back. This way, I’ll extend the life of my favorite pairs and quickly determine ones I don’t like. If I don’t want to wear whatever I first pull out, it can get tossed. I’ll wind up with a better organized drawer at the end.

Won’t you join me? Pick a spot to attack and make an effort to use everything in that space. Post about it in the comments.

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About Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, online content manager, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania in the middle of the woods but close enough to Target and Home Depot. The author of many magazine, newspaper and online articles, Mary Ann enjoys writing about almost any subject. "Writing gives me the opportunity to both learn interesting information, and to interact with wonderful people." Mary Ann has written more than 5,000 blogs for Families.com since she started back in December 2006. Contact her at maromans AT verizon.net or visit her personal blog http://homeinawoods.wordpress.com