Declutter the Living Areas

What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?

Family Room

For everyone just joining in I'll be explicit, for everyone doing this daily with me... well you know the drill.

Monday we decluttered the Kitchen, and yesterday we decluttered the Dining Areas and the Entrances to our home. We're still decluttering, but this time the living areas, family room and living room. Again, don't dwell on just 1 item, don't get sidetracked.

First, grab a trash bag and the same 2 totes you've been using, again 1 is for donate/sell and 1 for put away items for other rooms. As you are going through the areas and run across items that don't belong, put them in one of the totes. Again, don't leave the areas to put them away yet.

Go through the areas quickly and throw all the trash in the trash bag and also everything that is broken or no longer functional, like old remotes for the stereo that's been gone since 1983. If you run across an item you no longer need/use/want and it's in good working order, put it in the donate/sell bin. If you have bookshelves and/or an entertainment center, do a quick look through the shelves any books you didn't particularly like and will never read again, sell/donate bin. Take a quick look through your movies and music as well. Don't get sidetracked and organize yet, we'll do that next week. Normally, I'd be alphabetizing at this point, I must resist!

Take one last glance around the area and look at the decorations in the area and look at it with new eyes. Do you love it? Does it work? Is it just there because it's always been there? If you decide you don't want to keep it, put it in the donate/sell bin. This isn't the time to do all sorts of rearranging and decorating, just a quick evaluation of what might be visual clutter.

Now, take the bin of items for put away, and put the items in the appropriate rooms.

Now that we've done a basic decluttering go on over to Tamy's for Overall Kitchen Organization, we'll go into depth next Monday as well.

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4 comments:

  1. I am so dreading this room today - it's my worst since the family room has been the staging area for the remodel, but it so needs doing! Thanks for the kick in the butt.

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  2. I got a bit of a head start last night in the family room. Since we were going through the movies anyway we started decluttering at same time. I figured it'd be good since we're going to be gone most of the day today! I've filled up a trash bag so far and the donate/sell box has got quite a few things in it.

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  3. Ahhh! I LOVE de-cluttering! Mmm! It feels so good to get some tunes roaring loud, and to get cleaning!

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  4. I totally agree, it feels good to be getting so much done.

    I'm in the mood for fall nesting I guess... all the decluttering, cleaning, organizing, decorating, etc.

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