Many of us are still busy with wrapping up the holidays, so today’s task is a simple one: travel mugs, sports cups, and plastic cups.
The process we are going to use will be the same throughout the month, so let’s review it now:
THE PROCESS
1. Gather your supplies: (you can reuse these same supplies each day)
- Boxes or bags labeled with “Donate”, “Elsewhere” and “Store”
- Trash can and recycle bin
- Damp rag/wet wipe
2. Remove everything from the area (yes, everything) and wipe it clean with a damp rag.
3. Sort the items into these categories: (The Seana Method’s R.E.D.D.S. system)
- R- Restore: these are the items going back in
- E- Elsewhere: these are items to keep, but that don’t belong in this space
- D- Donate
- D- Dispose: trash or recycle
- S- Store: items you want to keep for sentimental reasons, or perhaps for a long-term future use, but which you don’t regularly use. These items will eventually need to go into a bin/box in an attic, basement, or closet.
4. Keeping the “Restore” items out, and put all other items into the boxes/bags you prepared.
5. Move items to their final destination:
- Put the “Restore” items back into your designated area.
- Carry the “Elsewhere” box/bag around your house and redistribute its contents.
- Move the “Donate” box/bag to the car to be donated.
- Trash/recycle the “Dispose” items.
- Put the “Store” items into a container and move it to a remote location for future access.
THE TASK
The first challenge is to organize all of your sports bottles, travel mugs, kiddie cups, etc. (You don’t need to consider china, stemware or glasses today).
A good rule of thumb for adult cups (e.g. travel coffee cups, sports bottles) is one per person in your household, plus two (total) spares. For children’s items (e.g. sippy cups), consider 2-3 per child, plus 2 (total) spares. This may seem like an insufficient amount, but trust me, it is preferable to wash a cup than to have a bunch come crashing down when you open the cabinet.
The ULTIMATE restriction on how many you can keep is the physical size of your space. If you cannot comfortably replace the items you’ve decided to keep into your space, then you should go back and get rid of more. If you have extra space when you are finished – and you want to keep more- then add a few extra back in.
Are you ready to get started? Give it a try – and let us know how it’s going!
Yay, I literally just did this right before Christmas in our house and am so ahead of the game on this one myself right now 😉
Janine Huldie recently posted…The Princesses 2014 Year in Review Wonderful Wednesday
It’s great feeling to be ahead, right? This one just makes you happy every time you open the kitchen cabinet and can easily reach what you need. Way to go, Janine! Next one on Monday:) Have a great weekend…
Looking at that pic makes me shudder! Why is it we collect these things? :-O
Love your process for saying goodbye. It makes the decision making much easier!
Kim recently posted…Laying the groundwork for a stronger family
Thanks for these words of affirmation, Kim! Shedding some of these items makes you smile every time you open your kitchen cabinet, right? Hope lots of people hop on board and feel good about themselves and their spaces come February:)
I think you’d be nauseated to see the state of one of our cupboards.
And we still use the disposable sippy cups long after we should. Cassidy will love this post.
Tamara recently posted…I Want To Be With You Night and Day.
Well, no time like the present to let those sippy cups go!! This is “permission granted” to pitch those old cups and have at least one cabinet that makes you smile every time you open it:)
Done! Our plastic cup & water bottle situation wasn’t too bad, but oh my — the sippy cups and kiddie bowls/plates/etc were in a serious tangle! Got rid of the most annoying ones and organized the rest. YAY! (Is the tupperware cabinet coming up soon? That one is BAD.)
Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout recently posted…The Bobsleddies 2014
Ooooh, tupperware cabinet – good idea! Have to see if I can work that in. Getting rid of those extra sippy cups frees an AMAZING amount of space. What a great feeling for kicking off 2015:)