Have you done any clean up this new year yet?

Yes, I have had a clean up in my house this January. I went on a course about clutter clearing a few years ago. I learned that by getting rid of clutter I could make more of the things in my home that I really care about and have more free time. I have three main problems, paperwork, photography and hobbies equipment. These can get out of hand. So I got some books about clutter clearing, made a better filing system, bought more photo albums and put away old hobby material. Yes, it is lovely to see a clear space, be able to find a piece of paper that I need and do more recycling. In the near future I want to clear up my garden shed and sort through the things in my loft(attic).

I do my recycling a bit at a time. I find when there is a major cleanup day, then things that I should keep go out in the trash. That happened years ago when my husband instituted a clean up day and he decided since I was not driving at the time, I did not need a driver's license so that went. And at $50 or so a lesson and me not having enough money, I could not renew it, so when I want to get rid of something, I do it gradually and then I know what is going into the trash is trash, what is going to Value Village is what someone else might need, and what is going to recyclable is recyclable and what I keep I keep. I do wish the garbage picker uppers would leave us two free recyclable bins, we needed them more than the two trash bins.

I have started several times to do a general cleaning of my house but like you I have tons of papers that I cannot just dispose off because its my husband's working material. What is funny about it is that the materials are ways back 5 years or even ten years ago and he does not want to dispose them. My dream is to have a clutter free home but I just lack the necessary space for those papers and on top of that I have my daughters toys and papers to contend with. I guess that's family life.