A Time to Purge

The week between Christmas and New Year’s has become one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a half-reality for everyone. Husbands are working a lighter schedule. As a mom, I feel the need to be half-engaged in my regular activities and half on vacation. We still get stuff done, and have routines to keep with the kids, but it’s not a flurry of activities and school and classes that comprises our typical days. The kids are still eager to wake up and play with toys brought by Santa, and I think they welcome the break in routine too.

It’s also become a week to purge. Santa didn’t consider where we would put all of these new toys when he dropped them off at our house Christmas Eve, so inevitably we are forced to part ways with some old toys that have gotten buried by more exciting beeping and screeching gadgets. Not one to hoard, I love getting rid of things. I love creating space in my house. As much as I relish the Christmas tree and the lights and decorations during the season, I think I relish the feel of a clean and simplified house after the holidays just the same.

Given that my husband is at home some this week, we have embarked on a full-scale home-purge. Half inspired by the amount of new toys, half inspired by the reality that a new family member is arriving in spring and will expect a whole room devoted to themselves, we are paring down. We started in the attic, which is our primary storage location and worked our way down. Once the attic was cleared out and organized, it created space to store items from other rooms, closets and the garage that were cluttering our living space. We filled and labeled storage containers, we put aside a donation pile, and we selected electronic and other gadgets that needed to be taken to a recycling center.

For those of you that are frequent movers, you do this often enough. But, if like us, you’ve found yourself in a home for several years, I highly recommend taking some time to get rid of your clutter. It was quite a bit easier than I had expected and feels great once it’s done.

Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Run out to Target or wherever and get plenty of storage tubs so you can create keepsake boxes and store seasonal clothes and clothes your children have outgrown. Make sure to bring tape, box cutters, scissors, trash bags and sharpie pen with you so you don’t have to run around for these items when you are in cleaning mode.
2. Start in an area of your home that you consider to be the best storage. Once this is cleared out and organized, you can attack other areas of your house and relocate things to this newly organized storage area.
3. Don’t be shy about donating/recycling/consigning items. If you haven’t used it in two years, do you need it? If it’s something you think may be a keepsake, ponder the moment you expect you or a loved one to cherish that item. Will they cherish a wedding dress? Maybe. A box of swim ribbons from 1985-1987? Maybe not.
4. Give yourself plenty of time. Don’t set out to do everything all at once or you will get overwhelmed. Also make sure you and your partner are both in a purging mode and you have assigned tasks. One can be the man-power, the other the organizer/purger.

Oh, and just to give you a head’s up, don’t store your child with your seasonal sweaters. The manufacturers of Rubbermaid warn against it. Bummer.