Home Organization Project 6

When my kids were little and played with toys, I felt like the day would never come when they would stop – and we’d no longer step on random Legos or vacuum up Polly Pockets. But, before I knew it, we were in the slow process of giving away toys and games.

What I’ve learned is that even when they say, “I’m too old for this” they’re not quite ready to get it out of the house – forever. If you have space, tuck these items away for 6-12-months. Every once in awhile there are second-thoughts but mostly, after 6-months everyone feels better about passing along their “once favorite” items.

I do have a place for very special toys, books, and games that we’re keeping. They’re stored in a spot, out of the way and we’ve tried to be very picky about what is being kept – so that we’re not saving too much.  There is a fine line between getting rid of things and then saying, “Oh, let’s all play Clue” – but it just got pitched because it hadn’t been played in 3-years.

Home Organization Project 6

1. This week’s project. Games and toys.
2. Start small. I wanted to keep going but everyone shut me down. We stopped after board games, toys, and remaining dress up clothing/costumes. We sorted through every item. You can imagine how fun that was with teenagers! Hah! We did it not too long ago – which everyone reminded me several times.
3. Clear and clean. After taking everything off the shelves, I wiped it down. How does stuff get so dirty and dusty when it’s just sitting there?
4. Get set. I loaded the rejects into the car and gave away the toys to kids on our street who I thought might like them.
5. Trade out. OK, I used this opportunity to move furniture around. Once I get my husband moving things, I have to strike while the iron’s hot. He finally put a halt to my madness and retreated to the living room (yes, in another pair of holey socks – remember his filing project?) to put his feet up and read.
6. Stop buying. While I usually get our kids a little gift or something small for Valentine’s Day, this year I made them note cards with their names printed at the top instead. Even teenagers can admit that they don’t need anything – except cards for writing thank you notes.
7. Less is more. It’s really starting to feel like there’s more breathing room around our house. Stacks are disappearing – although there are plenty left to tackle – but it does feel good.

Toys, games, and dress up – done! Everything else around it is a mess – mostly art supplies but that’s getting tackled soon – maybe week 7 or 9? Oh, we sold several coats from week 4’s  project and pocketed $75 – score! The rest of the coats went to a homeless shelter. The coat to be sold on eBay? Still in the entryway. Baby-steps.

How’s your home organizing coming along? Is it getting more organized or like mine – getting messier?

Go Gingham related links:

A little home office in our dining room
Green living: once a month garbage collection
A free chair – that was rejected!
Wrapping presents with free maps makes for pretty gifts
Green and frugal living – the sweet spot where green and frugal meet
Our basement chalkboard – it’s an old classroom chalkboard and finished in wood trim

As part of our New Year’s resolution, we’re cleaning out a different area of our house every week this year. Find all of the “weekly home organization projects” – or click the image below.