Cleaning out the kitchen
 

I have downsized to about a forth of what I had. I am not done yet and will have a garage sale in the spring. Feels good to get rid of things not used for years.

Sounds like you've been busy! Congrats on your progress!

It's a great feeling and lots of hard work. Good for you!

Good for you. My area is not good for garage sales or such.

I tell my daughter and granddaughter to check to see if I have something before they buy. When cooking daily for 5 people I have accumulated baking items I no longer need for 2 people.

I remember when I was working through this with the FlyLady method, when I cleaned out the utensil drawer there was nine pound gone, just from the one drawer.

Nice going!

Good for you. I need to do that so bad but, I would rather be quilting.

It seems like every time I do that, I find myself needing something I just gave away. Even weird things I haven't used in 30 years--suddenly I need it.

yep it does. but the other day i was thinking of making my son a birthday cake. no cake pans or cake cover. so i'm ordering one!

My daughter just returned home after spending 2 weeks with me. We went though a 3 section wall unit in my living room and all the kitchen cupboards. Got rid of 4 boxes of books and 8 boxes of knick-knacks, games, craft supplies. That was just from the wall units. 3 boxes of small electric appliances and other kitchen supplies. This week I am starting on the closets.

Congrats on your hard work. We reorganized our kitchen a couple of weeks ago. My dh had to clean out the utensil drawer. I develop a strange attachment to old kitchen tools. I had to clean out the spice drawer. He thinks spices don’t ‘expire.’ We are happy with the results. Like Jingle, garage sales don’t do well in our area. We tossed a lot.

My husband is the main cook so about once a year we go through all our cupboards and drawers. One year we found at least 10 spatulas!!

I bet it feels good to have a little more elbow room in your kitchen...sometimes it’s difficult to part with “things.” Good for you!

We married two years ago...I'm his third wife (over 45 years). We have a large (huge) walk in pantry...it's stuffed with so much that previous wives didn't want to take with them, plus his stuff and mine that you can't find anything. I'm threatening to clean it out and take to Salvation Army. Who needs 10 cookie sheets, and 8 mixing bowls, plus old coffee pots and bread machines, toaster ovens anyway? I told him to speak up now because I'm only keeping what I use and want.

Always feels good to get things in order. Congratulations!

I am starting to think I will do the same thing. It is so nice to clean out things no longer needed. My kids have all they want already so I will probably take a few loads to the thrift shop.

After many years of keeping things because they are still "good", I have been purging and letting these things go live at someone else's house. Everything gets donated to charities to sell.

Way to go! I tried doing this when we did a kitchen remodel this past year. Found out my head kept telling me I might need this or that for this or that someday. Good thing I got my big deep drawers to stash it all.

I keep an ongoing pile of "priceless treasures" in the garage for summer sales. We live out in the country so I team up with a friend in town. Whatever does not sell we give to thrift stores. They can always use items and money helps others. Don't need to ever contribute to land fills!

Congratulations on your accomplishment! I started a huge declutter project a year ago and have almost reached my end game. You're right---it feels good to shed all the accumulated things. I don't know about you, but I intend to stay true to my new mantra and only keep things that are beautiful, useful or bring me joy.

Congrats on your success!

This is our year for cleaning out extra stuff too. We are on a two year plan for possibly downsizing. After cleaning out two other homes for family members I don't want that task left to our children.

It is a nice feeling to go through room-by room and know there is no clutter left behind!

Congratulations on your clean out.
I plan on moving this summer and have finished my first round of going through "stuff" in closets, drawers, cabinets, under-the-bed, etc. Amazing what I have already pulled out. I plan on going through it all again a second and even third time as I don't want to pay for moving stuff I don't need, want, or use.

Of course, everything in the sewing room is stuff I need - just kidding. That will definitely be my hardest room to go through.

I have a very small kitchen so there are not a lot of extras - it seems like it at times because I have pots for when I do my canning. At Christmas I decided to make a bunch of different cookies - my DD's never did care for baking, even when they were little so it had been about 30 years since I made cookies. I thought I had given away all my cookie cutters but found them in one of the pots - so I even got to make sugar cookies. Yesterday we made lemon bars - my daughter had a box mix she was sure wouldn't be made unless she brought it over.
So some reason the utensil drawer does seem to get overloaded - not sure how it happens but it does, so we clear it out every few years.

We just bought a cottage, so I am not downsizing anything until I see what I need in the kitchen. I always use 2 breadmakers--one for Gluten Free bread, since it is so expensive and difficult to find in our area.
I am always looking for breadmakers that work. I enjoy baking so the poor cottage will be stuffed before long.

That always feels good. We moved about 2 years ago and let go of a lot of things. This is a bigger house with a basement and the previous owners built in shelves so i have plenty of room. I tried to put everything from the old kitchen which was bigger, into this one, and then realized I could move less used things to the basement and just go get them when I need them. And I'm glad I haven't gotten rid of anything because now and then I want what is downstairs. I keep a donation bag going and do still get rid of things I know I won't use again.

I have four tables full of stuff and the floor around one table. Even my cutting table is full and my coffee table. I have to pack it up and put in garage until it is time for the sale. What does not sell will go to thrift shop. I cannot believe all the stuff I have. About thirty Arby xmas glasses all different sizes. Do you remember them? One set of china and Three sets of xmas dishes. Why ???? Must be insane!

my husband cleaned out my utensil drawer
he wanted to know why I had 20 spatula's and almost that many wooden spoons
now each are on opposite ends of the drawer

I still have the metal spatula I was given when I got married the first time in 68, a friend put new rivets in it for me. I love it because it is very thin and can get under anything. I have looked for years for a second one just in case but never found one so I guard it with my life.

I also gave my toaster to one of my kids from 68 and wish I had it back. Can't find one that works that good so I just keep buying toasters

It seems that I am always in need of a spatula. So at an Amish garage sale I purchased one for 10 cents. It looked almost new. One of the first things I made was a two layer cake. It was in the oven almost done when I washed up the dishes. To my horror, my new spatula was missing about 3/4 of the rubber part which had disintegrated somewhere. The only place left to look was in the cake batter.

Well Heaven only know what was wrong with that spatula, so I just threw the whole thing out.

I started on the "clean out vibe" when my daughter loaned me the Marie Kondo book a few years ago. I had a great first go, and the stuff went to a homeless charity garage sale fundraiser, which pleased me to not send it to the dump, and not have to do the garage sale myself. In the meantime, I need to do a second go round - stuff keeps multiplying in closets, I swear! So great job - I know it feels good to get that stuff out of the Zone! And the very mention of it heartens me to start the second layer here!

We retired about a year and a half ago and decided to sell the house and go RVing full time. We had three yards sales but a lot of stuff was basically given away. (On a side note we should have had extra help as we had several things stolen.) Of coarse we have kept some family items and special things in a storage locker but it really is very freeing to have all that gone. We told the kids they are lucky they won't have to deal with all of that when we die. I don't do as much baking or cooking as I used to and I find that I just don't want to own or possess like I used to. My mother was a packrat and having graduated during the depression, was always of the mindset that you might need that item tomorrow. I am doing much better now at being close to a minimalist. Mind you in a 36' motorhome, you don't have much choice.

Just finished the purge of the house in preparation for moving. Countless trips to the local thrift store, 2 or 3 trips to the dump, stuff sorted for each of the kids (they chose) and stuff to Kijiji and another pile for the online auction. And then there is the "fight" pile - stuff two or more of the kids wants. But - This was the easy one. Once I find a place to go, the next one will be tougher.
Forty two years in the same house, you accumulate a lot of stuff. Now its time to move and time for this house to have a new family.
It's only stuff. I still have all the memories.

our local charity thrift shop scored big time a couple of years ago when we did a kitchen remodel--finally got rid of my DH's collection of plastic cups for the Royal's baseball stadium! (ok--limited it to just one design each! LOL). last year I cleared out DS & DD'sclosets (they are 30 & 36!) and scored lots of storage for my sewing. It went to the local thrift shop too cause none of us wanted to deal with garage sale. My goal this year is the basement. It feels so good to clear out stuff!

That is exactly what I am doing now. It is hard. I am just happy that I have been able to get rid of fabric. I kind of keep an estimate of how much I am giving away and then I keep a total of allowable new purchases as needed for projects. It kind of motivates me to do it that way.

Wish I had gone through earlier but maybe all this hard work for moving will help me keep on top of my game in my new home.

Wow! 42 yours in the same house. I have lived here for eight years and it is the longest I have been in one home. The house we are moving to is the one we plan to live in a long time. However, with the pain of sorting, I will try to keep a constant purge going. Also, I like the rules if something comes in, something has to go out.