12 Months = 12 Declutter Challenges!

Are you ready for a challenge?

We all love challenges, don’t we? It gives us the kick in the butt we need, a motivational jumpstart to our goals.

And since we’re mostly about cleaning and organizing around these parts, we’re going to have a Simplify Challenge!

Are you ready?

Since January isn’t done yet, we’re going to go ahead and include this month too!

WHY SIMPLIFY?

One of the best ways to make cleaning and organizing easier for yourself is to get rid of the excess, right?

Get rid of the clutter, get rid of the things that bug you, that drive you crazy, that no longer serve you, and especially that doesn’t “spark joy”.

Gotta love Marie Kondo 😆!

So for each month of this new year, we’re going into a different space into our homes and taking out 5 things. These can be 5 things to donate, 5 things to throw away, 5 things to give to a family member, 5 things to sell, 5 things to finally make decisions on.

Here’s what the game plan looks like:

1. Kitchen
2. Pantry
3. Toys
4. Living room
5. Kids clothes
6. Linen closet
7. Garage
8. Coat closet
9. Master closet
10. Master bedroom
11. Master Bathroom
12. Guest bathroom

January | We are starting in the kitchen.

The kitchen is the heart of the home, so I love to start here. Plus it’s a room that we have to deal with multiple times a day, so getting this in order first just makes sense in my head!

What are some examples of things to simplify in the kitchen?

• Utensils that you are no longer using
• small appliances that you are no longer using, or that don’t work.
• Plates, bowls, or cups, that aren’t to your liking, or that are cracked and chipped.
• Pots and pans that stick to everything and just drive you crazy.
• Lids that don’t match any pots or pans that you have.

February | It’s time to tackle the pantry.

What are some options that you can get rid of in the pantry?

• Small appliances that you keep in here.
• Old expired food.
• Food that you don’t like and won’t eat.
• Containers that don’t work for you anymore.
• The hoard of plastic bags!
• Old lunchboxes

March | Is the toys!

The toys multiply on their own, don’t they? It’s crazy how they just magnetize to each other to the middle of any room!

• What are some toys that are broken?
• You can also donate toys that came with Happy meals, I know I have a mini stockpile of those.
• Toys that the kids have outgrown and don’t play with anymore. Broken toys.
• Toys from the dollar store or the dollar spot at Target
• You can also get rid of toys that have missing pieces.

April | Is the living room.

I’ll be combining the living room and our loft space, since that it’s technically another living room area.

• Some examples from the living room are movies/DVDs that you aren’t watching.
• Board games that you are no longer playing.
• Blankets that you aren’t using.
• Furniture that’s just old and dingy (that’s been meaning to be donated for a while!)

May | Is the kid’s closet!

The kids grow out of their clothes so fast right? I feel like with my oldest we are constantly cycling through new clothes and clothes that are too small.

We are going to pick out 5 items from each child’s closet. Decide either to store them in a bin for the smaller kids, or give the small ones away!

June | Is the linen closet.

We have such a small linen closet that anything new that’s added already takes up too much space. The things that bug me the most about using any space is not being able to reach in there and grab something. If I have to shuffle things around, and things get knocked over, the space isn’t working as efficiently as it can be.

• Some examples of what can be decluttered in the linen closet are towels that are stained or ripped.
• Sheets that are stained or ripped.
• Towels that don’t go with any set.
• Old/expired beauty items.
• Old/expired medicine.
• Old boxes/containers that are empty
• Beauty items you don’t like so you never use them?

July | Is the garage!

The garage holds so much of our belongings that we have stashed away! I don’t know if 5 items will make a difference in here, but it’ll certainly be a start.

• Christmas items, other holiday décor you aren’t using
• Old light bulbs
• Tools you aren’t using

August | We’re bringing it back into the house and tackling the coat closet.

Our coat closet tucks under the stairs and becomes a catch-all for “all the things”.

• Are there jackets you can donate?
• Shoes that don’t fit?
• Any garbage that can be tossed?
• Backpacks or school items that you no longer need in there?
• Craft items that you no longer need or want?
• Junk in general?

September is the master closet

Lets find 5 things that don’t fit properly. Or has rips or holes. What items have you not worn this month?

A great idea is to turn all your hangers around backwards on the first. Every time you pick an item and wear it, you’ll put it back in the closet the correct way. On the last day of the month, you can visually see what you’ve worn and what you haven’t. Then go through those clothes and pick out 5 items that you would like to declutter.

Another idea to see this is to tie a ribbon on your clothing rod in front of all the clothes you have now. Every time you wear something, put it back in front of the ribbon. All the clothes you haven’t worn will be on the other side of the ribbon. This is another great way to see, visually, just what you aren’t wearing.

You need to see, visually, just what you are and aren’t wearing on a consistent basis.

October | Is the master bedroom

What are some items you can remove from the master bedroom? This space is supposed to be our getaway, our oasis, but more often than not, the master bedroom is a catch-all space for all the unwanted items around the house.

It’s super easy to take everything that you’ve gathered around the house and toss it on the floor or on a chair in the master bedroom, because let’s face it, no one besides you, really goes in there.

It’s time to take back your space and turn it to the relaxing spa like room it should be!

• Do you have junk in your nightstands?
• Junk under your bed?
• Too many books?
• Too much paper clutter?
• An extra piece of furniture that drives you crazy because you run into it everyday?
• Items that belong in other items of the house?

November | Is the master bathroom

Just like with the master bedroom, let’s turn the master bathroom into a spa like retreat so it’s easy to get ready in the morning!

• What items are lurking under the sink?
• What items are in your cabinets?
• Do you have expired makeup?
• Expired bath products?
• Old toothbrushes?

December | Is the guest/kids bath

This area is the same concept as the master bath. Let’s make this a nice area for the kids to get ready every day!

• Do you have expired/old bath products that you need to get rid of?
• Old towels?
• Old toothbrushes?
• Old toothpaste?

Just a quick re-cap, we have all month to find 5 things in each space. That’s about one item per week if you don’t want to do it all in one day. So manageable and totally doable right?

What do you think? Are you ready for this challenge? Are you ready to simplify your home?

Let’s get to it then!