Welcome to the August edition of In My Kitchen hosted by Sherry at Sherry's Pickings. I'm happy to invite you into my kitchen once again to see some what has found its way out of my kitchen. That's right!!! This past month, I've been doing some de-cluttering in my kitchen.
I have an Alexa with a screen in my kitchen, so I'm able to watch Youtube (and Netflix) while I'm working in My Kitchen.
I watch a de-cluttering Youtube video while I de-clutter and organize and it's like having a personal coach working alongside of me and coaching me.
Listening to their (Youtube video's) advice, I have removed and given away many items. I could have had a yard sale, but I decided it was too much work for too little profit-so I donated everything to charity (my adult kids don't want it).
For example : The video suggest:
- If it was a gift but you never liked it or used it, don't feel obligated to keep it.
I had a pitcher that I got for a shower gift (53 years ago). It was very pretty, but very heavy so consequently I hardly ever used it. I finally decided after 53 years of not using it, to GET RID OF IT or Give it Away !! Actually, when I took the picture, I noticed it is very tarnished and pitted and won't come off..
- They suggest : If you haven't used it in 5 years, toss it or donate it or sell it.
- I have pyrex and Corning Ware for baking casseroles. I tend to gravitate to the pyrex and truthfully haven't used the Corning Ware in way over 5 years. It felt great to get rid of it by donating it to a local charity shop..
- If you have doubles or triples of something, just keep one .
I had 5 potato peelers (why?), 3 wine bottle openers, 3 hand graters, 4 melon ballers (why??) and a really overly stuffed drawer. I decided to donate to charity 3 of the potato peelers, 1 wine bottle opener, 1 grater, and 2 melon ballers. (the pizza cutters will have to go too) Whew! so much more room in my kitchen drawer.
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| Have not used cookie cutters in many years! This I only a few, I had lots more. All bagged to donate! |
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| A pile of these lovely melamine outdoor serving platters are going too. I just don't entertain the way I used to, and this summer the heat has been prohibitive to even sit outside. |
Their (the de-clutter mavens on Youtube's) motto:
The more you have, the more you must keep organized and more work for you!!
One of the concepts talked about on many of the videos was the idea the more you have, the more you have to take care of and the more you have to keep organized and stress over.
I just don't use 5 potato peelers!! I kept one extra in case one breaks. Same with the wine bottle openers, the graters, and the melon ballers. Just cleaning out those 4 items opened up a lot of space in my drawer.
I ended de-cluttering many other items as well, and ended up with 3 large bags + a box and some loose items that I still need to bag before donating from my kitchen to charity. The items are things I will not miss.
I feel so much better starting to de-clutter!!
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My Cookbook contains over 80 healthy soup recipes and 80 inspirational quotes and time saving cooking tips to help encourage, guide, and inspire readers to reach a greater level of wellness. plant-based soups cookbook (affiliate link) on Amazon with a "look inside" option to see all the recipe titles and introduction.
I did some big decluttering when we moved in 2020, but noticed the other day that things are starting to creep back in. It's time for another round.
ReplyDeleteIt feels great to clean out but it needs to be done frequently
DeleteGreat topic! I did this to small down into our Caravan. I miss many things, but found I can substitute another item and everything goes just fine and the cooking goes on!
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate to still have plenty of space and only got rid of things I really didn't want.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post! Your example should be followed by everyone, meaning me, meaning I’m not going to get there, but I love your example. I’m always afraid I’ll need the thing that was just disposed of.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thank you Mae. The Youtube videos were my inspiration
DeleteDid some decluttering a while back in winter...but I bought more. LOL...need to do that again soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I will buy more too.. but hopefully only stuff I really need or just LOVE
Deletegood for you...it does feel wonderful, and this is such a great activity while it is too hot to be outdoors. we have a pool and it is even too hot for that. unless you stay under water it is impossible to stay cool AND i often have trouble breathing!! i am inspired by your post, let's see what i can get into!!
ReplyDeleteTime well spent Judee. The de-clutter secret that works for me is to pause before buying anything new for at least a day). By then the urge usually passes. If I do still think I need that item, I recycle or donate one on hand. Wishing you a beautiful evening.
ReplyDeleteI have duplicates of the things I use all the time and might not wash straight after use. The rest I've stuck to what I use, and tossed the rest. Well done!
ReplyDeleteTandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com
It feels so good to declutter, doesn't it? I did a massive declutter this spring and gave so much away to our local free group on Facebook. I had so many things that I hadn't used in years and I don't know WHY I was even saving most of it. Good job clearing the excess! Enjoy your decluttered kitchen!
ReplyDeleteOoh yes I love de-cluttering! It's so very satisfying isn't it? Good work! And thanks for joining in this month.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about keeping things you don't use. I gave away loads before I moved from my house to my condo. That includes two crystal bowls given to me as wedding gifts in the 1980's. One was still in the original box. I was "saving it for something special." Guess that never happened!
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions. Now to get hubby on board.
ReplyDeleteYou're going through now what I went through in my basement post-mold purge. Once I'm back in town for more than a few days I need to start on other rooms -- art room/office, kitchen and the dreaded bathroom drawers! Well done. (I like the idea of alexa with a screen.)
ReplyDeleteI love decluttering! I like all of these suggestions which means there are probably a few things in my kitchen that should go!
ReplyDeletewww.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
That looks very cathartic. I am a little jealous of your vegetable peelers as my favourite one disappeared and I was left with a very unsatisfactory one. I have one very cute pizza cutter but use it less and less and wonder if I really need it. Occasionally I declutter but I am never very good at it. Though as I live in a small unit, I can't really keep too much so I do need to make hard decisions. The question now is, are you looking at all the new space and wondering what you can buy to fill it :-)
ReplyDeleteLoving your declutter post - I had to declutter all my belongings to fit in 2 suitcases when I left Australia 2 years ago, but left so much stuff in boxes back home. Now I'm facing actually having to dispose of it since I'm not coming back! I think your post has inspired me to take photos of stuff I'm going to donate and say goodbye to it once and for all... have a great month!
ReplyDeleteI love a good declutter, it's so therapeutic. I feel like I should go and take a look through my cupboards now! It's amazing what we accumulate, isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Decluttering is so liberating, especially the part about getting rid of gifts you never liked in the first place. 🚫🎁
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing bits of your kitchen. You are very organized, which can be nice while cooking. That's great that you donated some items that you no longer want or need. So many people need kitchen items, and would love them. I'm very much a minimalist. I like the cookie cutters. I still have some vintage Christmas cookie cutters that I just can't part with. They are delightful.
ReplyDelete~Sheri