Project #2: Cleaning out the garage

As previously mentioned I am going to work on emptying out my garage unit attached to my apartment.  In this unit I have a lot of containers of the things I have held onto over the years. There is of course the typical stuff, like Christmas decorations and Oliver's old baby clothes, a suit case of cards I've received, a box of cords, and many many bikes and trikes. Some of it will have to go--sold off via craigslist, and I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For the rest, some of it I will get rid of, other important things I will have to move into my apartment.  Thus starts the first step to project number 2, making room for my stuff from the garage by de-cluttering my apartment.

I am going to try and donate something every week. That means picking one corner at a time to go through.  Knowing me, I would, without direction attempt to de-clutter my entire apartment in a days time, ruining any chances of enjoying my day and setting myself up for failure when while I will achieve a great deal, I will not manage to get everything done at once. This is what I tend to do--all or nothing.

Our good family friend, Bill once told to quit trying to eat the elephant in one giant bite--so I am making a list and then I will begin tackling each space and getting to enjoy the sweet taste of success as I cross each thing off the list.

1. Oliver's Toys: He has so many toys, and while he plays with a lot of them, there are many collecting dust and taking up space. Together he and I will sort and eliminate the extras.  Some of them will be donated to the salvation army, others to friends.

2. My T.V. Cabinet: This is my paper storage/dvd stash/tool cabinet/picture storage/catch-all.  I need a paper storage system but this is not the place and could be put to much better use!

3. Pantry Shelving: The space above my washer and dryer is meant to be used as pantry space but we've set up shelving in the water heater closet so instead this holds everything in the kitchen that doesn't have a home and gets so bad that things pile-up and spill out.  We have a lot of eliminating to do in here!

4. Coat Closet: Why is it so hard to get rid of shoes and coats I don't wear anymore? They are just so damn expensive and so nice. What I don't wear will go to my clothing closet. I need the space for stuff from the garage more than anywhere else. Swim gear and outdoor gear will need to fit in here.

5. My green desk: Talk about paper storage. I need to use this for work stuff because I certainly have a lot of it and I could use a better system.

6. ALL my work stuff: Ever since we got rid of our local office my home/garage has become the dumping ground for equipment and paper--its gotten a bit absurd.

So, if anyone needs something, let me know--I probably have it! (and sorry for such a boring post).