Getting Organized: My Fall Purge

Ever since Tyler and I returned from our Honeymoon, I’ve been reminded of the major hoarding we’ve both been guilty of over the past few years. Once we moved back home into a smaller apartment, it was hard to keep track of just how much stuff we were bringing in and with limited storage in our home, it’s definitely noticeable when things start to get a little crowded. I’ll admit I have been putting off a major purge of whatever I no longer need, but this week I decided to get a handle on it and here’s what I got rid of:

Hair products – I am all curls, and for those of you who share the struggle of having curly hair with me, you know how hard it is to find a good curly hair product. I’m constantly looking for the next best thing when it comes to serums, oils and gels, and after I try them and realize they don’t work for me, they retreat to the graveyard that is the back of my bathroom cabinet. If you have hair products (or just beauty products in general) that didn’t work for you, why hang onto them? FYI – I threw away 18 different hair products that I no longer use.

Old make-up – Now that I work from home, I never wear make-up so this was an easy one for me. I kept the staples that I like for when I actually go out of the house and want to look like a human being, but there were so many products I was holding onto for no reason like old mascaras, crazy colored eyeshadows I once bought for a particular occasion or almost-empty bottles I just never threw away. Something else I noticed was I had multiples of the same make-up brush, and while it’s always good to have a backup, if you’re holding onto that 5+ year old tattered brush that you never bothered to clean, it’s time to throw it. You can check out my favorite make-up brush cleaner from It Cosmetics here.

Clothing – This one is a larger undertaking, which is going to be a project for upcoming weekends as well. I took a look at my closet and noticed there were things in there I haven’t worn in years! I love a new wardrobe, and when I buy something new, I want to wear it constantly. This means last year’s items are always getting forgotten. I started by tossing out items I haven’t work in over a year. If I haven’t worn it, there is something about it that I’m just not that crazy about. Next, I threw away things that didn’t fit me right, whether they were too small, too large, or just not right for my body shape, I got rid of them. Let me say, I didn’t just throw these items in the garbage since someone would definitely be able to use them, so I donated them via a local church but you can always drop-off at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. If you want to make some money, find a local consignment shop. In college, I used to sell via a consignment shop in my neighborhood and I made an easy $200+ dollars every 6 months or so.

Old towels, bed sheets or blankets – I found a few old bath towels and washcloths I still had from college! They were brand new, but of course were obnoxious bright pinks and purples, which aren’t my style anymore. I also found some bed sheet sets that we will never use. I called our local animal shelter and it turned out they are always looking for these products for donation for the animals. If you have like new towels, sheets or blankets that no longer fit in your home’s color scheme, check your local shelters to see if they could use the items. It’s a much better alternative than simply throwing them away.

Expired medicines – Have you ever been sick and take a trip to the pharmacy to only buy every single item that promises to cure your illness? That’s me in a nutshell. I’m a hoarder when it comes to medicines because I’m convinced that I’ll use them again. This also goes for fad-vitamins. I go through phases of trying vitamins and forgetting about them so it’s always good to get rid of them if you no longer need them. Plus, I cleared up so much space in my bathroom cabinets by tossing Benadryl and cough medicines from 2004.

Old canned goods – I’m usually pretty good with this one since we’re so limited on our cabinet space, but these can quickly get out of control. I always buy extra canned goods if I’m trying out a new recipe (just in case it needs a little extra) and I have a mixed variety of these items in my pantry. Get rid of anything expired, and if you find any non-expired foods that you know you won’t be eating anytime soon, find a local canned drive in your community. Our church always collects non-perishables for a local shelter, so I make sure to check every month or so to see what I can get rid of.

Tupperware without matching lids or containers – This one should go without saying, but I recently tried to match up my tupperwares to make sure they are still functional. One thing my grandmother taught me is to use an alphabetical system of organizing my storage containers with a matching letter on the top & bottom, so lid A goes with container A, etc. It’s a great system for keeping everything in tact, and easily finding matching lids when you’re scrambling for a match. I also threw away old food containers that might be stained from old food, or have that white film from microwaving. There’s no need to keep these on hand.

This is where I started, but I’ll definitely be adding to this list. Is there something you are constantly getting rid of in your home? Share it in the comments!