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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

May 21, 2024

No.829: Four Weeks to a More Organized Home // Week Two

I last attempted the Four Weeks to a More Organized Home challenge back in 2015 and am trying it one more time!  (See this post for Week One.)  For week two, I was inspired by the idea of Swedish Death Cleaning.  Have you heard of it?  It probably seems a little morbid coming from a soon to be 40-year-old, but the concept is that you declutter your home in a way that would make it easier for loved ones to manage your belongings after you die.  All of my life, I have held onto memory-type items and papers and I’m motivated to tackle those things.  See the details below – and please excuse the lack of photos…it was dark and gloomy almost all week.

DAY 6 ASSIGNMENT // Write down 5-10 goals for the week.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute run through the home, picking up everything out of place and putting it away.  Clean the inside of the car and vacuum.

+ I got the kids involved with the whole house pickup and they were a big help!
+ Today’s seven: a handful of page protectors, a stylus, beads from a broken necklace, a piece of a game we no longer own, a beer cap opener, an extra mailbox number, and an cat carrier luggage tag.  The randomness continues.

DAY 7 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 2 things from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute vacuum of the main living areas.  Wipe down all of the baseboards.

+ A rainy day seemed to be a good time to work on a procrastinated project: going through a plastic bin full of my childhood memories!  So many of these things are personal and yet nothing my children will want to keep when I die…so what do I do with my school achievement plaques and softball trophies?!  Anyway, I started small and found a group of things to get rid of: a bag of mini dolls, pieces of softball uniforms, an Elton John CD, a photo album, a Disneyland autograph book, and a handful of play/conference programs.  Baby steps!

DAY 8 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 1 thing from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick clean of dresser drawers, decluttering and organizing.  Wipe down all of the door handles.

+ Another rainy day, so I went slightly rogue and decided to work on my closet instead of my dresser drawers.  I am realizing that while having neat little bins makes the closet look tidy and appealing, it actually becomes a way to conceal a ton of things I don’t really need.  Out of sight, out of mind, right?  Anyway, I had another good start, threw away/shredded a ton of paper, and am motivated to keep going.
+ Today’s seven: my high school graduation cap and gown, an unneeded piece to a chicken feeder, a handful of greeting cards I got for free, leftover gift certificates from the BWF Shop days, an old running journal, a calendar from 2009, disc pieces from an older planner, and an ag catalog.

DAY 9 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 2 things from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick clean of the bathrooms.  Clean all of the light switch plates.

+ Another gloomy, rainy day!  I did a hard thing: I went through a bin of baby clothes.  My “baby” is seven and it’s time to keep my absolute favorites and let the rest go.  But whew…that was harder than I expected.  Proud of myself for pulling out more than half.

DAY 10 ASSIGNMENT // Dust the ceiling fans and clean all of the light fixtures (replace light bulbs if necessary).  Choose a 15 minute relaxing activity.

+ Extra credit declutter: a preschool curriculum, two books, multiple packs of photo paper, an old calendar from 2020, a tote bag and ziploc bag full of random extra hardware from different pieces of furniture.


Want to join in on the fun? Print out the assignments HERE!

May 14, 2024

No.827: Four Weeks to a More Organized Home // Week One

One of the fun parts of blogging about my life for so long (13 years this June!) is the ability to go back into the archives.  I recently stumbled on an old post from 2015 detailing my attempt to complete the Four Weeks to a More Organized Home challenge from Money Saving Mom.  (Spoiler alert: I didn’t get very far, ha!)  Once I saw how nicely it lined up with my Spring Cleaning Bingo board, I knew I wanted to try again.  So here goes!

DAY 1 ASSIGNMENT // Write down 5-10 goals for the week.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick pick-up of the main living areas.  Clean out purse.

+ I’m always really motivated on day one!  After a week off my feet, I was so pumped to get started and knocked out the goal list after breakfast.
+ My purse was surprisingly tidy – just a few Ricola wrappers and a broken crayon to get rid of.
+ It’s been awhile since I’ve decluttered and I’m anxious to stretch that muscle again.  Hoping to find a mixture of things to sell, donate and just recycle/throw away!  Today’s seven items: two pairs of outgrown shoes, a fleece, a finished workbook, two books and a DVD.

DAY 2 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 2 things from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick clean of the kitchen.  Clean out the refrigerator.

+Is there anything better than a clear countertop?  The kitchen is definitely the heart of our home and we have numerous individuals cooking and baking throughout the day.  This obviously translates to pots and spoons and cookie sheets scattered all over the place!  But for this one afternoon – a teeny moment in the day! – I tidied everything up, cleared and wiped down the counters and even wiped down/organized the interior of the fridge.
+ Today’s seven(+) items: an eyeglass cleaning cloth, two used workbooks, some free gift tag stickers and a bunch of random printouts.

DAY 3 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 1 thing from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick clean of my bedroom.  Clean out the freezer.

+ My bedroom is currently holding a few “in progress” projects (namely, my resale pile and my paperwork-to-shred pile) so I tried to tidy everything else.  Not perfect but better – and motivation to keep working on those projects!
+ So far, my daily seven items have been quite random and today was no exception: a pair of too-small slippers, a used up candle, a travel mug, a broken piece from a scooter, a perler bead creation, a ThredUp donation bag and a bunch of math scrap papers.

DAY 4 ASSIGNMENT // Complete 2 things from the goal list.  Get rid of 7 items.  15 minute quick clean of the bathrooms.  Clean underneath beds and furniture.

+ I keep my Christmas and other gift packaging under my bed, so I organized those and removed the dust bunnies.
+ Today’s seven: a reusable bag, two pillowcases, another used candle, a handful of playing cards, a full notebook from 2019 and a very old Fitbit.

DAY 5 ASSIGNMENT // Remove the couch cushions and clean, spot cleaning the fabric, if necessary.  Choose a 15 minute relaxing activity.

+ I went rogue today and deviated from the task list.  I instead checked off a few things on my bingo board: flipping my mattress and laundering all of the bedding.  I’ll get back to the couch cushions next week.
+ Extra credit!  I found seven more things to get rid of: three pieces of outgrown clothing, a protein powder scoop, a little vase, a baggie of random plastic pieces that go to nothing, and an empty perler bead organizer.


Want to join in on the fun? Print out the assignments HERE!

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