Yesterday, I laid out the plan for my decluttering and downsizing challenge. Build momentum by first addressing common spaces used every day.
- Day 1 – Clean Sweep the house. Return items to their proper home. Set up Donation Box
- Day 2 – Clear your Exit Path. Establish a landing spot for keys, wallet, phone etc. Declutter your work bag/purse, coat closet and car. How many donation boxes are loaded in the car? I have two.
Day 3 takes us back inside the house to the command center of most homes, The Kitchen. Let’s talk dishes. How many people live in your house? Mine, just 3 and yet we have a lot of glasses, plates, cups etc.
Collections
I’m embarrassed to admit that we own three sets of dishes (everyday, wedding china and Christmas dishes). My husband loves our wedding china so we use it often. We drastically reduced the number of pieces and agreed we won’t keep it forever. Neither of us want our possessions to be a burden on our son. I would be content to pass it on now, but with shared items, compromise is required. This is why I encourage you to start with your own stuff!
On the other hand, the Christmas dishes are completely my fault. Before the Clutter Comment and my minimalist journey, I was a bit of a collector. Once upon a time, I thought that I needed Christmas dishes. I was very wrong. Collections become a burden and rarely offer a return on the investment. (Think – Baskets and Beanie Babies)
Decluttering and Downsizing Day 3
That brings me to today’s challenge? I hope you’ll learn from my mistakes and resist the urge to buy another souvenir coffee mug for your “collection.” Let’s tackle dishes…. coffee mugs, glasses, plates and bowls.
- Count the number of people living in your house – Keep this number in mind.
- Remove all dishes from the cabinets and stage them on a nearby table. Borrow a folding table from a neighbor if needed.
- Throw away/recycle broken or chipped items immediately
- Donate cups and mugs you don’t love
- Assess the cabinet space. I like to use stickie notes to re-plan how I’ll use each shelf and drawer. Take your time with this process. Admire the empty cabinets. Wipe off the shelves for extra credit. Our tendency is to return everything to the same space. Consider the following:
- What’s the best location for drinking glasses? Near the fridge?
- How many different types/sizes of glasses do you really need? (I think juice glasses are useless.)
- Dinner plates are heavy. Store them on lower shelves or in drawers.
- Feel free to get rid of elements of place settings that you do not use. (i.e. tea cups and saucers)
- Re-shelve the glasses and mugs in rows to fit easily in the cabinet. Donate the rest.
- Avoid using shelves that are out of reach. Empty shelves are beautiful.
Perfect Number
I’d love to tell you the perfect number of dishes for your family but that’s a personal decision. I can tell you that it’s a lot less than you think and that it should be based on the number of people who live in your house 365 days a year. Not the handful of days you host guests.
We entertain a lot and on a large scale. Minimal dishes never stopped us. In fact, having less allows us to entertain even more. 25 people ate Thanksgiving dinner with borrowed plates and silverware. Two weeks later, our holiday party of 75+ leveraged paper products, borrowed chairs, tables and trash cans.
Remember, I’m challenging you to think differently and live differently. You can own less and live more. Check out this post for more ideas.
How many boxes of dishes are leaving your house today?
#SimplyEnough2018
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