Saturday, June 14, 2008

31 Things

My summer plans so far don't include much fun, but I expect there will be some now and then. I have to work at planning fun. How sad is that? But one thing I am doing
is semi-systematically decluttering the house each month using my own checklist. I call it my "31 Places to Organize in June." I have planned for each one to take about 15 minutes. Each 15-minute job is called a "phase" because, if it's gonna take 2 hours, I have to break it down or I probably won't even want to get started on it. Having it on paper gives me the satisfaction of crossing it off. I have a column on the page that says "What we got rid of"--my favorite column! It's really a good feeling to let go of not-so-great mugs, ho-hum dish towels, no-longer-fits clothing, and stuff that is more burden than blessing.

My children are helping. My hubby is attacking the back of the basement, which didn't even get a mention on June's checklist. But I am glad he (and Stephen) got started today. It means so much to me to have a task-oriented family in times like these. I am trying to think of a good incentive for rewarding ourselves at the end of each month. I know, I know. The finished product should be our reward, but I am a super-rewards-driven gal. Any suggestions for how to treat ourselves at the end of each successful month?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This is not a practical suggestion but I just wanted to tell you.
Last summer our church had a thrift sale with everything free.
People came from everywhere and were excited to see what was free.
Just about everyone in church donated stuff to give away.
It created so much joy to our church that we will do it again this summer.
This had good results. We cleaned out a lot of stuff, people met our people, and we have seen new people visiting our church.
I must add a thank you to those who planned this, and all those who worked in it, even the entertainers.
Joy !!!
Betty G

Anonymous said...

Betty, I like that idea a LOT! I would love to suggest it to our pastors. Our church is located in an area of "mixed blessings," shall we say? I think a free "sale" would bless a lot of people, needy or not. A great way to bring the community together. And it sure takes the hassle out of pricing stuff!