I was really nervous about starting with the kitchen minimalizing task, and honestly intended to put it off. I thought I would do the living room and dining room (including the bar cabinet), and call it good for the week. I am in love with all of my dishes! I started with the living room, and it was way too easy. I moved onto the bar cabinet pretty quickly. I recycled a magazine I had read and a ton of recipes that I had never used. Going through all of the recipes was awesome because it inspired me to try some that I had forgotten about!
All that I could find in there to donate was a water pitcher, but I did find things to relocate to places where they would be used- throw pillows and candles. Then I was motivated enough to do the kitchen! I was actually pleasantly surprised how much I use almost everything. I found some old food to throw away and a few duplicates to combine (chocolate chips and oats that I buy in bulk), but only a Cuisinart attachment, a serving spoon I’ve never used, and dog harness Riley has outgrown to donate.
Guess what this means?!?!?! The whole upstairs of my house has been minimalized! I am so happy about this. J think I’m nuts, but he was extremely pleased that I organized the kitchen cabinet full of food- so I guess we both win.
I just have one big bag to take to donate, and then I need to finish the downstairs (which includes the garage). I do tend to constantly go through things anyway, so it hasn’t been a huge task, but I still feel really great about it. I love knowing everything that I have and that it all is here for a reason.
What’s the thing you most dread going through? For me it was the papers- the recipes and the files. The dishes, though, were what I didn’t want to part with. Maybe next week I will show you pictures of my kitchen and cabinets. Everything is pretty good now, but I do need a better way to organize the “tupperware” cabinet (any tips for that?). It’s a hot mess.
Jillian
I am in my thirties, which is hard to believe. Time goes by fast. Since that is the case, I have decided to write about it. If I can't slow it down, I can at least share with others and get help along the way! 
How To Be Myself 
Love your color scheme! The worst thing for me is going through the file cabinet, shredding old documents, and figuring out what to keep & for how long.
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Thanks! Yellow makes me so happy.
Sounds like yours is the same as mine. I have more than seven years of taxes, but I was too scared to shred them! I also hate the part where I have to empty the shredder and shredded paper ends up everywhere.
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For me the worst thing is getting started, but even part way through I start to love the progress! For tupperware, I stack like shapes and put all the lids in a really big ziploc bag on the side. I’ve found it really easy to maintain that way.
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That’s true, getting started is tough. It’s funny how starting seems awful, but then it’s so rewarding- to me, almost immediately. A bag for the lids is a great idea. Thanks!
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Great job! I think it helps that you haven’t lived there for very long, as opposed to things building up over the years too! (I’m sure you had to go through a TON of stuff coming out of your storage and apartment) the thing I most dread going through would be anything at my moms house! Omg the horror. At our house? Hmm, the closet. That’s where we store all our old stuff from before we met, the more sentimental things plus old clothes we no longer wear but “maybe someday we will”.., yeah right!
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It does help that we’ve gone through stuff twice in the last year and a half or so. We’ve donated SO MUCH stuff. For me, getting Jack on board is always the hardest part.
I agree, dealing with someone else’s stuff hoarding is scarier than anything else we can come up with 🙂
Get rid of those clothes! Donate them and get more money back on your taxes.
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Doing a great job!!!
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Thanks!
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Love the yellow! I recently just got rid of all my tupperware and bought pyrex. I bought two sets (I think 16 pieces total) so it’s not falling out of the cabinets like tupperware. Plus, it’s a little expensive so I’m much more likely to keep track of it at work or anywhere else I take it so I don’t end up with a lot of mismatched pieces like with tupperware. I agree though, the kitchen is always the hardest for me. Good luck, sounds like you’re doing great!
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Well, most of mine is actually Pyrex too 🙂 But I still have some metal and a few plastic. Everything is a different size!
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wow,that is really nice. i love it.
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thanks!
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So proud of you! You know I’ve been working on minimalization, too, and I love that feeling of the room, cabinet, space after I’m done! And I really love when I’m in a space and realize that I use everything there! And yes, we want to see pictures!
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It makes me so happy knowing that everything is clean 🙂 Thanks for cheering me along! I will take the kitchen photos for you.
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My tupperware cabinet is a hot mess, too! If you have any secrets to organizing it and helping it stay organized with 1 husband and 2 kids….please let me in one the secret! I hate opening that cabinet door!
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Lol. I just have the husband and we still can’t get it figured out. I will have to dig deeper and maybe do a post on this.
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The (REALLY)-(H A R D )- Part is the:……starting / doing-it !!!! lol for ( M E ) but yes…once u do-start….. it some-how-?? lol becomes to get easy….I have been with mom (again) moved back with MOM after the second time (trying) to see if THE Ex, & I can work things out…..but…well, ? it didn’t work-out….we are still some-what friends & see & talk to 1, another but….just cant live with 1, another,,, MORE to the story,,, but anyway: at moms house… being that my 1- sister also bought pyrex, like the woman above my comment the 1 closet in the kitchen is MORE organized better & we threw-out all lids that (never) some-how-? matched lol & when my Brother moved-out….I took over his old room now….MINE !!!!! yippee,,,, lol nothing like having your (own)- room (again) with a lock & key / privacy it took me 2-days…I kid u not….to gather ALL-HIS-STUFF & put in LARGE 3-ply leaf bags & cleaning the room lol & it shocked him when he came back to gather some of his belongings I said to him,,,,, Dude, this is the way a room is suppose to look like,,, not stuff / clothes all over the floor that’s the reason they made dressers & closets…to put / organize !!!!! & next will be the dreadful (basement) which has become more / more of a (big) mess lol by the way I really like the style of your living room with the fireplace I have a fire pit in moms backyard….that’s MORE clean-up…lol…but that can wait until the spring/early summer lol best of luck to….(all of us ) lol that needs THAT push, ,,to get-it done lol nice little post Jillian,,,, 🙂
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It sounds like you’re doing a great job!! Awesome! Also, sounds like I just need to get everything matching 🙂
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Little by little & like that other famous saying goes: Rome wasn’t built in a day !!!!! *Smile,,,, its all good 🙂 🙂 !!!!
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Beautiful space! I have found the best way to control Tupperware and Pyrex dishes is to buy them as a nesting set. We also only buy the Tupperware with the lids that snap into each other. It makes me smile to see the solid organized tower of blue plastic. The task everyone is my house dreads is cleaning out our walk in pantry. It is seriously Costco meets Crate and Barrel (Jillian, I understand not wanting to get rid of dishes. I am so in love with ours- nothing says adulthood like good quality matching dishes… lol). It has gotten so bad we have implemented a challenge of no grocery shopping this year except produce and beverages!
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Only produce and beverage for a whole YEAR?! That must be quite the pantry. Impressive!
It seems like it just need a better system. I don’t really want to buy more stuff, but I like the idea of a bag or separate area for the lids.
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Put a trash bag or paper bag in your shredder. When it’s full, simply take the bag out and recycle. I just learned this the other night, when I was hauling our full shredder down the hall and to the garage and my partner asked me what the hell I was doing. I gave him my duh face and he gave me his wtf face and took hold of the shredder and pulled out the bag and I stood there like an idiot!
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That is brilliant. I can’t believe we didn’t think of that.
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I love your decor! Yellow also makes me happy. I am also so impressed that you have finished minimalizing your entire upstairs!
I recently organized my lunch containers. My kitchen cabinets are not laid out how I would want them to be, but I am not in the place to afford a kitchen reno right now, so I made do with some baskets to organize the bottoms and the tops. So far it has helped me out big time. I can pull out the basket of bottoms, find one that fits what I am trying to store, then pull out the lids and find the lid that matches. (I went through them and got rid of everything that didn’t have a match.)
I love seeing photos of organized spaces (they provide inspiration), so please share more of your photos!
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Thank you so much! It took me so long to convince the husband to let me do yellow, and now we have it in the great room and our bedroom. I love the new house! And on that note, we did just move here over the summer, so we had gone through things a few times. It made it much easier.
I think that baskets could really help. I hate the idea of buying more containers to put containers in, lol; but it may need to happen. I will have to post before and after pictures!
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Yes! Before & after shots are a must! My lunch container before & after wasn’t that exciting, but still makes me happy.
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I would find it exciting! The thing is, it’s easy to organize it one time. What I really should do is a before, an after, and a one week after to see how we keep it together. lol.
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Wow. The room looks very cool! Very cozy
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Thanks! It’s a great place to relax, when I’m not being attacked by my crazy dogs.
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