Monday, May 24, 2010
When "Reusing and Repurposing" Turns Into Clutter
Last night in an effort see my counter again, I went through all the accumulated school papers, art projects, school notices and birthday invitations. I took a picture of her milk-carton-turned-bunny-basket and asked her if I could recycle it. She said "Sure but not in the recycling bin. We can use it for something else." After trying for 5 minutes to figure out what else she could use this very cute, but nevertheless still a milk carton bunny, it is now back on the counter where it started. Sigh.
It's not that I don't like seeing her various art projects and schoolwork. We have a "gallery" in the playroom to hang lovely pieces on a rotating basis. I routinely take pictures of various projects/ drawings/ paintings as a keepsake. However, all this reusing and repurposing is starting to really clutter up the house.
While I strive to be as green as the next mom, sometimes you just have to strike a balance. Not everything can be kept forever. Here are a few decluttering questions to ask yourself:
1. Is this something that I love? If not, recycle it.
2. Is this useful? If not, recycle it.
3. Will I need this again? If not, recycle it.
If you're having trouble deciding, consider what's the worse thing that would happen if you got rid of the item. If there are no dire consequences, then recycle it.
Sometimes you don't actually need the physical paper, but just the information it contains. For example, you can note down the date and time from that birthday invitation in your calendar and note that you need to bring socks because it's at a bouncy place. Once you've done so, toss the invite.
Stay tuned for my next post on how to create a system specifically for incoming school and art work and suggestions on how to save them as keepsakes.
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