Cleaning out

We had a great class in RS recently that motivated me to clean out and organize around the house.  Today I hit the kitchen pretty hard.  Pulled everything out of the cupboards, washed the shelves, and then proceeded to throw away, give away and change around whatever was left.  Like things go together, food in one cupboard, cooking items in another, new place for the toaster and some serious cleaning underneath the microwave.  Wow, it looks so much better and makes you want to simplify and enjoy having extra space!  Now for the closets and drawers.....The rule is to ask yourself::  Do I need it?  Do I use it?  Do I love it?  If the answer isn't "yes" to at least one of these, then the item should go.  Another tip to make this easier is to tell yourself, "if I haven't used this item in a year I am being selfish if I keep it...someone else no doubt could use it more than me."  This helps let go of those valuable little treasures that we are attached to, but aren't using and don't have a place to keep.
It also helps to repeat to yourself over and over while working, "A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place."  If you can't find that "place" to put it away, then it has to go!  Simple, huh, but actually hard to do for me since I have the mentality of knowing I want it around in case I need it sometime, and I certainly don't want to give away something I think is valuable......Still, there is a lot of peace of mind in cleaning out and letting things g,.  so I will continue with the closets and drawers.