Good Morning, Cowboys and Cowgirls!

Hats off to you and your newly organized cleaning supplies!

You’ve been building your de-cluttering muscles for 8 weeks now, and today I present you with your biggest challenge yet. Today we address one of the major sources of clutter I see in every home.  Everywhere I go, I see bags of bags.  Hoards, collections, stashes.  Dozens, hundreds of plastic bags balled up and tucked away under sinks, inside cabinets, on the floors of closets.  And tote bags are a great eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags, but without limits they can be a space sponge.  It’s time to get a handle on this.  Join me, won’t you?

Saddle up, put 10 minutes on the clock, and Get Ready…Get set…GO!

1. Grab a bag or box and lasso all the bags in your home.  (for now, let’s not worry about luggage and travel bags)

2. Spread out the whole kit-and-caboodle. Sort the items into categories-plastic, reusable, totes, gift bags.

3. Take a look at these piles and notice what’s accumulated.  What is unnecessarily building up?  Do you have more bags that you have uses for?  Ask yourself what you’re realistically saving these bags for, and toss anything that is expired, irrelevant, or something you know you won’t use.  Plastic and paper bags can be recycled, and tote bags are great receptacles for donation items!

4. For the remaining items, make it easy on yourself to find what you need when you need it next.  Designate a station where these items will be kept, one central location where bags can be easily stored and accessed.  Store like items with like, with each type of bag stored in a larger bag or other container.  Anything that doesn’t fit into these containers gets the boot.  Containers are natural limit-setters, so when the bag is full, you know to stop adding bags!  Be sure that your system is intentional–no more mindlessly stashing away bags in every nook and cranny.

Time’s Up!  Kick off your boots and congratulate yourself on completing your ninth challenge.

I’d love to see your progress, so keep those pictures a-comin’! (I’ll always ask your permission before sharing your photos or comments)

Happy trails and happy organizing!