Vol. XIV: Getting Organized in 2024

Vol. XIV: Organizing in the New Year

I know so many people dread the pressure to get organized in the new year, so if you are one of those people, this is your trigger warning :) I, on the other hand, love any excuse to run around the house with a contractor sized trash bag and start purging. For context, I was the kid who loved to clean my room and would spend the whole day rearranging it…! With my love of cleaning out and organizing, I thought to share my process for my new year refresh plus a few things I'm buying to get the job done.

How to start: I quite literally take a contractor sized trash bag and a large Ikea tote from room to room with me. Anything we haven't used in a year, that is broken, or that cannot be donated goes into the trash bag. Anything that can be donated but isn't useful or beautiful to me now goes into the Ikea tote. I often end up filling the tote of donations many times, unpacking it into my car when it gets too full so I can take it to Goodwill. I recommend going through your closets and every drawer while you're on this rampage :)

MAKE LISTS. I keep two clean out lists in my phone: 1. A list of larger scale organization projects that need to be tackled on their own and will require supplies (the playroom closet, the garage toy storage, the kitchen junk drawer). 2. A list of items I need to buy. These can be items I need to replace after discarding (new white tee shirts, new makeup to replace, expired items), or something new that we need to organize or style the space better.

SCHEDULE IT. Schedule times in the calendar to try to tackle the lists. I find nothing gets done without a scheduled time in my calendar. If I have a deadline for measuring a closet and ordering the bins I need, I will stick to it. If not, I could be adding the same space to the 2025 organizing project list!

Cabinet photo

IT GETS WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER. Where you can, empty every drawer and shelf. Even if you put everything back where it was, you’ll probably fold it better or find that the drawer needs to be wiped down. In the pantry, medicine cabinet, and with all beauty products, check the expiration dates and throw away anything that is expired. Even if you think the expiration date is a suggestion, it’s not likely you’ll use it before it is truly expired if it has sat there for this long! TAKE NOTES When going through closets and pulling what can be given away (hasn’t been worn) and discarded (stained, damaged, etc.), I also make notes of what needs to go to the tailor, cobbler or leather spa and when. For instance, if I need shoes for a trip that is coming up, I don’t want to take them until after I get home!

Kitchen sink with flowers

What to Buy

More of these for my garage organizing which is on the calendar for spring 2024!

Shop baskets

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One more of these for micellar water.

Shop dispenser

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More of these because I never seem to have enough!

Shop bins

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(I also love this size!)

Shop bins

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shop clockwise from top:

Plastic rattan basket | Soap dispenser | White plastic bin | Woven basket | Dish towel

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I use these in my kitchen and love the look of them! Need another for my office.

Shop baskets

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Time to replace all of the dish towels in my kitchen! I like them to be consistent because I find it can start to feel junky in the kitchen if you have too many different dish towels, so I’m getting a bunch of these. I wish the red version was available but alas, they’ve been out of stock for a while.

Shop dish towels

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This photo is inspiring my organizing project for our playroom...

See the inspiration

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We’ve entered the Lego phase (please send help) and I love the idea of putting Lego kits into clear zipper bags and in clear containers. I’ll be ordering a Cricut label maker and clear bins.

Shop the Cricut

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shop clockwise from top:

Laundry drying rack | White tee | Cordless vacuum | Collapsible laundry bin

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Time to replace my favorite white tees, found originally through Julia Amory.

Shop tees

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I’m biting the bullet and buying this after running around my house with dust busters the entire holiday break!

Shop the vaccum

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Our laundry room is getting a little overcrowded with the pretty wicker baskets so I’m ordering a few of these.

Shop bins

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Drying racks also need to be replaced every so often, I’ve found, so I’m getting a couple of new ones.

Shop drying racks

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