Declutter Challenge - Week One

The first weeks challenge is “Personal Space” says Carla. I opted to do the Hallway closet in our apartment. This closet has three doors, and runs almost the entire length of the hallway from family room to bathroom. There is a rod which runs the length of it, even though there is a wall inside that separates it by half. There is a shelf on both sides of this 'wall', and we have put as much storage stuff in there as possible.

I had to work today, so I thought this evening I would take pictures of it, and then get started.

I was thinking a lot today about Carla's Weekly Bonus Challenge. This weeks challenge is to donate at least one item of food to the food bank. While I was going through a year's worth of paperwork today, I was on autopilot and gave this some thought. I was thinking about how much I could afford to buy to donate, and what would be the most coveted item for the food bank. I went to the London and Area Food Bank website , and found this list of item that are needed.

Here’s a list of items that we currently need:

• canned fish, meat, stew
• peanut butter, jam
• canned vegetables
• rice, pasta (uncooked)
• canned soup, canned fruit
• macaroni & cheese dinner
• canned juice, or individual boxes
• baby food (large or small jars, cereals, cookies)
• baby formula
• powdered or canned milk
• oatmeal, large packages or individual servings
• individually packaged healthy snack foods
• cake mixes, baking goods

You can drop these off at the collection bin of a London food store, or you can deliver them directly to the food bank.

In the spirit of this challenge, instead of donating to the food bank, I bought a few bags of groceries which included fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk and gave them directly to a family in need. I did this after work. Then I headed home.

When I walked in, much to my surprise, Hubby showed me what he did to occupy himself all afternoon. He had cleaned out, decluttered and reorganised the hallway closet! (Do I get points for this Carla, even if I didn't do it myself?) He'd thrown out several bags of garbage, and taken several items to the donation bin located in our laundry area in the basement. My declutter project is done and I finished my Bonus mini-challenge.

What am I going to do the rest of the week? I think I'll knit. :)