30 Day Challenge -- The big rooms

This month, I joined the 30 day Organizing Challenge! It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun for me too.

I started out going to organize my bedroom. But as I got started, I realized that while I was working, a LOT of my house had gotten disorganized. I had lots of ideas on ways to improve things.

My room was the biggest challenge. I had give it over to the clutter that is Prince Charming. I let him have his way and I closed the door on his little piles of junk everywhere. My room had been the last room to get organized, the last room to get decorated in any fashion and definitely the last room to get cleaned. So this challenge was perfect to get that under control.

I took the shelves out of my kitchen pantry and condensed them into my cupboards and one smaller shelf. I found that those two shelves fit perfectly into the oddly shaped space between the closet and the wall. I put the dresser in the closet with one drawer for me, one for Prince charming, one for papers and such and the rest went on the shelves. It makes for easy access as well. I got rid of MOUNTAINS of clutter that was hiding in the closet and in Prince Charmings piles on the floor.

So here are the pics of my bedroom:

BEFORE

AFTER

My Kitchen

In the process of getting organized I tackled my kitchen. The lower cupboards were not really getting used other than to cram as much clutter as we could into without any real though to organization. So I decided to put organization to work. I put the pots in the pot drawer on the stove and in the narrow cupboard next to the stove. I put the appliances in the narrow cupboard on the other side of the stove. I put all the plastic containers and sandwich bags and such in the corner cupboard and I put all the extra food storage in one side of the other lower cupboard with the other side being reserved for serving dishes and mixing bowls. I put the fridge in the nook that my shelves use to be in. By correcting my use of space my plan was to make better use of my lower cupboards by condensing things and putting them in zones. Thus, freeing up the two large shelves to use in my room organization project. My kitchen looks huge!! I am so pleased with the difference.

I do wish I had gotten a better before shot of my kitchen as a whole, because the biggest difference is how much large it looks now :

BEFORE:

AFTER

Here is attack on Princess's room. I had to find a way to contain her movies and her books that wouldn't end up with them being ripped up and all over the floor. She has this large table in there that she uses for playing, for art projects and all sorts of things. I put the shelf on there and it left lots of room for her to play. Now she can reach some things and she has to ask for others. It gives me better control. She has never used her closet for much. She would just hide stuff in there that she didn't want to see. So I put whatever wasn't on the shelves in the drawers of her captains bed and her dresser and then moved her bed over that way to give her more room to play. Overall her room is much neater and much better organized and it is a lot easier for me to clean up.

BEFORE

AFTER

And it even spilled into my living room. I found that the couch placement made the living room seem smaller and my entertainment center was always cluttered and messy looking. It seemed silly to have all those movies there when we don't even own a vcr anymore. So I purged my little heart out. I got rid of 5 large boxes of movies and I love how clean it looks now.:

And in the end, I did the only room left to do. I was in the organizing spirit and the rest of my house looked too darned good not to do the spare room as well.


BEFORE




AFTER

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?

I gues my biggest challenge was whether or not I bit off more than I could chew. I ended up doing ever room in my house and all the closets too. That is a lot.

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?

Princess has to ask to get things off of the top shelves in her room and has to help clean up. I am more on top of things. I try to be sure and put all the little things where they go every day when I am cleaning up.

3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

I am calling the Canadian Cancer Society to come pick it up. Mostly it is clothes and they can use that.

4. Now that you have completed the challenge, do you think having and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?

I absolutely do think it will make a difference. It is so much more relaxing for me to live in a neat and organized home.

6. Why do you think you should win the challenge?

Because I truly took this challenge to heart. I took it as a challenge to organize not just one room buy my whole house. I am so proud of how amazing the whole place looks and considering that I ended up not having any money to buy more containers, I am proud of how my improvisations improved my use of space.