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Declutter Adventure: Week 3

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The Start of the Kitchen declutter adventure

Falling Behind the AARP Timetable (And That’s Okay)

Well… I’m not keeping up with AARP’s decluttering timetable. The kitchen turned out to be a much bigger challenge than I expected. You’d think a tiny kitchen would be easy, but I forgot one crucial detail: the hall closet, which has slowly evolved into my pantry over the years.

And then there are the cabinets added during the 2014 kitchen refresh — the ones under the counter between the kitchen and dining room. I needed storage space desperately back then, and boy, did I fill it.

The Hall Pantry: A Time Capsule from 2006

I started with the hall pantry/closet. What a mess. I pulled out things that have been sitting untouched since I moved in back in 2006. Some of it went straight onto Facebook Marketplace. If it doesn’t sell, it’s getting tossed. No guilt, no hesitation.

I didn’t think to take a “before” picture of that frightening closet, but here’s what it looked like after my first 30 minutes. It’s still pretty bad, but progress is progress. I’m determined to get that space cleaned out if nothing else. Honestly, I may need two weeks for this part alone.

The Mug Situation (A Partial Victory)

The mug collection is trimmed down… a little. There are still more mugs than any single person needs, but I just couldn’t part with all of them. Still, they’re better organized, and that counts.

New Organizers Incoming

Speaking of organization, I ordered some new organizers from Amazon — including a fresh set of canisters for flour, sugar, etc. They should arrive by Monday. Once those are in place, I think I’ll finally feel like I’m making progress.

A Little Cooking Validation from Quora

In the middle of all this decluttering, I had a fun moment of validation. Someone on Quora asked how to keep chicken breasts tender, and the top answer was exactly what I’ve been saying for years on my blog:

Use a cast‑iron pan.

It’s always nice when the universe confirms you’re on the right track. And yes — my cast‑iron pans have a permanent home in the kitchen. They’re not going anywhere.

A Condo Meeting Twist: Yard Sale Opportunity

We had a condo meeting Wednesday night. They’re planning a “Community Day” to socialize and meet neighbors. I asked if we could add a yard sale to the event — and they loved the idea. So now it’s a combined Community Day + Yard Sale.

Maybe I can unload some of my clutter there too.

The Long Game: Maintaining Momentum

If I can maintain the areas I’ve decluttered over the next year, I think I can do a spring clean each year and slowly weed out the unnecessary items. I can’t even imagine tackling the storage unit with its boxes of ornaments and photo props. Just thinking about it gives me nightmares. But I’ll get there eventually.

At least you can see my countertops now. Next post, I’ll share the finished kitchen pics.

Banner and Balboa’s Review

Banner and Balboa love the empty spaces. They think I’ve created new real estate just for them.

The Kitchen Declutter Adventure , Week 2

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Excellent progress on the bathroom. It truly took just 30 minutes a day — even with Banner and Balboa “helping.” All that’s left is to sweep out the bottom of the vanity and I can call Week 1 wrapped.

 

 

  • The Vanity Corner

Week 2: Kitchen & Pantry — The Real Test Begins

My decluttering adventure continues.

As you may recall, AARP claims you can declutter your entire home in 30 days. I’m testing that theory, one week at a time. Week 1 went surprisingly well — and yes, it really did take less than 30 minutes a day. It helped that I redecorated the bathroom a couple of years ago, so I wasn’t dealing with 20 years of fossilized lotions. Plus, I had Banner’s “help” with the medicine cabinet and Balboa’s supervision from the over‑the‑toilet storage shelves.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, my browser crashed. Not the computer — just the browser — but it slowed me down enough that I ended up “decluttering” my hard drive instead of my home. That saga deserves its own post.

But onward. Week 2 is Kitchen and Pantry, and the rules remain the same: no more than 30 minutes a day.

My tiny kitchen where culinary magic happens

My tiny kitchen where culinary magic happens

AARP suggests tackling the junk drawer on a weekday and getting rid of duplicates. Cabinets are also weekday tasks, except for the “big ones.” In my tiny kitchen, I’m not entirely sure what qualifies as a big cabinet, but the bottom line is clear: declutter them all.

Not a junk drawer, mostly confused

This is where things get emotional.

The mugs.

The Mug Cabinet

I have souvenir mugs from trips, funny mugs, mugs with pictures, mugs that remind me of people, places, and moments. One of the tasks this week is to thin those out and make room on the shelf. The rule is simple: if you don’t use it, out it goes. The rule is also cruel.

At least I can say one cabinet is already in good shape. The under‑sink cabinet is practically a showpiece at this point — I’ve been cleaning it out for the past year. Can I count that as “one down”? I’m counting it.

Pots, pans and baking essentials, all necessary for my culinary adventures

Pots, pans and baking essentials

Of course, Banner and Balboa will be deeply involved in this week’s work. They love the under‑sink cabinet. They’ve both figured out how to open the door even though it’s on a spring. I always know when they’re in there because I hear the rhythmic thud… thud… thud of the door swinging shut behind them.

The spice cabinet

So here we go. The clock is ticking, the mugs are trembling, and Week 2 begins. Can we get the kitchen back to it’s former glory? Let’s find out.

Counter Clutter

 

Slowly but Surely

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Sorry there was no update last night. I got caught up in the sorting, cleaning process. Yes I now have water in my kitchen sink. The plumber set up my facet and spray and the other gadgets completely backward to what I am used to but it works. Maybe he is left handed or maybe I’m the backward one. 🙂

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The plumber said he had never seen cabinets and counters like these. He kept checking them out. He said most places he’s been have had wood grain or white cabinets. He thought my off-green (the color name is “Ocean Floor”) was a nice change of pace.

The cabinet guys came back too and made custom shelves so my new cabinets are ready for stuff! They were impressed with the counter tops too.

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I went a little nuts at Bed, Bath and Beyond for expandable drawer inserts and a holder for cookie sheets and other baking pans. Then I discovered that I can order them through Ebates.com and get back some $$$. So I finished my order there and earned $5.00 back! It gets paid quarterly so I may do more ordering through that web site. We’ll have to see.

I ran some of my decorative dishes through the dishwasher . They seemed to have a thin coat of grime. I guess the cooking oils had coated them and then the fine sanding grains all stuck to them. They didn’t come clean so I did an internet search and found out that a light scrubbing with baking soda , of all things, should cut the grease and clean them up. And it worked! Cleaning the Kitty Kat Teapot now.

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Who new that baking soda would become my new go-to cleaning product. This old dog just learned a new trick!

My electrician is coming tonight to put in an outlet box so the tile people will leave a space for a new outlet. Then tomorrow the condo association is sending  their electrician to upgrade my electrical panel.

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The tile people are due sometime tomorrow too. Is the end in sight?

 

 

 

 

Just a Lazy Sunday

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I spent the day picking at the boxes of kitchen stuff. There are only a few shelves I can use at this point as they all need to be washed down and have new shelf liners. The problem is with no plumbing (water) in the kitchen yet it’s hard to make much progress with just a bucket and running back and forth to the bathroom for refills of fresh water.

I got through 2 boxes and gave up. I really need the shelves fixed in the new cabinets so I can figure out what I can put there and what needs to go back into the existing cabinets. I also have to keep the counter clear until the tile people get here.

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I have a big box of cleaning stuff that needs to be under the sink but I can’t put that away  until the plumber is done. Oh and did I mention the glassware is covered in dust from the sawing and sanding and all needs to be washed. Of course the dishwasher isn’t working yet either! Same thing with the stove. It’s disgusting. The stove top is covered with a fine dust! No way can any food be prepared on that stove top. I think I know why people add new appliances when they re-do their kitchens. Its to  avoid the clean up of the old appliances!  I hope I have an old toothbrush so I can get into the little cracks and crevasses.

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I think I’m going to cut back on my Thanksgiving dinner. I’m beginning to doubt I’ll have the kitchen ready for the preparation. I’ll have the turkey and maybe some green beans (from a can), sweet potatoes, stuffing (Stove top) and gravy. Skip the mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and cranberries, and desert. Just stick with the basics. That will be more than enough food for just for me and will minimize the pots and pans I’ll need to locate!

The Thanksgiving Turkey float during th

Of course, I’ll be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade 🙂  and I will be counting my blessings because for all my complaining, I still have a very blessed life.

It’s going to be a Busy few Months

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Hello again everyone. Work is beginning to slow down for the agents. It hasn’t for me yet because we still have a lot of closings in the pipeline. Once those are done my lull will begin.

In the meantime I had the representative from Home Depot out to look at my kitchen and give me options. I’d considered several local firms but they were really expensive. Then I saw a home that had been done by Home Depot. I couldn’t believe it. It was beautiful. I think of Home Depot as DIY but they have a whole crew for remodels and like my company, they are paid on customer satisfaction.

At first I was going to do a remodel and knock down a wall, pull out all the cabinets and so on but there was a hitch. The electrical panel in my unit wasn’t up to code. To do a remodel would mean redoing the electric in the unit. Very  expensive on top of the remodel cost plus we’d have to pull permits for all the work.Work that requires permits can be tricky if you want to sell. I’ve run across that more than once when getting the documents together  for a closing.

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So option 2. Leave the wall, and do a “Reface”. It’s not much less than a remodel but it doesn’t require permits. I liked that idea better than adding an extra $10 K to the project so I picked out new doors, hardware, back splash, tile, counters and wrote a very big check. Still I can see what it will look like in my minds eye. It will be so different and I’ll be able to open the drawers without them cracking and breaking in my hands!

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About a week after the salesman was out I got a call from the estimator. The salesman had measured but this guy was out to confirm the measurements and my choices of color, tile etc.  Good thing because the wrong tile was on the order.  We caught that and made the correction. This guy was very meticulous.

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I’ve got one more appointment before they can start. The counter top people have to come out and make templates. They will be here on Friday. I requested that day off so I can get everything off the counters and round up the cats while they work and measure.

Once the work starts it is expected to take 1 week. They start on Monday and finish on Friday. I can’t wait!