Just don't look at it
@GardenGerty (169448)
United States
May 11, 2017 8:33pm CST
Many people have "junk drawers" or catch alls in their homes. I have more than one. Some little bedside tables have an assortment of odds and ends in them, and I want to do something else with them. I will move some tall shelves in once I get them painted.
I am sorting into three piles so far: Health/beauty/grooming, Office (pens, pencils, paperclips) and hardware--screws and shelf pegs, etc.
Sometimes when I have been too long at working on sorting, I begin to scrutinize too much. I look and say "I should keep this", etc. However some of it has been there so long it is pointless.
I find I am able to clear stuff like this out if I just don't look at it. I take it directly to the trash.
How do you organize.
14 people like this
15 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
12 May 17
I have a bad habit of saying "this will come in handy someday." Then I go back months later and realize it didn't come in handy at all. I try to implement the "If I don't use this in a month, I'll throw it out." technique.
The most annoying habit I have is saying "I'll shred these later" and end up shredding them months later instead of just a few hours or days.
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
For a while we did not have a working shredder, but we do now. Seems hubby does not know how to use it though.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
12 May 17
I don't look at anything and that way I can throw it out without going..hmm, should I keep this?
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
Exactly. I got rid of some unknown stuff last night.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
@TiarasOceanView Looking forward to more, all the time.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
12 May 17
we have a junk drawer too ...in every room... but other than that we are pretty good at getting rid of stuff... 
good luck with your sorting.... 
but other than that we are pretty good at getting rid of stuff... good luck with your sorting.... 2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
Some of what we have is useful, it just needs to go to it's appropriate place.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
Sometimes for me it is a matter of just making sure things go where they will be used.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
12 May 17
We have a few too. One is ful of pens and pencils.. we dont even use them. Especially the pencils. Havent used one in years. Aha.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
Hubby hangs on to ink pens. If they do not work, I throw them out. He likes pencils for certain things, though.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
12 May 17
@GardenGerty all ours work cause we don't ever use them
1 person likes this
@marsha32 (6631)
• United States
12 May 17
I have some boxes piled in the utility room that haven't been looked at for years....the smart thing to do it not to open them and just throw them out....we've obviously not missed whatever is in them.
I had intended to look through them on Wednesday but as usual other things came first.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
I think that has happened in the past to my stuff, but eventually I say "I wonder where. . ." and then I buy more.
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
That is totally a different type of storage. They are all books, they will be used and once you have a place for them they will be neatly put away.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
@Shavkat Oh, I agree. Books are not junk, and are really pretty easy to organize. I need to do some of that as well.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (141906)
• Philippines
12 May 17
@GardenGerty I agree. But I think it is a good collection.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
12 May 17
Oh, my goodness, what a topic!
So many have way too much "stuff" and won't let it go. Picture this: We have watched groups tossing treasured items into dumpsters or into boxes for Goodwill, etc. b/c the person not wanting to let go kept piling things higher and higher.
How sad then that one day there might be someone who has to do what we should have done while we were able to do it.
If another one exists on the planet, it should be safe to get rid of it now @GardenGerty
Reminds me, we have some closets to declutter....again!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
I feel good getting to this project and I will be able to declutter even if it is one drawer at a time.
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
I am finding some nice square baskets for some things. I have some I need to paint and then they will work in my room for off season clothing.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
@LadyDuck Yes, these baskets will go up on top of my wardrobe.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502427)
• Italy
12 May 17
@GardenGerty I have nice boxes for my off season clothing, so I can put them on the upper shelves and forget for several months.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
To be able to move the night stand I have to empty two small drawers. I like that it is a good start.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
@JudyEv I am pleased I will be at home mostly while hubby is at work during summer break. Let's see what I get done.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382024)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 May 17
@GardenGerty When Vince was away in Nepal I went through just about every drawer in the house and tidied it. It was such a good feeling.
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
12 May 17
Even after just one year of living here, I have a junk drawer in the kitchen that I almost never open! So I've begun opening it often so that I will begin to understand what I'm storing in there. I do have things that I can use often and it's a great place to keep them. I just have to keep remembering! Beyond that drawer, I have boxes that are labeled with what's inside and I keep those in my storage closet.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
I still have stuff stored in the shed from when I moved. They will be taken care of this summer.
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
12 May 17
My hubby is a bit of a pack rat. Once about 25 years ago he had a drawer full of empty pill bottles. " I might need them some day" he used to say all the time when I complained about all those bottles. One day he went to work and I threw all the bottles out, as I said that was about 25 years ago, he hasn't missed them yet lol.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
Haa ha ha, I have some pill bottles and some test strip bottles. I donate some to medical charities, and store buttons and paper clips, etc. in some, but there are still too many and I have started putting them in recycling.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
13 May 17
So far I have avoided a kitchen junk drawer in this house. Wish me luck keep it out of here.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99367)
• Atlanta, Georgia
13 May 17
@GardenGerty You lucky woman. I've always had a drawer to stash junk away quickly. But l clear mine out pretty often.
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
12 May 17
Usually I put all of one thing together in small tubs, if there is a lot of it.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
12 May 17
Not a lot of any one thing. Yes, I have hair accessories in a plastic basket in a drawer, and nail items in another. Those are not junk drawers. My junk drawers are from when I am too tired to do anything about putting little things away.
