What's in your Closet?

I had a frightening experience a week ago when I needed to empty out 3 closets in our hallway in order to have new flooring installed. When asked by the contractor to do so I thought to myself, "No big deal, that'll be easy". However, when I began unloading the contents of each closet I realized how much JUNK was in each, many items that I either forgotten about or simply never used. I became reacquainted with sheet sets and table cloths in my linen closet and found tools hidden in a clothing closet. Additionally, I found two boxes of wedding gifts that were packaged up about the time Lukas came on the scene. Breakable knick-knacks and fancy candle holders + small, wandering hands don't really mix.

After the new flooring was installed and I was able to reload my closets I took the time to purge, making a few bags for Goodwill. I was also able to put other items where they belong and where I will find them, such as the tools. And I was excited about the "new" table cloth and now have a very festive dining table. Closets should be for items we USE and/or need on a somewhat regular basis...not a dumping ground for miscellaneous items or things we simply cannot part with. Do you know exactly what is in your closets? If not, take an hour and empty one (or part of one) and carefully evaluate the contents. Get rid of the thread-bare towels and random knick-knacks, organize what you do use so you can find the items and don't cram it full. In other words: Know thy closet. Living Large with Less means being able to manage the assets you already have, and not adding to the stuff collection unless truly necessary.