Attic

I dread going into my attic but as a South Floridian I know that there are a few good months in the year where being in my attic is a fairly bearable experience. And when I do go in there it's always time for a makeover. This Spring proves no different.

My goals in my attic are pretty clear. Get rid of clutter.

A lot of people view their attic and garages as "out of sight out of mind." But for me it's just the opposite.."out of sight, always on my mind." Just because I can't see it all the time doesn't mean it isn't there. And that's the whole idea behind being organized and decluttered.

So this past weekend was it. I had to get up there and JUST DO IT! And I am really glad I did because I got rid of so many boxes and managed to clear out so much space. I am ordering each of the things that I did to show you just how much I got done.

1. Get rid of anything that will never be used again. I found many baby items up there (like an old stroller) that will never be used again and is something I won't keep for sentimental value. Same goes for old books and old stereo equipment that is so outdated that someone else will be sure to get something out of it. Right now it was taking up space.

2. Take down boxes of stuff that I needed to sort through to figure out what I wanted to keep and what to toss. My two main boxes that I tackled were boxes filled with my kids artwork and school papers. Those boxes were filled with almost 16 years of paper. It was a monumental task. My thought process was to go through each paper and if it made me laugh or gave me joy to see it, I kept it. But let's face it...there are many papers that aren't like that so I just got rid of it. I ended up with one very nice clear box with all of the precious cards, drawings, and ashtrays that my children lovingly made and that was fine with me. The rest got tossed.

3. In my attic, I have all of my holiday items in their own boxes and labeled. They are all stored on one side of the attic to make it really easy to get in and out. Remember only a few months out of the year is bearable so you have to make getting in and out very easy. On the other side of the attic is the "other stuff." The stored stuff like air filters, tax papers, and other important items that you need to keep but are better off being stored. I put the important papers in air tight, clear containers and all are labeled for easy viewing. I do have another clear box filled with very special kids clothing. Even though I am done having kids there are those one or two special clothing items or that special "dress" that you just cannot part with. I have those items stored in their own air tight, clear box also.

It takes some times but it's well worth the effort and I recommend that you tackle this area first because as you go through your house to purge you may end up needing some attic space to take your stored items.

One last tip: When you store things in an attic or basement or anywhere for that matter, always store them in a clear container with a label on the sides and on the top lid. You want to be able to quickly see inside at a glance and you want the container to be sturdy enough to store things on top of. The containers are not that expensive and if you get into decluttering mode you will find that you don't need that many of them. I hope to get some good photos to post of my attic this week. Standby for that.