20 a day Challenge – Part 4
Welcome to the fourth, and final, part of my 20 a day challenge. If you missed any of the previous posts, or have been waiting to get started, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 are still available on the blog.
Good luck with your final challenge and don’t forget the 10-minute rule.
- Bathroom Cabinets
Quite a lot of us fall foul of this one! I will be very impressed if you don’t have some sort of toiletries and cosmetic stockpile. As with the cleaning products, it’s time to go through them all and get rid of the duplicates and half-empty bottles. Combine what you can, be truthful with yourself about what you need (not those 10 partly-used lipsticks which look near identical!) and banish the remainder from your home forever. If you’re unsure when to throw out makeup, here are some guideline– throw mascara and liquid eyeliner after 3 months; cream eye shadows 6 months; lipsticks about 2 years but depends on the make; skin creams 6 months.
17. Jewellery
Keeping jewellery that has a significant sentimental value is fine. Keeping every bit of costume jewellery you ever laid your hands on is not. If you haven’t worn something over the past year, pass it on to someone who may appreciate it, whether a friend or charity shop, Freecycle and eBay are your best friends again. While you’re at it, invest in some good quality jewellery storage and organise everything so nothing is hidden at the back and forgotten about. I use clear acrylic drawers from Muji, perfect for reminding me what I have.
- Wardrobes
Would you buy that item if you saw it in a shop today? Does it fit? If you answered “no” to either, it’s time to say goodbye. If you use drawers to store your clothes, changing the way you fold them can do wonders for aesthetics and practicalities. Everything will fit better and you will be able to see what you have instead of rotating the same few favourites. Here’s how to do it
- Bedside Cabinet
This should only contain what you need last thing at night and first thing in the morning, so things like a book, Kindle, lamp, alarm clock and maybe a glass of water. If your bedside cabinet has drawers, you should keep the contents of these to a bare minimum too. You know what to do – sort everything into three piles “to keep”, “to throw away” and “to rehome”. Remember having phones and computers in the bedroom is supposed to be bad for you, so resist!
- Children’s Toys
This is a fun one…for you if not the kids! What do they still use (Susan’s top tip is to never attempt this while they are at home – they will immediately identify every single toy they spot as their favourite). Donate any which have been outgrown to friends with younger children, the charity shop or eBay/Freecycle them. The bin for anything broken. Implement some kind of storage system although the success of this will very much depend on the nature of your children!
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