Dear Friends,

February is Declutter for 15 minutes, and we are going to take full advantage of our time. Monday through Friday this month you will get a new Declutter Mission that follows the Zone we are in. If you have a declutter story or an idea that you have found to be useful please send us an email with MY DECLUTTER STORY in the subject line!

FlyLady Rebecca

February Declutter Mission: #1 Zone #4

Today take inventory of the sheets you have for each bed. Do you have bottom sheets and no flat sheets? Animal shelters and homeless shelters would love to have these items!

Hi everybody

I have a food-stuff declutter story and a tip that may help everyone.

When I started FLYing I came face-to-face with my kitchen cabinets, refrigerator and freezer. They were stuffed with food I purchased on impulse which resulted in a lot of expiration dates, going-bad or already there fruits and vegetables and groceries I knew I just wouldn’t eat.

Is there anything more guilt generating than rotten produce?

The next time the kitchen zone came around I set my timer for 15 minutes to
1. Collect the unexpired boxes and cans of uninteresting to me, food and took them to the food bank;
2. Trashed the expired containers and
3. Gave the refrigerator and freezer a good clean. I didn’t realize how many containers I actually had because they were containing – well, you know, science experiments.
I started thinking about what and how I was eating.

I’m single, so a pound of pork tenderloin translates into several meals.
I like a bargain too, so when a package of chicken thighs goes on sale, I buy it. I prepare two – for two meals – and freeze the rest. I wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap and then place them all in a plastic freezer bag. This prevents the dreaded freezer burn.

I kept a food journal for two months and I started meal planning, of course.
And I developed a shopping list of vegetables, fruits, meat, grocery aisle items, dairy and household and personal cleaning items.

Because I clean my refrigerator once a week for 15 minutes and keep the kitchen cabinets decluttered when I’m in the kitchen zone, I know what I have on hand. There is no more waste.

I typed my grocery list, reduced the type size and have three lists on one piece of paper. Printed it out and cut the lists apart. They’re held by a magnet – guess who’s – on the refrigerator. I put a mark – in pencil – by the things I need. And, this may be a little overboard, but I erase the marks when I get home and reuse the list the next week.

Occasionally I pencil in a new item. I don’t have an herb or spice category, for example, because they last so long. Or maybe I need top soil for plants.

I’ve deleted things I thought I would buy and added things I like. It’s an evolving list.

One thing’s for sure, there’s no more food waste in my blessed home!

Thanks for all you do!
Teresa