Monday Musings: New Year Tidying

Everyone seems to get the organizing and cleaning bug right after the holidays! A lot of new items may have entered your home this month, and you suddenly feel the urge to clear some room for them. Or, with the decor coming down, you are in clutter-clearing mode and want to keep going. Maybe, like me, you have some extra time off and want to start the new year fresh.

You're not the only one, clearly! Advertisers are featuring bins and storage items, and January is traditionally known for sales on home goods. This year, however, I want to take a different approach to tidying--here on And She Writes and in my own home.

Slow, steady and thorough is going to be my method of choice for 2025. While I love the idea of a quick month-long reset, and there are a ton of great ones to be found online, it isn't quite what I'm looking for this year. We have been in our current home for over a decade, and it just needs more.

We've evolved in the years since moving in, our kids most of all! There are a lot of items that have been brought into this house that we no longer need. There are chips and scratches that need to be repaired, and drawers and cabinets whose use needs to be reevaluated.

I'm still working out a few of the details of my plan, but I'm hoping to tackle one space per month. I'll purge, organize and clean each area. Before I start, I want to evaluate how we use the space and if there are any pain points that can be resolved. If there are repairs, I want to order those items ahead of time. Only after cleaning, repairing and assessing will I buy organizing materials.

The last week of 2024 and into January are focused on the first space, our...Basement! If you have one, you know this is a daunting area to tackle.

We're pretty happy with the appearance of our home, which I've mentioned in other updates. This year-long project is not about decorating or organizing as much as it is clearing out unnecessary items to make room for how we currently live! It doesn't feel daunting because I enjoy this kind of activity, and I'm in no rush.

I'll make updates in the Tuesday Morning Tidy segment. If I come across any problems, solutions, ideas, products, surprises or obstacles, I'll share them here. Most of all, I look forward to enjoying my home just a little more in 2025!