Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
My second son, Cole, is a very insightful kiddo. He notices and appreciates the beauty in even the smallest of details. He is the kid that, as we are driving, will say, “Aren’t the mountains beautiful, Mama?” or, “Look at the sage brush. I love the greenish grayish color of it!”
And that boy LOVES sunsets! He will carefully label each color with a creative name and praise God for the beauty He created. I cannot see a sunset without thinking about my sweet Cole man.
Recently, he and I were talking about spring. He was telling me all about his favorite attributes of the season. He prefaced our conversation with, “I love all the seasons but spring is my favorite. I love that everything starts over!”
Many people are looking for a restart.
Spring cleaning is one of the ways I like to “restart” my home.
One of my favorite hobbies is what I call efficient interior decorating. It makes my heart happy when I can take a room from drab and dysfunctional to functional and fabulous!
It seems that I am forever moving things and changing things around to make every square inch count!
Whether you’re dealing with a small house or just wanting to maximize the efficiency of a space I know you will love these space saving ideas.
1. Purge
Purging is not a once-a-year one-and-done deal. It is a constant process. I always have a “get rid of ” box or bag in my house.
We are blessed to live in a community where sharing hand-me-downs is the norm. I have never HAD to buy clothes for my kids-that’s not to say I haven’t, just never needed to. All those hand-me-downs are a HUGE blessing but it is easy to accumulate too many clothes in a size. Every time I do laundry I make it a goal to purge out any “extra” clothes. Any clothes that I consider difficult (i.e. clothes that wrinkle easily, are ill-fitting, I love but my kiddo hates, etc.).
I also purge out any torn or stained clothing. I either pass it on to someone who can use it, throw it away or donate it to our local Goodwill.
It is vital to an organized space to be a constant purger.
I also purge my living room and kitchen on a regular basis but clothes are our biggest issue.
(How many clothes do kids need? I keep 7 of each item except socks and underwear-I keep double of those.)
2. Look for places to create storage
Using vertical space is an excellent way to save valuable real estate. Adding some simple open shelving is a great way to display knick-knacks and keep your house from looking cluttered.
I keep playing cards, matches and keys in my pretty tins. They look cute and serve a purpose!
We also have risers under our bed to create storage space for file boxes and other larger items like the guitar case and suitcases.
3. Find cute, fun and functional pieces
Look for ways to use pieces you already have even if it means making some minor adjustments or using them differently than intended.
Like my school area I created by changing the intended use of nesting box shelves. Or taking chicken wire baskets and screwing them to the wall to use as as produce baskets. Using book shelves to store canned goods. Hanging cast iron skillets (that I use all the time!) on the wall to serve as rustic decor AND storage.
4. A place for everything and everything in it’s place
The old saying truly has a great deal of wisdom! If you don’t have space for it and/or it doesn’t serve a purpose, get rid of it!,
Be intentional about what you choose to keep in your home. Don’t clutter your life with stuff!
I recently purged my boy’s room (Again!) and it has made a significant difference in the amount of time it takes them to get ready in the morning, clean their room and find their stuff. It has also increased their overall enjoyment of their room.
Collect moments not things…
My goal has never been to have a perfect home but to have one that my family can live in.
To borrow a quote from my lovely mother-in-law, I want my house to be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.
Meet Mollie
Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.