As you anticipate watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, why not use these last days of 2013 to start your own countdown to the New Year? If clutter’s been an issue, here’s a countdown that will help you shake off the dust of the past so you can embrace the promise of the future. Ready? Here we go:
10! De-clutter your family room – Choose ten catalogues or magazines to recycle.
9! Lighten up your bookshelves – Select nine books to donate to your local library.
8! Make room for your new holiday clothes – Go through your closets and drawers to see what you still love and what still fits. Remove eight articles of clothing to donate to your local Good Will Store.
7! Unburden over-stuffed cupboards – Remove seven old, broken, or mismatched mugs, glasses and plastic cups.
6! Manage a messy ‘junk drawer’ – Recycle or toss six items: old pens, dried up white out, and unknown stray parts that have been there for too long.
5! Streamline your pantry – Remove five food items: throw out any food past its expiration date and find something you could donate to a church or local food bank.
4! Freshen up your sock drawer – Remove four pairs of socks that have holes, worn-out elastic or that you no longer like to wear.
3! Reduce bathroom clutter – Discard three toiletry items that are expired or used up.
2! Clean out your jewelry case – Find two pieces of broken jewelry like mismatched earrings or broken chains, which you can discard or bring to have repaired.
1! Reclaim lost counter space in your kitchen – Remove one large item that you do not use daily such as an appliance or basket that’s serving no useful purpose. Store it away or donate it if you no longer need it.
I raise a glass to you – here’s to a healthy, happy, and organized New Year!
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