purging the living room

If you missed our post last Wednesday, we’re super excited to begin our Lazy Gals Guide again this year! We’re sharing a little more of our philosophy behind it all, along with tips and tricks in what has worked for us in working toward a simple life. But the very best part, is the 12 weeks of purging.

Because while that initial freak-out-over-the-new-year purge is great, sometimes doing all of the things all at once can just be scratching the surface. And when you’re a little overwhelmed, it can feel like you’ve fallen off your horse in the middle of a slow motion epic battle over something really stupid. Like a stubbed toe and saddle sore. All to be murdered by some huge viking in a kilt with a giant sword. Metaphorically speaking with a dash of drama, of course.

This is about a true lifestyle change, finding systems that work for your home, and sticking with the concept of simplicity.

SO, we’re breaking it down step by step, and doing it with you.

And today’s topic? Purging your living room!

But first, a few ‘ground rules’ in the land of purge.

1. 1 bag for trash + 1 bag for donate. Expand as needed, no judgement.

It can sometimes feel like you’re making a million little decisions at once. That’s because you are. We may recommend here that you adhere to your vision we discussed in the first installment of this year. Whatever you came up with, for rules you want to follow in getting rid of it all, should help guide you while you tackle the beast that is the beginning of a new years’ purge.

Identify your weaknesses. Is it magazines that are your vice? Do you ‘stuff’ in effort to clean your home and then have mounds of things smothering each other in unwanted areas? {Me!} Or do you have a weakness for that dollar spot at Target and bring home all of the things only to feel like you’re drowning in them? Work on your weaknesses, and stick to your rules. These will serve as fabulous guidelines throughout the year for those when-in-doubt moments.

2. Breathe. You can do this. Every year we run around, freaking out. That isn’t a general, all encompassing ‘we’ but we, as in us. We feel overwhelmed and stressed and I think, oh my word how will we ever break it down? We’ve been there, and we’re right there with you. We’re living our lives and sometimes things get out of control. So whether you’ve already cleaned up the initial holidaisical hangover, and you’re ready to fine tune it, or you’re just getting started, just know that you can do this. And you’re in good company.

If you need to step away, and come  back, do that. This may seem like a rigorous schedule but it’s just one room a week, and we’ve shared the schedule ahead of time so that you have time to prep. {Notice we saved the garage for last, because you kind of have to have somewhere to put all of the things you’re getting ready to donate, but again, do what works for you.}

We’ll also be sharing our ideas at the beginning of each week so that you have time to do what you need to do, whether it’s slowly but surely when you’re home from work, or on the following weekend. It’s all about motivation, and sticking to it as you can.

3. Stay with us but diverge as needed. Go to where you feel motivated or see fit. We’re dragging this thing out for twelve weeks so that we stick with it. If you’re on a different schedule, you’ll probably come back to your space by the time we hit it.

Truly simplifying isn’t a quick fix, but a gradual, ruthless process.

Trust us, by the time February rolls around, you’ll be cursing our names, wondering why on earth you’re even doing this. So will we. I’d rather pretend it’s not there. And writing these posts are a lot of work and a total time suck. I get to purge AND write about it in detail. It feels like I’m showing you my dirty laundry. And I will. It’s humbling.

A true lifestyle change comes with diligence. The life of deliberate less, and true realistic simplicity doesn’t come easy. {Nothing ever worth having, comes easy.} We promise that if you stay true to yourself and your vision, you’ll see great, true results.

If you’re just tuning in, even if it’s on the tenth week, it’s never too late to start. You won’t regret making some changes in your home!

4. Let go of perfection.

Our sofa {Duncan} still sits on a pile of books because we never got around to repairing it. The children’s toys got out of control again, because they have relatives that love them, and sometimes we celebrate a bit much. I’ve let it go and that’s all my fault. My kitchen has junk drawers because homeschooling and running a business from home, can take over sometimes. Sometimes I stuff things. And sometimes I stress eat.

Purging and cleaning up your home will not make it perfect. There truly is no such thing as a dream home, and taking the steps to simplify will be about one bazillion times easier, once we’re all willing to let go and move on.

It’s easy to beat ourselves up about it all when we’re cleaning it all out, and feel guilty. Super guilty. I think this is always one of the hardest elements for us.

Sometimes {Okay, most of the time} I’d rather play with my kids, or watch a movie or brainstorm a fun idea than go clean out a closet. I mean, seriously. It sucks. So cut yourself some slack, and know you’re not alone.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about living life well, and freeing up your spaces so you can do that.

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5. #thelazygalsguide There’s strength in numbers, so don’t forget to share on instagram with a hashtag. This is a judge free zone, because aintnobodygottimeforthat. You’re seeing our messes. Now we want to see yours! Post the pretty and the ugly. You guys inspire us, and we can’t wait to see your struggles and your triumphs! Go ahead and share.

So without further ado…

The living room. Have you noticed all my contrasting photos yet? I hope I’m making a point. The very heart of the home felt like an easy enough beginning without becoming too much, over the holidays.

So we recommend starting here. Wherever you spend the most time with your family, or wherever your holidaisical celebrations happened. Wherever the wreck occurred. We took down the Christmas, and moved the kids’ toys to their spaces. {Honestly, their rooms are now a borderline pig stye, but we’ll get to that.} And even hid some of their gifts for a rainy day. Yes, it is ridiculous. We’ve definitely improved over the years, but I still find it ridiculous.

And once all the wrapping, all the paper, all the glitter was gone, it was time to fine tune. Because now that we’ve divided our homes into zones, we’re dividing each space into zones.

It’s more than just purging. It’s about thinking ahead for what you really want out of each space. Your home should work for you. You shouldn’t have to work for your home. I’ve listed a few general areas here that you can hopefully apply to your own spaces. Again, not all homes are created equal, so apply it as you see fit, and purge as necessary as you go down the list.

Disclaimer: You guys are going to see the really embarrassing parts of our home, just like before. This room, however, just doesn’t have much, because we’ve kept it that way, purposefully. It’s truly a gathering hub, and doesn’t really store much. It’s the only room in our home that stays simple in its purpose. There are many post apocalyptic spaces to come. Promise. 

The reading zone:

Magazines. They may be my true achilles heel. My weakness. Okay fine. I have lots. But this is one. I find them hard to part with, and over time, if I realize I haven’t looked at them for a while, I go on a rampage and figure it all out. If you tried to come to my home and throw away a Domino, I would cut you with my golden monogrammed geometric deer antler letter opener. So with reason, throw out what you no longer need, and find a place, (within reason) to keep the old tried and true.

A lot of people remove the inspiring images, file them neatly, and toss the rest. Purists are now cringing. I am amongst them. I leave my favorites out (completely intact) and file the rest away in the studio. Find something that works for you, that you {and your family} can live with.

Books This is different for us, and we have various areas in our home that store books.

I read that you should keep children’s books {and magazines} out and readily accessible in your home so that they feel compelled when lounging, to pick up and read independently as they wish. We try to do this, by providing little containers on our countertop for them to access easily. It keeps things grouped, and contained. I’m still waiting for the pick up and read independently part. If you see a few novels misplaced, return them. {I’m a big believer that you should hoard craft supplies and books-TRUTH.} but if you aren’t a big fan and the clutter bothers you, donate. If you keep it, just make sure there’s a place.

Clockwise from the top: Basket from Hobby Lobby – spray painted gold. Wooden tray from The Painted Fox + blue tray from Ikea. We love to mix and match and make them work with a purpose on our coffee table.

Sentimentals this may have absolutely nothing to do with your living room. But I found that after both of our parents gave us boxes and boxes of things when purging their own homes, that we were overwhelmed with guilt on what to part with, and what to keep. So I set limits with us, and cleaned out our attic. Boxes and boxes were whittled down into one contained area. Now all of our sentimental belongings {the very best – thank goodness for the digital era of photographs for our children} sit in this old shipping crate, {with an appropriate quote, that happened purely by accident.} I actually limit it, because I know my weaknesses: I tend to attach feelings and memories to things, and so when this box overflows, it’s time to clean it out.

That’s the rule, for now. And the living room is a great place to keep it if we want to dig things out and have a fun walk down memory lane. No searching through a mess of unmarked boxes in the attic.

The entertainment zone:

For more details on our media center, check it out here. But we simplified by breaking it down, and making it doable.

Cords and boxes can become a big eye sore, and a challenge to keep it pretty. We use a series of zip ties, electrical tape and this crate I stumbled upon at the flea market to keep it all corralled here. The slats make it easy for us to discreetly filter things through, and we can still operate the satellite controller from the front because the slats allow access through remote. Tada! No more ugly stuff.

Movies We added these little crates to our plan, and while I’m still ready to get rid of MORE of those DVD boxes, this was my first pass. We keep most of our movies consolidated in a CD holder, and toss the containers. We switch them out between our home and the car when we’re on a long car trip with the kids. Game changer.

I will no longer feel guilty over saving said containers. BLECH.

And ps, thank you apple TV. I may never buy another DVD again. Clean out those movies! You won’t regret getting rid of all those boxes that take up valuable real estate.

Games This little center is lame if you have older kids, I know. We actually store all of our video games in the playroom, so we’ll be covering them all more in depth later. But this is for their leap frog stuff, which I plan to sell and/or donate soon because guess what? They kind of outgrew it, and no longer play with it.

One thing I do love that you’ll see repeated throughout our home are these little containers from Ikea. I once thought I was overbuying these things and have never used them more, for one million and one different little drawer organizational jobs. If you’re at an Ikea soon and need some practical, affordable drawer help, this is one of your awesomely needed answers.

So clean out those games and group all the manuals to one area. Headphones, cords, and all the useful pieces they’ll still use. You’ll feel like you lost ten pounds.

The comfort zone: 

For all things pillows, blankets and more… if you’re a bit of an addict like us, and tend to switch them out on a whim, and your children like to use them as forts in the home.

Pillows and blankets Keep yourself in check, and use little bins when you’re not using certain pillows. It can be easy to let those collect over time, so clean out any you don’t particularly like anymore, and release them to a better place. We tend to switch out a few of ours since we finished our family closet, but I find myself limiting my collection. It can easily become a thing. MUST HAVE ALL. OF. The. COMFORT.

I still have too many, especially with what we do. Working on it.

Floors this applies to every space, but you’ll be amazed at how keeping the floors clear (or as clear as possible beyond the furniture) will help you breathe a little easier. Contain anything that’s on the floor and move it back. Clear underneath it all, and search for all the rogue toys that haven’t yet been eaten by dust bunnies. Your space will feel larger!

I hope this was an easy place to begin, and evaluate all the areas in your main living space of your home. To help out, we’ve come up with three different versions of organizational sheets. One is completely blank, {organization blank} one has suggestions for a little hand holding guidance with some of the items I covered here {organization} and another is for keeping up with all those donations you’re bound to make with all this purging {donation sheet}. Your taxes will thank you later.

We’ll be fine tuning said freebies each week to go hand in hand with each post, and we love the fact that they work seamlessly with our free planner printables! Be sure to check those out, too with getting your booty into gear for the new year.

Don’t forget to share your inspiring photos, messes and triumphs on instagram with the hashtag #lazygalsguide! There is encouragement and accomplishment in community!

We are inspired by you and can’t wait to see! We hope you’re ready to knock out those living rooms!

As always, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, and we would love to hear from you, to see what you’ve done as well. What are some of your problem areas in your living room?

Have an inspired day!