Week 1: "C" is for Clutter

Week 0 Recap: I called the bank and some super chipper gal named "Tiffy" (really?) was "so glad" to help me. And by "help me" I mean she told me "totally no worries, this happens all the time." In between the "likes" and "OMG"s, I translated the fact that the bank would re-submit the check payment for my truck automatically. Hooray me. And it did, in fact, go through this week. Check.

The student loan rep was a pain in the ass, let's just be honest. I owe $500 now. I told her, "good luck finding that $500 anywhere in my account." I told her I wanted to work something out so I could get back on track. She "ummmmed" and said not a lot. Finally, she directed me to the company's Web site where I could "fill out a form."

So she was less than stellar in the helpful service. I found the form to reduce payments, but I also wrote an e-mail to the company telling them my troubles with ol' what's-her-face. They told me to call back Jan. 4 and speak to an Account Executive and not a Customer Service Representative. Sorta check?

Oh, whatever.

So it's January 1st. It's quiet here. I'm looking around, grateful for all that I have and then I notice just how much I really have. I have a ton of crap. Everywhere. And we live in the world's smallest shoebox of an apartment. It's ridiculous. If anyone sneezes in here, it's sure to start a crap avalanche and we've got to be careful not to lose Boo under a pile of shoes or winter coats.

My calling is obvious this week: Get some serious clutter out of our house. So, for Week 1, I've got to get rid of one laundry basket's worth of stuff every single day. A whole basket. I can donate it, toss it, burn it, run it over, feed it to a moose, or use it for target practice...but each day, an entire basket has to go.

The hardest areas that need the most of my attention are my bookshelf and the shelves I keep craft supplies. It's stupid how much stuff I'm trying to fit on those.

Today, however, I took a crack at the fridge. Have you ever pulled every single item out of your fridge? You should. It's gross. As for mine, I have two words for you: moldy cheese. And lots of it. (Eww!) In the end, we cleared three grocery bags and one trash bag full of "stuff" that had seemed like such a good idea at the store. It opened my eyes to the point P had made earlier today. We waste a lot of food due to our crowded, nasty fridge. I'm sure we threw out nearly $100 of soggy bell peppers, green lunchmeat, and penicillin-coated Provolone. (Damn. My bad.)

So here's to a less crowded house for 2010. And in the meantime, here's a great link to a blogger who specializes in goals and organization: Creative Organizing. Do it.