This week’s challenge on Minimizing Monday is to clean out your medicine cabinet. A project that all of us should be able to do in a short period of time. Kendra has some great advice as you tackle this week’s project. I’m excited that I get to tackle this week’s project now that I am back home.
This week’s project reminded me to tell you not to be afraid to throw things away. Obviously if you have expired medicine you should be throwing it away. But most of us have all kinds of things in our house that have become just clutter that needs to be thrown away. A lot of these items can’t be sold, reused, donated or recycled for some reason and may need to just be put in the trash can. If you are holding onto something purely because it has a little bit of sentimental value, but it has no real value and is difficult to store or display in a place of honor, consider taking a photo of it and then getting rid of it. Large art project that kids bring home from school comes to mind for me.
Don’t be afraid to throw things away because the clutter can have a negative affect on your quality of life. Make room in your house for the life that you want to live.
I am a nurse and wanted to share that not only should you clean out your medicines that are expired because they take up space, but there efficacy (how well they work) decreases GREATLY after the expiration date and only taxes your liver.
I am going to do this on Saturday. I am really trying hard to throw stuff away. I have tried my magic wand but it doesn’t disappear. I am going to follow your tips and take on a small project a week. Thanks.
Great reminder for us all!:)
I agree that we should all get rid of the clutter! However, we should avoid tossing medicines into the garbage or the toilet. These drugs aren’t filtered at sewage treatment plants, and wind up in our water supply.Recycling services are available in many communities. Check with your local pharmacy or health department. Ideal Bite has a great tip on this issue: http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/controlling_substances/
Thanks for the reminder to purge. Hope you have a great week!
You’re right Heather, anything that can just be tossed should not be taking up space in our homes. Clutter can become a big problem if we don’t take care of it right away. It feels good to take useless stuff out of your home to make more room to live!
How funny! This is what I was up past my bed time doing last night! What a difference it makes too. Some of the stuff I was dumping expired three years ago (yes, that’s about the time I got pregnant!). We’re trying to get our place ready to sell and that definitely made the cabnets look more spacious.
Actually, many expired medicines are fine to use. Any decrease in efficacy is minimal, and it’s not as if they become toxic as they age. I will use most medicines for up to another year after their expiration date. They’re probably still fine to use even longer, but that’s the way I do it.I mostly do this with over the counter medications, but have been known to use two year old Flexeril to ease back spasms…Of course I’m not a doctor and can’t and won’t give medical advice. This is just what I do.
I try to clean out my medicine cabinet about every 3 months b/c it helps remind me what items I am running low on so that I don’t have to make a mad dash to the 24 hour drug store at 2am!I usually do this while my 4 yr old is in the bathtub that way I can be right there with her, but get something done! Also as far as my kids art projects (and since we homeschool there are many!) I have two folders one for each child, At the end of the week they get to go through it and decide what they want me to keep. Then every year I get a box about the size of a copy paperbox. So buy the time they are pretty much doing “lots of artwork” I will only have accumulated about 5 boxes. I am not a pack rat so it is hard for me to hang on to things, but as they get older if they don’t want them to be able to show their kids and so forth they will be going to the trash! Have a great day.