As we dive deeper into the world of decluttering, it is important to know that creating space in our physical world is something that very much weaves into the world of yoga. Yoga aims to create space in our physical and emotional bodies whereas decluttering works at creating space in our outside lives. In my last newsletter, you had a small taste of what it feels like to start the process of finding this space in our lives with our cleaning out a drawer exercise. How did it feel when you emptied and then refilled that drawer with some culling? It often feels really good to know we got rid of some unneeded stuff. Yes, it may also have felt weird and been difficult - maybe you didn’t want to get rid of anything at all and felt you had to? Maybe it was all a bit overwhelming…and you know what? That’s ok!! Don’t worry if you only got rid of one thing; this process of decluttering takes time and sometimes practice. Maybe that drawer was full of things you deeply treasured and couldn’t part with - and that’s all ok! This is a marathon not a sprint and it sometimes takes time to work at getting rid of things we no longer need and that are just inhabiting valuable space. I am here and we will take this bit by bit step by step…
Today we are going to have some fun! Decluttering fun! We are going to get a taste of decluttering in a different way - let’s declutter our refrigerators!! Before you freak out, I promise you this declutter is extremely satisfying and you will be very pleased with the results when you are done. It does require time, so if that’s not today then save this activity for another day - no problem! Here is where you will start to notice a trend in this thing called decluttering- the first step is, yes wait for it, you need to empty your entire fridge onto the counters. If you are wondering why the need for the emptying out stage, I promise you it makes things easier. If we were to leave drawers or fridges full we can’t really get a good sense of what needs to be discarded and what needs to be kept. It’s much easier with an empty vessel even though it feels labour intensive to start. Leave the freezer for later, the fridge is more than enough to start. And I mean everything - the stuff on the side of the fridge (ketchups, sauces) - EVERYTHING! Sometimes when I do this, I work in sections. So, I start with the interior of the fridge first (the main body) I work there and then I do the sides - whatever works best for you.
Here is the process: Once you have removed an entire section from the fridge (probably a full shelf kind of thing) start by cleaning that area with your favourite cleaning product. Think of it as a great opportunity to clean somewhere that we don’t often have access to because there is food there!! Another suggestion is if shelves are removable and you prefer to do it that way, remove the shelf and wash it in the sink.
Once you reassemble or are finished the cleaning process of that area, start putting the food back BUT I want you to inspect and be vigilant - what is garbage? What can be amalgamated? For example, do you have 2 cartons of eggs that are both half full? Put all of the eggs into one carton and throw out the other now empty one. Cull and inspect - food that is ready for garbage? We all hate to throw out food (especially with the price tag at the grocery stores these days) so here is where things get fun…do you have some stale bread? Turn it into breadcrumbs! Old fruit and veggies? Make a pitcher of smoothies! If you aren’t in the mood to do it now, then cut up the about to be spoiled or already gone bad produce, put it in a ziplock, and throw it into the freezer for another ‘smoothie making adventure’ day. My favourite part of this is when you get to the huge area of sauces, condiments, olives, etc etc. Often these items live on the sides of our fridges. We often have two ongoing jars of mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard - you name it! I recently did this declutter of my own fridge and found that I had two half used jars of several things (mayonnaise, mustard) which I was easily able to amalgamate into one. Its very common to forget we have something and off we go to purchase another. Amalgamate and also consolidate where you can, but don’t forget, somethings are just ready to be tossed and/or recycled. If you come across a jar with 1 teaspoon of jam left, use it or just get rid of it. Do you still need that two year old jar of cocktail sauce? Probably not so toss or recycle!
Before you begin the process of restocking your fridge, take the time to wipe down the outside of these jars and bottles as they are often sticky and messy from use. This is also a great opportunity to organize your fridge! Put condiments with condiments, hot sauces can all live together - dressings unite! Don’t worry - it doesn’t have to be perfect and won’t ever be, but you can create some organization in the fridge that everyone in the house and most importantly YOU will appreciate. Take the time to admire your handiwork when you are done because it will feel good - I PROMISE you!
You may be exhausted and not want to do the freezer today so remember - there is always tomorrow!! If you want to tackle the freezer, same strategy as the fridge - work in sections - throw out or repurpose - consolidate where you can and most importantly clean as you go!
Not only will this exercise give you a nice, clean, organized fridge and freezer, but now you will know what you may need to buy and also what you most definitely don’t need to buy (I’m talking to you and your 6 mustards!! ) Now take a break and go enjoy a snack :) Until next time!