Use It or Lose It

One of the big things I'm trying to work on this year is to make sure that we are making the best use possible of everything we own. That means taking good care of items (regular maintenance, repairing when needed) and also using them to their full advantage. If something is not being used, it's time to figure out if it can be transformed into something else more useful, pass it along to someone else who *can* use it, recycle it, or (worst case scenario) throw it out!

Last week as I was cleaning the boys' room, I found an afghan gathering dust in an end-table cubby hole. This used to be used daily, but had developed some large holes a couple of years ago that I hadn't taken the time to repair, and it's been laying around accumulating dust ever since. I tossed it in the wash a few days ago, and this afternoon, I hunted down some matching yarn in my stash and spent about half an hour repairing the holes. It is now restored to its former glory, and hubby and I curled up on the couch underneath it this evening. Once I'm finished, I always wonder why on Earth it takes me so long to get around to these sorts of jobs!

I also have a couple of bags of old sheets, blankets and towels that have been sitting around for a few months. I'm finally going to donate them to a local animal shelter. I have enough rags to last me for years, so I'm happy that these items which are of no use to me can help out critters in need.

Finding a new way to use things we already have is always fun, and this afternoon I created a cozy little reading corner for the boys by gathering up items from a few different locations around the house: On a lower bunkbed (which is not used for sleeping on), I took a bunch of pillows and piled them all in a corner to make a snug little "nest". I then gathered a bunch of the boys' favourite books and placed them in baskets on the bed. I tucked a couple of warm blankets on the other end of the bed, and Voila! a special place to spend some quiet time in comfort.

A side bonus of all this effort is that I have succeeded in removing several items from my attic bedroom, which is next on the list for some TLC!