I did it- I cleaned our garage. The one room in the house that we made sure to keep newbies out of when giving the "tour". I actually did 95% of the room over the Thanksgiving weekend. Had I been able to start a bit sooner I think I could have even done more. There is one small section in the back corner that I just couldn't do much with- for now. We are waiting on a landscaper to level out our side yard and put down rocks. Once that happens we will get a shed and I will have actually have empty space on the shelves in the garage. Unfortunately he can't do it until January. We are also having a desk built into a spare closest in a couple weeks so once that happens there are several things from the back corner that will have a proper home.
That all said, I am very proud of the space- I am not embarrassed to open the garage and let the kids play. I finally have a homeschooling space for all the posters I have. I also plan on enhancing that space by putting art supplies out and adding a light. Emma loves to create and this will let her do it in her own space- I won't have to shoo her out so we can eat at the table!
Here are my before and afters...
Before:
After:
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After:
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After:
Like I said, once we get the shed up there will be a space for every box- all those paint cans will move to the shed, the outboard motor, all our boating stuff (which you can't see because it is behind the two red boxes near the exercise bike. Which has also has new home, but we are waiting for the new owner to take it out. What was once a 6 foot laundry table is now a craft/homeschool area for the kids and in its place is a laundry sorter. All the kids stuff and anything that is related to our homeschooling is now on the right side of the garage. All our decorations, photo boxes and miscellaneous items are on the left. The back corner has our shredder, that will have a new home once we get the office built in upstairs and that area will then be able to house tool boxes below and pantry items above. Ben's weights (on the left) are easily accessible and the stroller usually lives in my truck. There is one last small load for the Rescue Mission in it right now.
Here is once picture of my truck packed with junk. This was the first trip. The second trip I didn't get a picture of but it was twice this. I had to put the 3rd row seats down in order to fit it all. Also below is a picture of the entertainment center that we took out of the garage. I need to list it on craigslist once I'm done posting here.
Here are the questions we were asked for the challenge...
1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?
The hardest part for me was not knowing if it would even be a possibility right now. We had a water leak in the house at the end of October- lots of water damage. I was unsure if we'd have the money to spare for the shed and built ins upstairs. As it turned out I did it anyway- and even though the final outcome is not truly the final outcome, it looks pretty darn good! And when we get the shed set up in a month or so, it will be a piece a cake to transfer what needs to over to it. So yes, I'd say I overcame it!
2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?
I think the biggest thing is that there is now a specific place for everything. The kids know where their helmets, bats, balls and anything else they can play with live. They can now put those things in the container vs tossing it on the pile. The laundry sorter has been a godsend. I don't know why I shied away from them for so long. Now the kids help me sort and it is sooooo much easier to know what load needs to be done. Now if only it would fold and put away all the loads I'm getting done!!!
3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?
Everything went to the local Rescue Mission. Well not the entertainment center, I can't get it there so I'm going to give it away on craigslist. Oh and there was a lot of trash as well- piles of cardboard boxes too, gone to the recycle bin.
4. Now that you have completed the challenge, do you think having
and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?
Absolutely. It is now a usable space. We live in southern California so outdoor living is year round. I can do crafts with my daughter while my boys ride bikes and we're all together. I'll also be able to find our Halloween decorations next year- I couldn't find which box they were in this year, so I had to buy a couple of new things just so we'd have something up!
6. Why do you think you should win the challenge?
You know the bottom line is that I have won already. I have a space that is now like a breath of fresh air. We've lived in this house for less than two years and have never been able to walk through the garage with ease. Now we could park a car in it. (that's a novel idea!) I know that everyone has put in a lot of work to comeplete their rooms, from what I've seen it will be a tough decision. I love my garage now, I look forward to more time spent in there playing with the kids and not being embarrassed when someone walks by.
