I am writing every day in October--taking on the challenge set forth by The Nester for bloggers to write a "31 Days to..." blog series. I'm tackling Minimalist Living and you can click here to read Day 5's post.
In the spirit of keeping this minimalist lifestyle goal easy to handle, I'm keeping my daily tasks simple. It is frustrating to find yourself wanting to adapt a minimalist way of thinking but then find out you have a "buy it, it's on sale" kind of home.
Medicines and first aid supplies are what we're tackling today. My mess of a medication shelf took only 30 minutes to sort and put back, and I think you'll agree that it was a hot mess when I started.
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| I have *tried* to organize our medicines and first aid supplies. I have a bin for kids' medicines, a bin for adult medicines, then another bin for sunscreen & bug repellent but the bin concept didn't quite work because there is too much stuff! |
I carried everything from that messy shelf into my kitchen, where I could sort everything into piles of keep, trash, recycle.
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| That's a lot of stuff!!!!! |
I had a GIGANTIC pile of recycling & trash. Shame on me--so many of the medicines were expired-some as long ago as 2010. I'm usually pretty good about keeping up with expiration dates, but it was so messy and there's just so much unneeded stuff that I didn't bother to go through it.
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| No joke. This is the GET RID OF IT pile. I cannot believe how many expired products there were!!!! |
Here's the small pile of items that needed to be re-homed:
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| Yes, I found a die in amongst the medicines. I don't even know what game it goes to but I suspect Bryce is to blame. |
Here's what's waiting to go back on the shelf. 3 bins-one for kids' medicines, one for sunscreen/bug repellent, and the other for adult medicine.
A quick flashback the giant mess before I started:
And what I stripped down to keeping (bare necessities only!):
Here's how that shelf looks now! Three bins and my Wahl haircut kit. Nice and neat and everyone can find what they need. This shelf is too high for little ones to reach, FYI.
My aunt (the nurse with the Ph.D.) gave my sister cough medicine when she was visiting. My sister looked at the expiration date and it was 7 years prior! 7 years! From a nurse! "Oh, it's fine," said our Ph.D. Nurse Auntie. Um, no. For shame, Auntie. For shame.
ReplyDeleteRuh roh, Auntie!!! =)
DeleteSince when is a tape roller medicine?
ReplyDeleteJJF
it's a lint brush and I needed a space for it that was high enough to keep my 4 year old from grabbing it and using it to clean the floors, but in a spot that's visible for the rest of us to find it. Glad you noticed-thanks for looking so closely at my photos!
DeleteThis is one I get to skip! It's amazing how little junk you accumulate with medicine when you make your own home remedies. Ahem, ahem...nudge, nudge. :D
ReplyDeleteDid you see how much I got rid of, woman?! :) I'm gettin' there. Baby steps!!
DeleteYes you are. :) You keep me clean and I'll keep you healthy!
DeleteTape roller would be repellant, it works. :)
ReplyDeletehee hee
DeleteI keep all first aid supplies in a large fishing tackle box. Granted, having been an EMT I maintain a fairly large first aid kit, but it's better to have and not need than to need and not have, right? The tackle box is always in the same place (too large to go anywhere else), and at the same time provides mobility to tend to short people issues where needed. It also makes it easy to keep track of what supplies need to be replenished.
ReplyDelete~GGB
:) Love that you have all your first aid supplies in a portable container--you never know when you might have to triage a short person in the backyard :)
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