Going on a House Diet....

I managed to have enough self discipline and will power to lose most of my extra weight(still 10 lbs to go), now I just need to apply that to shopping and the house.  And so, I have decided to go on a house diet.  I really do not Need anything, it's all just wants. And with a basement busting at the seems(Salvation Army is going to get a call for a large pick up in the next couple weeks), I realized that I need to stop.  All the stuff is just cluttering my house and my mind.  I'm not going modern or minimalistic  with the house, I'm just going to declutter, not shop or thrift store hunt, make do with what I have(and redo things for other purposes),  and most certainly not add to the collection with new things.  Plus, it will save money.  

So with that in mind, here is something I did recently in my mudroom.  After the family room, this is the next room I struggle with the most.  I want it to be neat, organized, and pretty to the eye all while being functional for the kids(backpacks, shoes, coats, winter gear, etc).

I had this wood cubby hole thing that used to sit on top of another piece of furniture(you probably saw it many years ago in my family room holding dvds or toys). Anyway, it had been in the older boys' room and they didn't need it anymore, so it came down stairs.  After sitting in the way in the family room for over a week, I finally figured out what to do with it.

I gave it a new coat of black paint, turned vertical, and added my 4 Target baskets that I got about a year ago(that had been floating around the house without finding the spot that was just right for them, until now).  The baskets were a perfect fit, with just enough room at the top to reach in and out of  without having to pull the whole thing out.  Two now hold mittens and gloves and the other two hold hats and scarves.  A perfect functional and attractive storage solution for our winter gear.

Not sure why I didn't think of it before :)

 And here is the coat, shoe, and gear corner of the mudroom.  Ya, the look of all the coats and such does bother me a bit. But we LIVE here, it's part of life and everything can't look like a magazine all the time.  And most of all, everything has its place and a place for everything.

Will power.... I don't need more junk just like I don't need that cupcake! I can do this :)

Tiff