… Go!

And so it begins. I began my decuttering agenda today with the kitchen cabinet that holds the pots and pans. I pulled everything out and sorted it into various categories: what to keep, what to give away, what to throw away. I also had an undecided pile where I put those things that I wasn’t sure I’d keep or not, depending on what else I found in the cabinet.

The most difficult decision I has was with the muffing tins. I had 2 regular muffin tins (bought at different times, but still they nest) and 2 mini-muffin tins. (Which I have no idea why I bought.) I couldn’t decide whether to keep 1 tin or both. So I checked a cookbook to see what an average muffin recipe yield is. Turns out it’s either 12 or 30. Well good grief! Even if I kept both muffin tins, I still wouldn’t be able to bake a 30-muffin recipe all at once. And since being able to bake everything in just one cycle instead of 2 or 3 is more important for me, I decided to keep both regular tins and one of the mini-tins (which I figure can be used for the left-over batter of those big recipes).

I suppose that decision might go against the standard declutter mantra, but I’m happy with it. If it turns out I don’t need the extra tins, I’ll give them away. At least now I can see them when I open the cabinet door.

The other “no-no” I did was pull a set of silverware out of one of the give-away boxes. Part of the reason is the box is big and the silverware is heavy.  Then I looked at the pattern and thought I might keep it after all.  I’ve been thinking about changing out my silverware (the set I have I’ve had since my college days), and while it’s not exactly the pattern I want, it’s Reed & Barton, and very nice.

I was surprised at how easy the day went.  But later I realized I’d been planning to take care of this particular cabinet for awhile—like every time I’d try to put a pan back in and everything would tumble out.  When it comes to some of the other cabinets, cupboards and drawers, I’m sure it won’t be as easy.