Transitioning back to life in the office after a long holiday break is never easy, so this year I took a "buffer day" and ended up ripping apart my bedroom.

My husband stared in disbelief when he got home from work on my last vacation day of 2018.  You can totally judge me for this, but I'm an absolute slob. I rarely find the motivation to do housework which is while you'll find piles of things (clothes, race bibs, jewelry, shoes, lipsticks, etc) anywhere Hurricane Michelle hits.  To see me in the process of de-cluttering or cleaning anything is a rare sight and as the person who normally cleans up after me, his stare was no doubt one of glee.

On this particular day, I'd finished The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Bird Box, so I decided to take advantage of the time I had alone in the apartment to start de-cluttering some of my piles.  I want to make a conscious effort to be better about having less of them form in 2019.  If you've got a similar goal, Apartment Therapy offers four very easy ways to start that after work today (no excuses) without sucking up hours of your day!

Go Through Your Winter Coats

If you're anything like me, there's been a point where you've grabbed yourself a new winter coat even when there's nothing wrong with your old one.  You simply grew tired of it's color or style.  It could probably use a good wash, but the reality is your coat's still in good enough shape for someone who really needs it to wear. Clean them up and donate them to an organization like the Boise Rescue Mission or St. Vincent de Paul.  When the temps really drop over the next couple of weeks, these organizations will make sure your old coat goes to someone who really needs it.

Take a Look at Beat Up Winter Boots and Shoes

Did I mention one of my biggest piles is made up of old shoes? I'm cheap and outside of my upscale running shoes, most of my shoes are cheap and don't hold up through my busy lifestyle.  I've got shoes that stink from wearing them without socks, are falling apart or have broken zippers but for whatever reason, I haven't thrown them out.  If you're the same way, now's the time to go through them and just toss the ones that are unusable.  If you have some that are in good shape, donate them.

Search Through the Pantry

Do you have random cans of non-perishables sitting around the pantry that you know you're not going to use? We have boxes of instant oatmeal and some off brand macaroni and cheese that I know we're never going to eat.  If you've acquired some of those staples and they're still within the "sell by" or "use by" window, now's a great time to donate them to the Idaho Food Bank.  Traditionally donations start to slow after the holidays.

Throw Out the Leftovers

This is a painful war in my house right now.  We're getting ready for our honeymoon trip to Hawaii next month and all of a sudden, my husband decided he's going to be "good" with his diet.  Unfortunately, I know that means the large batch of macaroni and cheese I made in the Instant Pot is going to go bad before I can eat it all myself.  If you've got leftovers piling up from Christmas dinner, they're probably already bad.  Get them out of the fridge to de-clutter your fridge before the first week of 2019 comes to a close!

More From Mix 106