Household annoyances — and how to solve them

The holidays and the beginning of the new year are also a good time to rethink your household. After feasting and celebrating with friends and family maybe in your own house you may notice a few things that have always upset you and made a mess. Now is the best time to get rid of all these nasty household annoyances.

Here they are, at least in IRMA’s house. But I am sure you have similar ones.

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1. Your BUSINESS CARD CONTAINER is bursting and piles of new cards are all over your desk. Time to keep the important ones and get rid of the rest. Or buy a second container. I started to archive all contacts electronically in my computer and get rid of the cards afterwards. The less paper in the house, the better.

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2. You have seen it at your friend’s house: BOOKSHELVES that are put in order by theme or even colour. Why can’t you get organized? Give it a try and put each topic on different shelves to help you find the books you need quickly and easily.

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3. SOUVENIR CUPS are easy to get and might be nice souvenirs of clients and events, but are they really pretty? They make your other porcelain look second best as well and take up too much space. I don’t know why I have so many??? It’s time to get rid of at least most of them.

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4. That BROKEN PORCELAIN which you keep storing in your cupboard because you really want to fix it. Somehow you never find time for that and they just keep taking the space you would need for other things. Just forget about them or get it done.

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5. That KITCHEN DRAWER which has all the things your handbag wants to get rid off. I know you do not want to throw them away and the kitchen drawer seems to be the right place, but honestly you will never wear these red framed sunglasses from Zara which you bought last summer and why not use this pretty pouch in your bathroom for your second best lipsticks?

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6. Your children are great artists but there comes the point when CHILDREN’S ART can take over the artistic taste of the apartment’s owner. Sorry, but you have to do some curating and of course storing, as these are the best souvenirs ever.

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7. YOUR AUNT’S PRESENT might be special but somehow does not fit in. You hold on to it but it just takes up space. Why not have a special memory box? Your children will have fun with it later on.

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8. Do you still know which cable works for which GADGET? Mark them with matching coloured tapes so you know quickly when there is need for unplugging.

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9. All the FLEA MARKET FINDS that you have collected over the years and thought one day they will fit perfectly into your holiday home next to the sea. Re-sell them on eBay or Vestaire Collective or give them as unique presents to your friends.

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10. STACKS OF PAPER, drawings, bills etc. need to find a permanent home instead of being piled up. You will keep on searching and not finding and eventually your office is getting out of hand. There is simply no way around a serious filing session.