What’s in your basement? Is it straight up storage? Do you have living space down there? Mine is a mix of storage and living space. We made a play area for the kids that has revolved into their gymnastics area. It also serves as a music area for my husband to play guitar and the kids practice their instruments. Once a year I make an effort to go through all the kids toys to try and purge the stuff they don’t use anymore. That will be my first priority this week. The holidays are fast approaching. The time of year the kids get new stuff. And I have a rule that when you get new stuff you should get rid of an equal amount of old stuff. Rather than wait until after the holidays to do it, I do it before when life is a little less hectic. I have an idea of what I will get my kids for the holidays so use that to gauge how much stuff to get rid of. This week will be easy though, as I have already been granted permission from the kids to get rid of (donate) all their doll stuff and other toys from the basement. They told me the only stuff they play with are the gymnastics mats and beam. And just this weekend, we inherited an air hockey table from our cousins whose kids are grown and don’t use it anymore. Our kids were more than happy to give the table a new life and can’t wait to get it set up in our basement! Priority number two in the basement is our seasonal decor organization. Most of it is already organized but we have accumulated quite a bit over the years. So now is also a good time to start purging some things and donating things. Last year I got rid of some Christmas decorations. But I still feel like I have too much. 2 full shelves is a lot, to me. So I hope to be able to purge a few more Christmas. I’ll be pulling out the Halloween stuff to use next week. We are having a neighborhood party so we like to have the outside decorated. The Easter stuff has diminished a lot the past 2 years. I just don’t seem to do much decorating for Easter so I should purge more. Keep the baskets for the kids but some of the tchotchkes or knick-knacks can go. Only keep what brings you joy! Now, let’s get to work in the basement! Stay tuned to my Instagram and Facebook pages to see my projects throughout the week. Stay tuned for next week as we move on to the Master Bedroom. I can’t wait!