1.19.2012

Goal #4 Office Supplies

A natural transition from craft supplies is stationery, this goal I have tackled before, but somehow the pens, clips and everything else office-supply-like seems to multiply on their own. Especially after digging out the craft items.

Goal #4
Reduce Office Supplies to What I Use, Need & Love

Background: How many mediocre pens does a family of 4 need? I admit I have a bit of a stationery addiction. I love pens, markers, pencil crayons, tape, glue, paper, clips and bins.... they are just begging to CREATE something. I get positively giddy in the big-box office supply places... and there lies the problem. I'm always happy to find a different pen or drawing stick.... and even if they are sub-standard, they stick around languishing in drawers or bins.

Challenge: Take all these supplies from every corner of the house and edit, edit, edit to a reasonable and practical amount of supplies. Take the excess to the school for their use. Remove the duds to the bin.

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Process: All in one pile, each item was tested (pens, markers, scissors, glue, stapler, etc...), then the useful items sorted by category. Each category was then judged strictly.... Is it being used? Is it a favourite? How many of this item is really needed?

Verdict: small bag to trash (half-used notebooks, dead pens, old markers, dried out glue sticks...). And a decent sized box taken to the schoolcrayons, hole punches, primary scissors, fancy paper, stickers, rulers, pencil boxes, pencil sharpeners, blank notebooks, etc. The entire sort/purge took 1.5 hours while watching a favourite chick flick for the 100th time -- it was almost fun! And the best part is NOW I know what there actually is in the house in the way of supplies (and tht they all work) and where to go when I need them! A very liberating feeling.

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