Sue's Photo Gallery
Below are some examples of Sue's last two homes over the years.
They reflect how far she has come with developing her "decluttering muscles".
Sue's Kitchen in early 2015
Sue had a mountain of kitchen utensils, cookware and appliances to take care
of and maintain. Unfortunately she couldn't afford a maid to clean and
dust them for her.
Sue's kitchen in late 2015
The reason Sue's kitchen is less cluttered here, is because she was packing to move from a rental house to her own home.
It was not due to decluttering or
being a less messy person.
2015 kitchen thoughts...
Sue feels sorry for the previous version of herself who was completely overwhelmed with kitchen "stuff" to manage.
Her current self says
"we are never going back to that again"!
Sue's Theatre Room in 2021
Sue knew she had far too many unused books and DVDs collecting dust and possibly cobwebs.
The room felt busy, oppressive and loomed over her when watching a show.
Sue's Theatre room in 2025
Sue decluttered several boxes of books and DVDs which were not loved or used -
some she didn't even like!
She moved the remaining DVDs to a dedicated DVD folder
and recycled the cases.
Sue knew that when DVDs returned to the height of fashion, she would be ready!
Theatre Room thoughts...
After decluttering dozens of books and DVDs, Sue's Theatre room can breathe
again and so can she!
Some of the accumulated items were not serving any purpose in her current stage of life. They needed a new home with someone who'd appreciate them now.
Sue's Linen cupboard before decluttering in 2020
Sue had so much linen! Often when she slid open the doors, items would drop on her head! Bizarrely, Sue put up with that situation for quite some time...
Sue's Linen cupboard before decluttering in 2020
The Linen Cupboard was jam packed with more than just linen. All sorts of miscellaneous items were shoved in
there to die a slow death.
Sue's Linen Cupboard after decluttering in 2020
Several hours later, there were less items in the Cupboard but it was still quite full.
Labels were definitely needed to help Sue locate the correct size of sheets.
Sue knew from past experience, that trying to put a King Single fitted sheet
on a King sized bed was not much fun, unless you were watching from a distance!
Sue's Linen Cupboard after decluttering in 2020
Sue still had too much inventory but she understood that decluttering occurs in stages and
it was better than before.
There was a definite feeling that items were less likely to drop from the sky and bounce off her head!
Sue later re-used the white plastic containers in her pantry. They continue to work well there and have a new lease on life.
Sue's Linen Cupboard 2024
The clear bags worked better in the Linen Cupboard for Sue than the white plastic containers ever did.
She could now grab a labelled bag and take it to the relevant room when needed.
Still not perfect but much better than before. Linen is mostly contained and less likely to do a runner.
Linen Cupboard thoughts...
With the Linen Cupboard, Sue needed to give herself grace to build
decluttering muscles.
It was also trial and error at times as to what organisers would work best and cause the least harm to Sue's person.
Around 18 months later, Sue's Linen Cupboard is still working well for her.
She's pleased to report there have
been no further injuries.
Sue's Pantry 2020
Sue's pantry was overflowing. The transparent containers showed all of the bright coloured packaging and were too busy and obnoxious.
The metal shelf rack often allowed items to drop through it and disappear into the abyss.
Sue was not on friendly terms with the rack and has since decluttered it to plague someone else.
Sue's Pantry 2020
Sue is not a fan of clear plastic cannisters. The lids often don't seal well and food becomes stale or worse, drops all over the floor and has to be cleaned up by the "magical kitchen fairies".
Sue ended up decluttering the cannisters and uses glass versions with screw top metal lids now, They work well unless you're clumsy and drop them, which may or may not have happened to her...
Sue's Kitchen Drawer in 2020
Sue's meal prep drawer was always getting stuck and she often could not find the lids/bases to the plasticware and glassware.
Sometimes swearing would ensue and the need to walk away was required...
Sue had previously tried saucepans in the drawer but they also got jammed or the handles would stick out the sides. A different type of product was needed in this space to avoid further trauma...
Sue's Kitchen Drawer
The drawer works far better for bowls than food containers and Sue has been able to maintain it to this day with minimal swearing.
Sue's plasticware has mostly been replaced with glassware. Sue was horrified to hear that the average person eats a dinner plate sized amount of micro and nano
plastics each year.
Sue keeps the lids on meal prep containers for convenience and uses a large white plastic container for storage. She is less of a fan of plastic now but it still has its uses. She doesn't intend to eat any storage containers
if at all possible.
Sue's Pantry 2024
Sue re-used the Linen Cupboard containers in her pantry and they work well here.
Some packaging is still raising it's ugly head above the solid containers but it's easier to see what she has on hand.
Unfortunately, Sue made the mistake at the time of building her home, to pay extra money for wider shelving to allow more storage. Wider shelving means more room for stuff and stuff has been her nemesis...
Sue's Pantry 2025
Sue added an over the door clear "shoe rack" to her pantry door for snacks which works well. It looks messy but the door can be shut
to hide it.
Sue also moved the oils and vinegars for easier access when cooking. In Sue's book, if you have to cook, make it as easy as possible or better yet, get someone else to do it!
Overall thoughts on Sue's 2025 kitchen...
The kitchen is so much easier for Sue to maintain now that the stuff has been reduced and solid
white containers are in use.
Sue knows what she has and can keep an eye on expiry dates more easily, when she remembers
to check.
The drawback is that there is no real excuse for "accidentally" buying so much chocolate now...
