In this episode of Organize & Cherish, we're diving into March’s Fix It or Free It moment—a month that turned out to be more about letting go than fixing. After trying my hand at repairing items earlier in the year, this month I faced my overflowing fix-it box with honesty and a 15-minute timer. Tune in to hear what stayed, what left, and the big reminders this month brought up about storage, sentimental clutter, and giving yourself permission to move on.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How a 15-minute timer helped speed up decision-making
- What I learned from repairing items in January and February
- Why storage should align with your actual life (and goals!)
Mentioned in this episode:
- My February project: turning a dress into a skirt (Ep. 115)
- A reminder that “taking care of your stuff” also means making decisions
- My own slip-ups and what they taught me as a professional organizer
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
So unlike January and February where I got to roll up my sleeves and fix a few things and do the research on who I wanted to use to convert one of my dresses to a skirt and find the strap for my work bag, that would work best. I. All this stuff, right? I put a little bit more work into it. March taught me a slightly different but just as important lesson, which was that letting go can be its own form of fixing.
Welcome to the Organized and Cherish podcast. With the organized flamingo. I am your host Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep.
And let go with dignity and care because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life. Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. So let's set the stage for a second. My fix-it box was getting a little bit outta hand, which is how this entire thing started.
We all have have one, right? Like the, you know what I'm talking about, whether it's an actual bin or a mental list of items, we swear we'll get to one day in March. I decided to face the box because in January and February as I was looking through the stuff and picking what I wanted to finally make a decision on to either fix or let go, I realized that there was a lot more than 12 items in the box, which is not a big deal, but.
I realized that there was just way more stuff I needed to make a decision on than I realized. So I gave myself a limit, which was like around 15 minutes. In 15 minutes. What I did was I asked myself, do I love this enough to spend money, time, or energy on it? Now that I know what fixing really takes, like I had done January and February, you know, in those two, two months, I did some research.
Both of them cost me a little bit of money. Not too much, but enough to make a difference, right? And so I asked myself that question in those 15, like I would make a decision within 15 minutes asking myself that question. And the honest answer for a lot of the things was no. So here's what I realized.
Experience changes expectations after fixing my work back in January, which is episode 1 0 9, and converting the dress into a skirt in February, which is episode one 15, I had a better understanding of how much effort fixing actually takes. It's not hard, but it does require follow through and if I wasn't excited to see an item through to the end, it probably didn't belong in my life anymore.
So that was realization number one. Realization number two was that I'm not going to learn how to sew right now. A lot of the stuff in that box are related to sewing, so I flirted with the idea and it sounds useful and creative and. Eco-friendly as well, which is very important to me. But realistically, I don't have the time or the drive to pick it up right now.
So anything that depended on me learning to sow that got freed, I made very quick decisions over if it was something of value. I offered it to a couple of friends that do know how to sew, and I gave them the choice. Like I said, Hey, I'm gonna get rid of this. Do you want it? One friend did take me up on it because she liked the fabric, and then the rest I let go.
I donated or threw it away. This is a skill that I want to learn. Like I know very basic sewing. I'm talking, put the string through the needle hole and fix something very quickly. Some socks, some quick fixes. Okay. I, I know the very basic, I know a couple of the ways to close the, the loop. And then that's pretty much it.
Uh, like I know how to crochet. Side note. I know how to do very basic crocheting and some needle points. So I like, I understand the concept. I am just not skilled enough for those complex stitching or like making sure that whatever I sew is going to stay on. Like I sewed this one jacket of mine, the, there's a hole in it and, and I still wear it because it's, I'm just gonna do the quick fix, but I did the quick fix sewing and it came apart because I did not do a good job with it.
So. You know, when it comes to stuff that I'd like to save, I wanna make sure that I do it right or it looks good. Not just a half done job, but I'm not going to learn how to sell right now. It's just the honest truth. As many reels and YouTube videos that I save and I love, and I have a Pinterest board all about it, honestly, I don't have the time and I don't have the energy to do it right now.
So that stuff got freed. It was a great aha moment for me of being honest with myself. I'm just not going to learn how to sew right now. Being honest about the style and storage damage, those two tips were were a reality check, and I'll tell you why. So four pieces of clothing were gone. That was really nice.
They were like thick pieces of clothing too, like one was a sweater, so it took up a lot of space, not because they were torn or ruined. Because they were so out of fashion and no longer me, like, it was a, probably, like, one of 'em was like, I've been bringing that along for like 10 years. It's so out of fashion.
And it like, like it's not even the timeless fashion that you could say, oh, you know, you could wear that no matter what. It really just does not look good. It's very specific to the, um, late 20, you know, 2000 tens or something Also. Two bags I'd shoved in there. They were ruined from poor storage. I basically shoved it in there in the box.
So yeah, even profession organizers get reminded from the universe that you also have to pay attention to stuff. You know, like the universe is like, hello, you teach all about this, don't you remember? I always say take care of your things and choose storage that aligns with your goals. It's really important because if not, you run the risk of your stuff getting damaged and this was one of those practice what you preach moments.
I must have just shoved it in there in a move and forgot about it. To be honest, I didn't do a good job decluttering this box and the bag that I liked enough to, I just needed to fix. One of the handles, the, it started to peel off. I mean, it wasn't like a nice designer. Not even designer like quality, but I really just liked the style, but I shoved it in there in the crease of the sh, like how it was folded, created this like peeling, like it just started to peel, the fabric started to almost like melt.
It was almost like plastic, so it just got ruined. Okay, so end of story, like I never paid attention or remembered that I had that stuff in there. From time to time, I would open it, but I just didn't pay attention to the fact that some of these items would need extra care. This goes without saying, but I've mentioned this so many times that just pay attention to that.
Like if there is something super special to you that you do not want to ruin no matter what the quality or what the fabric or what the, what the item is made out of. If it's special to you, it's important, but. Make sure that the storage and how you're storing it is representative to your feelings about the item.
And obviously I didn't care enough about these items that it got ruined. Hi, cherish friends life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter and everything in between. That's why I created the Organizing Cherish Weekly email that goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox.
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Now, back to our show. So what did make the cut? There's two shirts that I really like. It's like a really nice shade of blue that I seem to look really good in, you know, that I feel comfortable in and I feel confident in. So I am going to fix that. It has a little hole in the front. I might actually just put a patch, like it doesn't even have to be the perfect stitch.
I might just do like a really cute patch and make it, just make it mine, and one other shirt and a couple other things. Anyway, so just a few thoughtful moments here though about all of this stuff. That the items I'm about to list, in addition to what I just said is that these items are my type of timeless, the kind that when I looked at it, I wish there was, I would have bought more or that I could find again.
That's how I feel about these items. One is a tote linen bag. I still love it and want to repair it. This one's getting a professional help because the tote bag, like if you don't do a good sewing job, it just looks. Pitch patch, like it's right on the seam at the bottom. And of course I wanna make sure that it holds stuff in the bag, like it doesn't just fall apart.
So, but it, the design is really pretty. I got it. When I was in California, uh, I am originally, that's where I grew up in California, but I went to, on a trip to go see one of my best friends in California and I got this tote bag when MIC and I just were shopping in little like shops and it holds really special memories and I really like the design, so I do want to take the time to fix it.
A beach bag that is like very, it's not a beach bag, but it's also almost like a straw cute little bag. I don't know if you know the Golden Girls Show. I love that show. It's one of my favorites. And um, it's almost like Sophia Petrillo type of bag. It's super cute. It's like a beachy theme in the front with some beads in the front that needs new straps.
Something I really would like to do soon because I actually would wear it. Like it's very me, it makes me nostalgic, it makes me think of my favorite show. It is something that I would wear. A baby book I saved from my son's early years. So it's something that he got as a gift. It means a lot to me. And he pulled it, you know, when they're babies, like they'll pull some of the pages.
He did pull a one of the pages. It's a popup type of book and it just needs to be glued, but I just haven't done it and I think it's worth saving. So I will be keeping that one. This one. And then the next, this one, which is a small stuffed animal that my son can practice sewing on. It felt like a sweet way to keep the, the spirit of fixing alive in a different way.
And I do want to fix, fix it and show him how to fix things. So the baby book and stuffed animal are actually going to be an activity for him and I to do so that he also can learn the value in his excitement that comes with fixing something. So those two things I'm keeping and everything else I released and it felt really good.
Okay, so to wrap up today's episode. To give you what I will be doing in April. Let me remind you, the fixing is wonderful, but sometimes fixing is also about fixing the expectations we've placed on ourselves, what we should do, what we might do, or what we think will get to someday. Maybe it's not worth it.
So letting go with intention is just as powerful as patching a handle or sewing a scene, even if you're the most eco-conscious person in the world. And you want to do good with Earth and try to relive some of these items. Revive, I should say, not relive or revive some of these items. I get that the intention is there, but if you are not going to do something about it, it's taking up mental space and physical space that you can be doing something else with.
Do your best to recycle, repurpose, give it to someone else. But if you honestly won't be doing something about it, perhaps it's just time to let it go. If you are also going to be starting a fix it pile like I have, try giving yourself a time limit. I chose 15 minutes. That seems to be my sweet spot. And then be honest about what still holds value.
And don't be afraid to release what doesn't, because you don't have to keep things just because you said you would, you're allowed to change your mind. Okay, so for April, what I'm going to do is I'm going to pick one of these items from. The, what I just talked about, the thing is here is that I've already fixed a str like straps from my work bag, and then the repurposed the dress into the skirt.
So I'd like to tack tackle on a furniture piece for April. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna do a quick fix on a, a, like a furniture piece. I'm gonna go around my house and look at something that needs to be fixed, and I'm gonna fix it. Okay, so something that I can do within a day. So that's what I will do.
I'll give you what I chose and I'll tell, I'll give you the recap for our next episode where I give you like my lessons learned. Okay? So it will be a furniture piece though, and I will give you my take on what I learned, what I decided to do, and all the tips in between. In Until next week, happy organizing.
Talk to you soon. Thank you for listening to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. If you enjoy today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast.
Until next time, happy organizing.
