living consciously: Wednesday Weed Out: Tupperware

It's Wednesday, so that means it's time to spend less than 30 minutes simplifying your house by tackling a small project. Tupperware!! (Editor's note: Tupperware is a brand name which now is part of our regular lexicon for all plastic ware!! I only REALLY realized that when I was typing it.)
If you are like me, you have an assortment of tupperware. I have some great rubbermaid plastic wear and I then I have a lot of butter containers or containers that sliced turkey was packaged in. Here are some ways to think about it as you start:

1. Find all of your tupperware, tops and bottoms.
2. Start matching tops and bottoms
3. Set aside those that don't have a top or bottom.
4. Sort the same type of containers. For example, I have 3 of the same type and size of gladware (you know the kind that was meant to give away, but you use this as much as you do the "good stuff").
5. Take a sharpie and number tops and bottoms. So, like the 3 I just must mentioned that I had sorted....all those tops match all those bottoms. So, I label them all "1" with a sharpie. Any top that has a "1" will match any bottom that is labeled "1".
6. So on and so on. This way you don't have to spend a lot of time trying lid after lid. Just peruse your lids for the correct number!
7. After you have labeled all your tops and bottoms with a sharpie, return them to your tupperware drawer.

IMPORTANT SIDEBAR: Some people have shelves of tupperware. If you have more than one shelf in your cabinet and you are convinced you need all of it (probably don't), then you can label each shelf: "Tupperware 1-3" and next shelf "Tupperware 4-6" etc. So, after you wash your tupperware and put it away, you can at least return it to the correct shelf. If this is you, I would actually decide what you are going to put on each shelf and fit them nicely and THEN do step 5 (write on your tupperware)

8. If you are a tupperware ~~hoarder~~ lover and can't stand the idea of tossing any, consider this. Keep a reasonable amount and return that to your allotted space. Keep the rest in a bag out of the kitchen...maybe the basement... or a out of reach cabinet and see how many times you reach for it. Likely, you won't. Likely, you will wash what you use and return it to it's spot and most of the tuppeware never gets used. (Kind of like tee shirts...we just wash the top ones and never get to the bottom of the pile!) You can also get this bag of tupperware out when you are sending a doggie bag home with a dinner guest! If you haven't used the tupperware in the bag in 6 months, that is your clue that you have as much as you need in your cabinets.

9. As for the bottoms that didn't have tops, recycle the tops and see if the bottoms are useful in organizing something else in you home (packs of gum, salad dressing packets, etc).

Here's what I did!