One Small Step You Can Take This Weekend Towards a Less-Cluttered Kitchen

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The moment I feel a tinge ofcooler temperatures I suddenly (somewhat like a squirrel gathering acorns) begin to collect cold-weather drink supplies. Chai latte concentrate and vanilla tea find their way into my shopping cart alongside mums and a few white pumpkins.

But when I get home to sock my finds in the tea basket above my fridge, I find that no amount of Tetris will make the new boxes fit. And I feel guilty for buying new exciting flavors when I still have last year’s stash ofGood Earthand chamomile.

Pulling out mugsis another problem. I have favorites I reach for, ones that bring to mind treasured epochs, but they’re all mixed in with chipped or not-special mugs that do nothing but make it hard to get to the ones that would comfort me almost as much as the warm tea I want to drink from them.

This weekend, we’re going to prepare to make our hot drink experience the relaxing treat it’s meant to be.

By paring down both your tea and other hot drink collection as well as your selection of mugs, each time you go to grab something warm to drink, making it happen will become part of, rather than a hindrance to, your cold-weather wind-down ritual.

Here are some tips:

• Pull out all of your mugs and all of your hot drink items. (Think: tea, cocoa, mulling spices, syrups, and concentrates.)
• Make three piles: keep, toss, donate.
• Keep in mind that chipped mugs arebad feng shui. Even if you don’t believe they’ll bring bad luck, it takes energy to avoid the crack so you don’t cut your lip. Not relaxing.
• I won’t use a certain well-worn phrase, but for real, keep only the mugs that make you happy.
• Keep only the tea (and other consumables) that you and those in your household are looking forward to drinkingthis season. Give away or donate the rest so someone else can enjoy it. Note that, though it may have diminished flavor profiles,expired tea is safe to drink.
• Consider atea organizerto keep your whittled-down collection of favorite teas both handy and in order.
• If you’re looking for a new way to store or display your collection, check outthese mug display ideas.

You can catch up with weekend projectsright here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag#atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.