It took a lot of time to go through the boxes in the basement, but it feels SO much better walking downstairs and not looking at a mess. I could still open a Staples in my basement though; couldn't bring myself to toss alllll the office supplies. 

If I'm going to clean out my basement, I'm going to get paid for it. "7 Lessons From My Basement" is in The Seattle Times.

Before:

And after:

I didn't want to get the fancy bins from The Container Store, so these are from Target a decade ago. Don't make the mistake I made; get bins with straight sides so you don't waste all that space.

Time warp. I found this collection of vintage cell phones, including a cutting edge flip phone circa 2005. My kids thought it was hilarious.

I LOVE print and I loved designing newspapers and magazines.... and I sent a blue bin-full to the curb. Print design isn't exactly a growth industry. Even if I somehow go back, I probably shouldn't be showing clips featuring Obama and McCain.

Can't bear to throw it in a landfill, so instead I hoard little collections of obscure recyclables.