Tricky Treats

A conversation from inside my head:

Hey, wanna make a deal? If you do some cleaning in the family room this weekend, you can buy yourself a treat to spruce up the space. 

Yay! I love treats. What exactly do I have to clean?

Oh, you know, just sort through that horrifying accumulation of flotsam and jetsam that has built up over the past few decades, including:

• A landslide of greeting cards, notes and letters
• Our sizable and well-loved but rarely-used collection of VHS and DVD movies
• Several generations of family photos, albums, and memorabilia 
• Books, books, books, books, and books. And more books. 

Ughhh.That sounds like a lot of work.What exactly can I buy as my treat?

Anything you want. As long as it's under forty bucks.

^ Three days later, after many scary hours of sorting and stacking, editing and eliminating, I was the proud owner of a (mostly) clutter-free family room and this new plant. Scoring the last perfectly-sized fiddle leaf fig at Home Depot for $13 and a stylish pre-owned basket at Value Village for a mere $5, my reward package came in at less than half of the total budget. 

^ So when I met up with this gem of a plate today for the pittance of 99 cents, I snatched it up in a heartbeat. The colors and design are so totally me it's ridiculous, and by gosh, I earned it.

* * * * * 

This is how I motivate myself to stay on top of the never-ending clutter-cutting tasks that come with managing a busy home. I trick myself into doing these jobs through the promise of some tempting treats, and the results are always satisfyingly sweet.