As a way of keeping my home in order and myself organized, I subscribe to FlyLady.net, a free list service and website that offers tips and tricks that busy perfectionists like myself can use to avoid C.H.A.O.S. (that’s “can’t have anyone over syndrome”). Thanks to FlyLady, cleaning has become a game. Several times a day, her reminders and challenges “ping” into my in-box, and if I’m not busy doing story interviews or writing articles, I’ll drop what I’m doing, set my timer for 15 minutes, and get busy with whatever task she suggests.

On Fridays I have come to expect her Clean Car Boogie reminder. A Clean Car Boogie (basically, cleaning out your car) is an awesome way to take back your car after a week of carpooling. If you’re a soccer mom, working mom or over-scheduled mom, you know how your car can suddenly grow clutter as the week goes on. By Friday, you’re lucky if your passengers’ feet can find the floor.

Right about now, with gas costing more than $3 a gallon, we could all use a Clean Car Boogie to keep our cars free of clutter. Why? Because a cluttered, loaded-down car is a heavier car (no, duh there), which means it has to use more fuel to get from point a to point b. Meaning that in the process you’re getting worse gas mileage and probably emitting more fumes because you’re using more gas.

So earlier today I did my Clean Car Boogie, and you would be amazed at how much came out of my car–and how much I estimated each thing weighed. Here’s a small sample of what I found in just the trunk:

* 3 folding spectator chairs (Total weight: about 7 lb.)
* 1 bag of practice soccer balls–that’s about 12 balls (Total weight: about 20 lb)
* 2 cases of bottled water–yes, it’s evil but it was my contribution to an end-of-season soccer party that ended up getting rained out (Total weight: about 50 lbs)

When I just went to pick up my eldest daughter from her basketball practice, I couldn’t say that my car, now with an empty trunk, felt like it had more get-up-and-go, but at least I know that I’m not hauling around nearly 80 pounds of useless weight–and burning excess gas in the process.

When was the last time you cleared out your trunk of that gas-guzzling junk? If I found nearly 80 pounds stuff in my trunk, let me know how much you find in yours.