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Hi all!
Now that our only storage space has been transformed into a nursery, DH and I need to pare down (again). We decided to challenge ourselves to declutter 200 items in the next 30 days. I think this is a pretty achievable goal; if we don't make it, it will be because we are tired and strapped for time, not because we aren't willing to purge.
Anyway, I thought I would keep track of our progress here. I love lists and accountability!
Today's purge:
14 books
a bouncy seat
pacifier sanitizer
pitcher
doll
belt
4 magazines
mesh shopping bag
quilted bag
hat
two pillow cases
3 valances
table runner
plate
Precious Moments knick knack
small stuffed animal
desk calendar
Total: 36
happystuff
6-21-13, 6:07pm
Good luck!
fidgiegirl
6-22-13, 1:47pm
Ooh, I like these ones and have felt a purge coming on, but 200 would be a lot for us, unless both of us gets bit by the purging bug in the next week or so. I will think about it, but would probably do 100. Will let you know if I decide to join in, but even if not, will be watching with great interest!! You've already got an awesome start!
rodeosweetheart
6-22-13, 3:53pm
Count me in for 200. Will post when I have purged something. It should not be hard, as I have been in acquisition mode lately, not sure why.
rodeosweetheart
6-22-13, 4:05pm
Total so far: 15
1 watch
1pr pants for quilting
8 shirts
1 dress (never fit)
1 skirt (never fit)
3 mugs (came shrink wrapped with the two I wanted as a gift)
I always love a good purge challenge.
24 so far:
12 school uniform items - donated to the private school my son attended last year, he's decided to transfer back to the public system for more options in creative writing and drama classes.
3 pj bottoms that were too big
5 shirts
1 cheese grater
3 pair of sandals (need a little better arch for walking and the healing ankle)
SteveinMN
6-23-13, 12:34pm
I might get in on this one. I think 200 is a huge challenge, but I think, for myself, 100 is doable. And a deadline gives it some priority.
I made a pretty good dent yesterday listening to LPs I haven't listened to in a while. I'd say I set aside maybe eight or nine for a trip to the used-record store. More today, I think.
Yay! So glad some of you decided to join me! :)
I haven't had the time to purge any additional items-- my children have been taking shifts to ensure I never sleep. ;-) But the box that we put together has been donated, so at least that stuff is out of my house!
Gardenarian
6-26-13, 7:05pm
Excellent! We're purging too (too much to count - Barbie and polly pocket clothes, oy.)
up to 30
1 book
2 more pair of shoes
3 cups that I fought putting lids on (will have to find something different for my iced coffee every morning)
I'm in the midst of a purge myself. I've gotten rid of a lot of books (some sold on Amazon, some to library for their sale), clothes, papers, all sorts of small stuff.
I'm late to the party on this one. Haven't thought to post. I'm sure that two weeks ago I took two boxes to goodwill. That was at least 10 items. And yesterday I gave about 10 more books to the local community center. I have about another 10 old cookbooks on the front porch to go. The person on Craig's list who claimed them, didn't take come and get them. I'm working on a new pile of books. I'm finally getting to a place where I can let go of books. It's been decades long coming. I'm going to try and stay active on this thread to keep going.
I feel your pain, Gardenarian! DD has a couple of toys like that--her baby doll and her My Little Ponies--that just have a zillion accessories and other little pieces. They get spread out all over and drive me insane! She loves those toys though, and plays with them regularly, so I am trying to teach her to just put the stuff back in the container when she is done with it.
Today I did a little baby purge and let go of:
4 beauty samples
1 small plastic toy of DD's
Total: 41
Holy smokes! I need to get movin'! :)
I'm aiming for 500 for the YEAR, so obviously, I've set a low bar for myself!
In any case, today I went through some old boxes of stray socks and old underwear. Yes. These are the things I hoard! Well, I managed to get rid of 79 things: socks with holes or without pairs, as well as old bras and underpants that don't fit. It felt great. My total for the year is 298 at this point. Hmmm ... maybe I'll get past 500!
The bonus was that I also found four bras that fit perfectly. I think they were bras I bought right before I got pregnant and then quickly grew out of. But now I can totally use them again. I was just about to go out and buy a new batch of bras, so that discovery saved me about $100. Very satisfying.
30 little hair clippies that didn't work in DD's hair
Another beauty sample
Big stack of expired coupons
Big pile of paperwork to shred
1 hat
Total: 75
Almost halfway, Kat!
ejchase, I don't personally think 500 is a low bar at all! Keep on truckin' . . .
Thanks for the encouragement, Fidgiegirl. Congrats, Kat, on all your progress! I threw out 2 old pieces of work out clothing that have gotten stained, so my total for this 30 day challenge is 81!
5 - more clothing items
3 - 2 grid walls and a box of hooks (not going to count them) and I'm making $30 from selling them
5 - two small boxes of acrylic display stands (also not going to count each screw,post, or top) and I'm making another $30
10 - misc items for thrift shop from studio (I didn't go thru the box - was just thrilled that the DH got on board to do a little clean out )
20 - misc items for Habitat Rehab store (spray paints, stain, plumbing tape, other items - again just thrilled that DH was cleaning out the studio shelves)
That brings me to 73. We've listed some other items on craigslist and an artist garage sale page on Facebook. Hope I can post more things leaving soon.
Four more things to the kids' consignment store yesterday, so I'm up to 85.
This thread has really motivated me. Thanks, Kat!
12 more things to the thrift store today, so up to 97. I'm off work for a couple weeks, so this is a good time for me to do this.
Nice going, ejchase!
Passed along probably 10 more books today. I've been keeping on top of shredding the mail as it comes in each day.
I am not doing an ongoing count but have a box going for Epilepsy Foundation pickup. We took a biggish TV to Best Buy last week for recycling (yippee!) and dropped off a box of about 10 kitchen items & a lamp at Bridging (http://www.bridging.org/) today.
WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO! You are doing *great*, ejchase! Keep it up! :-)
fidgie--must have felt great to get that furniture outta there!
I'm not doing so hot but figure I will keep plodding along. :-) My count will look better when DH and I can tackle the toy room, which will happen the minute my children start sleeping. LOL
Anyway, today I let go of:
3 ribbons
2 fabric bags
4 health/beauty items
1 pr socks
1 pair boxers
2 very hole-y dish rags
Total: 88
I also packed up a bunch of my maternity clothes and some of the kids' clothes. I am not including those things in the count since I technically still own them. But they are going into storage at my MIL's house, so at least they are outta the house!
Fantastic work, Tradd, Fidgiegirl, and Kat! You all are keeping me inspired.
I sold 8 books on Amazon today (set of 6) and then two separate ones, all to the same buyer. Made $77. :) I mailed them today, so they're out of my place, too.
74 - sold some fire retardant booth drapes
75 - 80 purses/shoes
My SO and I finally tackled a cupboard in our kitchen that had old baby bottles and sippy cups. My conservative estimate is we got rid of about 20 things - hard to tell because there were so many little pieces and attachments. In any case, I think that puts me up to 117!
80-85 cleaned out the spice cabinet. As I started I was amazed at the old, expired items...didn't I just do this not long ago???? Then I remembered the boys were probably 6 &7 when I last cleaned out that cabinet (they are 16 & 17 now).
86-92 magazines (dropping off at the nursing home)
93-95 2 pair earrings and a bracelet to thrift shop
96-100 puzzles and games to thrift shop
1/2 way there. Not sure I'll hit 200 or not but trying.
101-102 Two baby bottles full of coins. Donated to local pregnancy center for their Baby Bottle Boomerang Fundraiser.
i decided to modify my participation in this challenge. For me it will be 200 albums (vinyl or CD) in 60 days.
I've been "collecting" for years. When you love music and can try something new for 99 cents, it's hard to say no. But now it's time. I have more than 500 albums and CDs -- some of which are inadvertant duplicates or releases that encompass most or all of another release. 33 (and 1/3?) down already; more to go.
steve, where are you sending the albums?
steve, where are you sending the albums?
Most of them are not worth any more than the buck I paid for them, so I will haul them down to either Half-Price Books or to Cheapo, a local chain that sells used LPs, CDs, DVDs, etc.
Some of the albums had one or two great songs on them. So I'll save the space of the albums by taking some of what I make on them on iTunes buying just the tracks I like. That lets me clear out probably another couple of dozen albums.
Another book gone - sold on Amazon. Profit of $71. :)
Super job, everyone! Love that you donated the baby bottles full of change, Float On. :-)
My purge so far today is small...but every little bit helps, right?
1 pair of little girl shoes (someone gave them to me, but they have a heel, and DH and I don't want our daughter--who is not yet two--wearing high heels)
1 book (it is a super cool book, actually--The Book of Exodus written in Hebrew with beautiful illustrations--and I am sad to see it go. It is just really big; it doesn't fit on our bookshelf, and I don't have anywhere else to keep it)
Total: 90
103 - Sold a small chest freezer and made $75 (probably asked too little - had lots of emails/calls about it and the people who bought it drove an hour to get here). I don't stock-pile food like I once did and hadn't had it plugged in for over 2 years.
My foray is parting out a chuck of my vintage dishes collection. Also magazines & books. Just started, but I already have 3 dozen books ready to go, and 4 dozen various platters, bowls, juice glasses, etc. on their way out. Yay!!
I also just donated a bookshelf, desk, & futon couch to a non-profit for a satellite office they have. My Goddess-daughter, who I have known since she was 8 months old, is now a research biologist, and is employing the daughter of another good friend. Their office needs furniture, and I am over the moon to pass this along to them. It will free up space in my weaving studio! Woo hoo!
Awesome job, redfox!
Yesterday I threw out a broken pen (really need to go through the rest of my pens!), a picture, a stack of expired coupons, a stack of old bills/random paperwork, and a stack of DD's artwork (sob! but I just can't keep it all)
Total: 95
Really need to get moving on this. I just don't have that much time to declutter right now!
Eight more albums here. Haven't been home much the last couple of days to listen and cull....
A few more:
5 small toys
A broken picture frame
Total: 101
Those dishes are lovely, redfox! I like how you have them displayed, too.
Finally got hubby to go thru his closet. Now two huge black garbage sacks full and the closet still seems full. Found our box of new pants and tried them on. About half now fit and have replaced those with shabby hems.
Made the trip to the thrift store and to the garbage bin so we cannot welcome any of the items back into the house.
104-105 reading glasses donated to the lions box - wrong RX
106-116 son #2 went through his ties
117 - son #1 worn out shoes
118-128 son #2 suit jackets and dress shirts
129-131 me - a few skirts
132-135 flower pots (left by the compost pile at the recycle center)
136 PC tower - to the computer recycle drop off
Way to go, Everyone!
I got rid of two broken umbrellas today which brings me up to 119.
I propose we extend the deadline past 30 days to July 31st. I think I might be able to get rid of 80 more things by then ...
Wow--you guys are rockin' it! :-)
I like the idea of moving the deadline, ejchase!
I did a mini declutter in the bathroom and purged:
3 health and beauty products
2 old toothbrushes
I also found another small toy and a broken picture frame to get rid of!
Total: 108
fidgiegirl
7-20-13, 10:09am
Awesome job, all!
We have a small box upstairs ready to go out to curbside charity pickup on Tuesday, and DH has been listing all the "to eBay" crap that has been piling up around our house.
And what are we going to do this morning? Why . . . go garage sale-ing!! Ay ay ay!!! Why do we do this to ourselves?! But we have so much fun . . .
Returned 5 interdepartemental mail envelopes from work - they've been in the trunk of my car for months.
Also, brought to the school where I teach a bunch of (7) nice presentation binders that I can't use - just left them in the library with a sign on them encouraging students to take them.
That brings me up to 131.
137 credit card swipe terminal (taken to the computer recycle center)
138 case of credit card thermal paper
139-149 (10 + pounds of old business files, catalogs, price lists, etc) All credit to DH on that one, and I'll count each pound as one item because this was really hard for him to do.
150-151 wall maps (donated to a homeschooling friend)
152-162 DH found 10 books he was willing to send to the used book store
163 - I broke a pair of sunglasses (thankfully not my RX pair)
164-179 selling 15 small 1/2 size pallets today via craigslist. Buyer should pick up at 2:30.
If we take this to the end of the month, I think I'll reach that 200 item goal.
SteveinMN
7-22-13, 12:39pm
I just mucked out the fridge. Do the items which did not return count? :D
Those dishes are lovely, redfox! I like how you have them displayed, too.
Thanks! It means we use them, which is my rule of keep-or-get-rid-of. Nothing precious is my other rule.
Today, more not being used dishes are going away, to a friend, and she is bringing me some of her homemade hummus in trade. (I sold the ones worth selling.) Yesterday, an IKEA expedite workstation went to a neighbor for his 8 year old, and he paid me in homemade pesto. Yummm! I am liking this trade stuff for edibles trend.
Tomorrow, one of the kids my DSD went to high school with is taking away a futon & folding frame. Perfect for her starter apartment. I've been listing stuff on my Facebook page, and this has been the very best way to find takers. Next week, I am tackling office supplies. Off with them all!!!
PS -- oh, Steve, yes, count it all! I really need to muck out the frig...
132-138. two broken pairs of sunglasses and five items to the children's consignment shop
139-167. 29 items to the thrift store - mostly old clothes of mine and my daughter's
And I think that's as far as I'll make it on this challenge since we are leaving for a 12-day vacation tomorrow. Thanks, Kat and all of you, for the inspiration!!
180 - sold a desk
181-190 son#2 has been working hard all summer at working out and dropped a couple of sizes on his pants. 9 pair to the thrift shop.
191-194 - art booth display sold and shipped (abstracta 3 pedestals and 1 shelf unit - some stuff I hadn't used in years)
195-201 several pieces of studio equipment - sold but not picked up yet (2 annealer ovens, bench, tool table, marver table, grinder, and a swamp cooler)
Woo Hoo - I did it!
Great job, float on, ejchase, and everyone! The baby and I both got sick, so I didn't make any more progress. I did make it past the halfway point, though, so I am happy about that. Thanks for the motivation and encouragement! :)
Sorry to hear you were sick, Kat, but trust you and the baby are getting better. Thanks again for getting us started!
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