October 100 Items

[fidgiegirl]

Hi all

I am feeling (once again) that we have too much crap.

Our basement is packed. It's nuts. Our upstairs is topsy turvy. Our garage is full of stuff we didn't even get out this summer.

Anyway, I'm going to do a new 100 items challenge in October. Cheating a bit since we still have a week of September, but meh. It's too much to think of finding 100 items in a week for me. So it'll be October + 1 week: A five-week challenge

Anyone in?

Count so far (don't laugh!)
1. Dryer lint I had been saving for firestarters
2. The can I'd been keeping the dryer lint in.

I also did the turn-the-hangers-backwards thing to help us see which clothes to cull later.

[Bastelmutti]

Hey Fidgiegirl!
I would like to do this, too. I think I could get almost all 100 out of my office, and that would go a long way to helping with that room, which is my worst. Is it 100 items each week or for the month, though?

[flowerseverywhere]

I'm in. I am trying to stay in the habit of decluttering, I today went through quilt books and found four to give to my friend who is doing that style of quilting and I never enjoyed it. Also, library book sale coming up so I am going to go through my bookshelves tomorrow.

Bastelmutti, I think it is one hundred items for five weeks, so about three a day which is doable for almost everyone.

[rosarugosa]

I have a question: do you also count the number of new things that are coming into your life/home? I just did my fall closet cleanout, and one of the things I'm looking at (although not really keeping a tally) is whether outflow exceeds inflow. I consider myself to be especially successful if outflow is unwanted, unused items, and inflow is composed of items that I really want or need.

[fidgiegirl]

Yes, I was thinking for the whole five weeks.

Rosa, it could be however you want. I plan to only count outflow, but if you need to balance inflow with outflow, go for it! I did need a few new garments for work and clothes tend not to be where I accumulate, so I'm not too worried about it.

Where I am stuck with clothes is that I have some somewhat expensive sweaters that haven't held up like I wanted and want to just give them away but can't bring myself to do it. Also, DH (bless him) buys me a lot of clothes as gifts and I end up giving a lot of that away, too. Boo.

[frugalone]

I am not laughing. My husband save dryer lint. My friend does too--she thinks I want it for an art project.

Hi all

I am feeling (once again) that we have too much crap.



Count so far (don't laugh!)
1. Dryer lint I had been saving for firestarters
2. The can I'd been keeping the dryer lint in.

I also did the turn-the-hangers-backwards thing to help us see which clothes to cull later.

[frugalone]

I would like to do this. Maybe someone can give me some advice though. What if, every time you try to get rid of stuff, your hoarder spouse goes through the bags and then picks stuff out he wants to keep? He's hardly ever out of the house, so it's not like I can sneak the stuff away while he's distracted.

[Marianne]

Hi all


1. Dryer lint I had been saving for firestarters
2. The can I'd been keeping the dryer lint in.

I cracked up laughing when I read that!! Besides dryer lint, I used to save toilet paper tubes to stuff the lint into for firestarters! But I had mine in a plastic bag. I finally pitched it when I realized it wasn't that big of a deal to gather up some twigs to use instead. I also scrounged dryer lint when I made some lint clay for a couple crafty type projects years ago.

My initial list starts with:
1. Scrap metal piles hauled to the recycle center
2. Construction wood that can't be used for anything in the future hauled to the burn pile
3. Start cleaning out the shop, making a decision on whether or not we actually need some of the stuff in there! That would be 100 items right there.

[Fawn]

I'm thinking that even me...miss 100 things can do this, esp if you let me note the things that the kids have outgrown that I am giving away: I start this week.

[fidgiegirl]

Woo! We're on a roll!! Side note, we might get our house we've been trying to get since April, though it's not 100%, but I'm even MORE motivated now.

ladyinblack, I really sympathize since my mother engaged in the same behavior whenever I tried to get rid of anything as a teenager and I never could make the stuff leave the house. She insisted on going through everything we wanted to get rid of and then wouldn't and then she'd make US go through it again several months later WITH HER, even though we'd already done our part. It was very, very frustrating, even as a child/young adult. I have read a few books about hoarding that you might find helpful for your situation:

Stuff (about understanding hoarding behaviors)

and

Digging Out (specifically about helping a loved one with a hoarding problem)