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Post Christmas PURGE! the race is on!

post #1 of 261
12/25/08 at 5:39pm
Thread Starter 
Okay now that Christmas is over and I know what everyone got my family I am ready to PURGE some stuff.

SO.....I want to recycle, donate, or dispose of 1000 items as QUICKLY as possible...starting now.....anyone want to join me?

So far I have 10 magazines to donate to the library.
and 3 items of clothes to be used for rags.

13/1000

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post #2 of 261
12/25/08 at 6:38pm
I'm so with you. I was beside myself when we received a pile of books and two big gift cards to bookstores, after bowing out of all gift exchanges. The plan is to donate them straight to the library. But there're so many toys and other things to clear out! My dreams of monastic simplicity will have to wait awhile.
--
AnnaArcturus
post #3 of 261
12/25/08 at 8:17pm
I am totally in!
post #4 of 261
12/25/08 at 8:41pm
I'm in. Trouble is, most of the stuff I need to get rid of are small mismatched toys. Not really good enough to donate. I don't even know anyone who want them.
post #5 of 261
12/25/08 at 9:34pm
Our thrift stores take those. They group them up into goodie bags and sell them like that. I would just donate them!
post #6 of 261
12/26/08 at 12:07am
1000 seems so overwhelming to me! I'll try for 100

Keep me motivated mamas...I've got to tame the clutter beast!

Bellevuemama
post #7 of 261
12/26/08 at 12:10am
Stuff is going out this weekend.
post #8 of 261
12/26/08 at 2:37am
I am so in. I have been decluttering all year but haven't made a dent! I have a rubbermaid bin full of magazines I have been putting off taking to our local library as they won't take them all at once, I need to just bite the bullet and bring them in and maybe drop some off at local dr offices and such. I also have an ongoing bin of things in the kitchen that I put items in that need to be donated.
post #9 of 261
12/26/08 at 5:13am
I'm planning on going through DS's toys this weekend and getting rid of a ton.
post #10 of 261
12/26/08 at 10:23am
I'm in on this . I already have 4 bins of toys/books/stuff in the garage ready to take to Goodwill. I'll have to estimate the numbers there, because I'm not going to unbox them . Next step, the dreaded closet under the stairs.... (cue creepy music)
post #11 of 261
12/26/08 at 10:26am
Right now I got two huge garbage bags full of clothes-they've been bagged up for a while, so I'll just count them as two, about 30 records xp took home with him, about 20 videos he took home with him, and 15 more pieces of clothing. 67/1000
post #12 of 261
12/26/08 at 11:52am
Ha! I all ready started.

I freecycled a GIANT tv and a DVD player that we haven't been using.

And then I had a stroke of genius. The guy who came to pick up the tv is a minister and was looking for things to give to his parish kids. I took a whole car load of xmas gifts that my kids were given. My family is well-intentioned, but they send oddball stuff that is never age appropriate. This year is was giant plastic, riding toys made for 3-5 year olds. My kids are well over that age.

So, I just loaded it all directly into my van and dropped it off at this guy's house. Beautiful! None of it made it into my house. I think this is my new favorite skill -- just don't let the stuff in in the first place.

Must keep cleaning!
post #13 of 261
12/26/08 at 12:02pm
Ok, I am tickled pink with a sense of my own genius right now (go ahead and burst my bubble)! I'd been working towards extreme simplicity which meant paring down my massive book and DVD vice to a tiny handful, when the holidays hit and I receive three new books and two huge gift certificates for Barnes & Noble, plus another matching gift certificate to the same store coming this weekend. I'd already decided to turn those gift certificates into items donated to our library, since their budget is totaled, and lo and behold: B&N online is doing 40% off all its A&E box sets! That means I can treat my library and all the families in it to a box set of their Dickens, Bronte, and Austen adaptations, or maybe Poirot! I am feeling so beside myself with joy right now, I think that these gift cards just went from the WORST possible gift for me to the BEST! I wonder how the relatives will react when they see how happy I am because of their gift... and hear why!!
--
AnnaArcturus

PS, That's wonderful about donating all the toys straight to the minister! If I hadn't gotten my family pretty well trained on the toy giving front (although their training is slipping), I think we'd have to do the same.
post #14 of 261
12/26/08 at 3:20pm
I don't have that many things to get rid of but I just purged some fall and Halloween decorations and candle holders I haven't really liked for some time now along with some decorative cardboard boxes that I don't use anymore.

In the last weeks I went through all my christmas decorations and got rid of a good amount of things too.

Feels great!
post #15 of 261
12/26/08 at 4:07pm
yep! I've started too! I don't have a lot of Christmas excess, but I just feel a real urge to get rid of stuff before the New Year begins. I have 4 bags of kids clothes and an overflowing box of stuff so far.
post #16 of 261
12/26/08 at 4:10pm
I'm in. I have so much paper to go through, I may get 1000 just off that!
post #17 of 261
12/26/08 at 4:16pm
I am slowly working on it! I have probably thrown out 5 big garbage bags of stuff and have a donate box. Problem is, DH is off work and he is a total packrat, so he stops me and wants to keep what I am trying to get rid of!

I am working on the kitchen today. Just about ready to start the pantry. I just finished the spice box, I still had spices that expired in 2007!
post #18 of 261
12/26/08 at 4:17pm
I'm in! My house is so overwhelming that I'm not even attempting to do anything today but decide what to get rid of. I do know that some stuff will end up in our garage waiting for spring and garage sale weather, but it's still out of my house!!! So right now my tally stands at 0/1000, but I will update that soon!
post #19 of 261
12/26/08 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl View Post
So, I just loaded it all directly into my van and dropped it off at this guy's house. Beautiful! None of it made it into my house. I think this is my new favorite skill -- just don't let the stuff in in the first place.
This is what I have taken to doing too. I did my major purge before Christmas and when I received a package of gifts from my grandma in the post, I unwrapped them, made a decision to pass them on and left them in the hall for the freecycle guy.

I'm in though, if I can find the energy. Feel like I might be getting sick:
post #20 of 261
12/26/08 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Getz View Post
I am working on the kitchen today. Just about ready to start the pantry. I just finished the spice box, I still had spices that expired in 2007!
07?!? I just made mustard to go with dinner that expired in 2003!

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