2012 in 2012

[Rainey Daye]

As I sit here lining out all the various projects and challenges I am planning for the next year I decided to go ahead and start the new thread for this next year for those who are gung ho for a major decluttering challenge. I realize it's a few days early, but now I can have a link to refer back to from my main projects/challenges list!!

So, here we go!! I had to give up on this year's challenge cause of all kinds of stuff, but I totally am planning on making the 2012 goal. I've already got some stuff that needs to go to various places sitting in my garage that will be the start of my 2012 items!!

[CultivatingMyRoots]

2012 is year of the dragon, which is the Chinese calendar I was born in. By the power of suggestion, I am trying to make this a FANTASTICALLY SUPER CHARGED YEAR. I am trying to use MDC to keep me motivated and accountable, as well as realistic. I love hearing about everyone else's journeys. 

My plan to purge this year is to USE up all of the miscellaneous craft stuff I have. I already purged half of my papercraft (gave to a friend as a pseudo xmas present), and used up bits to make christmas presents and cards. I am giving away half my yarns and some needles to a friend who wants to learn to knit, and working through all of my odds and ends stash making costumes/dress up for my girls. I already have very little stuff, my biggest issue is making sure I USE all of the stuff I have. Because if I'm not gonna use it, I would rather that space be free for something else to brighten my life. 

Yay 2012!!!!  Go us!!!

[stephanie95]

I want to join. I had joined the 2011 thread and got waylaid by life. I have been working on decluttering my home. However I started a business with a friend and all of the stuff is in my house. My brain hurts from trying to process all of the stuff in the upstairs. I used to go downstairs for relief and now my business stuff is there. Gotta get a grip on our personal stuff so I don't have to listen to my DH swear when we walks in the dark to let the dog out.

Today I delivered 3 large blue bags of baby clothes to a teen mom. It felt really good to get the stuff out of my house. I also tossed in a bag of baby toys and a play gym. So I am going to say that was a total of 100 items. I am doing a purge in my room and have several bags of clothing for donations. We are also working on purging toys. I bought wood bath toys to replace all of the yucky plastic ones. Those will be heading out tomorrow.

Thank you for starting this already. I really need the motivation and the accountability (if even only to myself in writing).

100/2012

[LoveOurBabies]

I'll join!

I'd say my house is almost there, but I know there is so much more that could go too. Inevitably, things will pile up as time goes by as well, so it will be good to keep an official tab.

Can we start early? Like, tomorrow?

[Rainey Daye]

I'm pretty sure that the 2011 in 2011 thread was started early too, so why not? I was JUST telling DH last night that I kind of feel in no-man's-land this week...cause I'll never make the 2011 challenge and it's not 2012 yet. It'd be so much easier to go ahead and start counting!!

Hey, and having the year go from Christmas to Christmas means we get to count all the after-Christmas junk getting tossed and it gives everyone the goal to be done with their challenge by next Christmas. Then anything they choose to count after that is just bonus...or a start on the 2013 challenge!! Haha!!

[green_momma2007]

I did some major decluttering in my bedroom yesterday and got rid of the following:

4 perfumes

40ish books

3 purses

1 pedi egg

2 pairs of shoes

2 blouses

1 dress

1 scarf

54/100

Here are some before and after photos:

[nstewart]

Hi, I'd like to join in please!  Let the decluttering begin!  Green_momma, your "before" picture makes me feel so much better about my bedroom (it looks very similar) and your "after" photo gives me some inspiration to get started! 

[IsaFrench]

I think I need to join ....

used to think that having to count would make me too stressed out

... but then, maybe it was just an excuse to delay "doing it"

since anyway, just thinking about it makes me start to feel stressed out ...

yes, Christmas to Christmas is as good a time span as 1st of January to 1st of January !

[green_momma2007]

Originally Posted by nstewart 

Hi, I'd like to join in please!  Let the decluttering begin!  Green_momma, your "before" picture makes me feel so much better about my bedroom (it looks very similar) and your "after" photo gives me some inspiration to get started! 

I'm so embarassed by those photos, and I can't really say that my bedroom doesn't look like that most of the times. It's usually not quite so bad, but since it's the one private room in our house, I tend to focus on the rest of the house. And I hate doing laundry. So clean laundry that I don't feel like folding at the moment gets thrown in there. But I'm determined from keeping it from going back to the before pictures.

[Rainey Daye]

Totally understand about the master bedroom being the catch-all. We actually have two areas that are private in our house and the office is our secret shame that is usually closed off from the main areas. I TRY to keep our room looking nice the majority of the time since we have such a lovely view of the lake behind our house and one of our bedroom windows is directly across from our bedroom doorway so it's nice when I don't have to close it off. But I'd say about half the time it does become the laundry catch-all place and right now there are organized stacks of books against one wall from an earlier attempt to go through and declutter our bookshelves...so sometimes we have to hide it off too!!

But I pretty much try to keep the main kitchen/dining/living area, the entry and hallways, the guest bedroom, the small bathroom, and the nursery all picked up and ready for anyone to walk through and me not be embarrassed!!

But our office is about to be tackled but good!! DH is about as annoyed with it as I am finally and we are going to do the whole "pull-everything-out/clean the room/only put back what's needed" thing...starting tonight!! It'll be a decent sized project, but it's necessary...AND it'll give me a giant leap forward on my 2012 in 2012 list...so YAY!!

[Rainey Daye]

I don't count things till they are OUT of my house, but if they are in my car then they don't get to come back in...so they are counted if they have at least made it to the car or the curb!!

My start:

10 children's books

40 toys

15 items to a crisis pregnancy center

2 items to a pet rescue group

Total so far:

67/2012!!

[mkksmom]

I did the 2011 in 2011 last year and made it!! I actually had a goal to make it in half of the year, and i did... so that'll tell you how much extra STUFF I had laying around! It's going to be harder this year, so I am giving myself the full year. But I am IN! and ready to get started... once my big girl is back to school. LOL!

[LoveOurBabies]

Green_momma, don't worry, our house has looked the same at times!!! You did really well

So now that it's okay to start in 2011, I will be jumping in full force! Yay! I'll try to get a start today and update later on.

[foxsmama]

I totally need to join this thread. Now that we have moved in to a big enough place, EVERYTHING we've had in storage for the past couple years is now here. There is clothing I haven't worn in forever, tons of STUFF, books, and DS has way too many toys. and none of this stuff is anything we actually need or use, it's just been acummulated and stored. I'm starting 2012 tomorrow  

[stephanie95]

Your bedroom looks neat compared to how mine looked yesterday! Actually mine still looks worse. LOL I have tamed Mt Washmore but parts of it is still lurking, waiting to be put into dressers.  I like the idea of before & after photos. Something about seeing them together is motivating.

We went for a little Christmas at my SIL so nothing accomplished today. I am hoping to continue my purge tomorrow. I could potentially get rid of some baby-related furniture so that would be a double-score in my book. :)

[zebra15]

I love your bedding... orange dots...  hummmm i may need to find something like that... oh ya, I'm not spending $$ in 2012  duh

[LoveOurBabies]

Update:

50 'items' made up of:

Unused boxes, flattened and put out for recycling

Boxes full of recycling (one full box counted as one item)

Garbage bags full of garbage (one full garbage bag counted as one item)

I can't believe how much unused cardboard, paper and plastic we had lying around here! Everything went in recycling, with the exception of the garbage bags of course.

1 huge bag of some 60 empty plastic bags that are headed for the plastic bag recycling exchange at the mall. Counted as one item.

13 items being returned to shops (for a refund, not an exchange)

and I haven't yet counted the amount of stuff already sitting in the donation box from today's purge. Will do that later on.

So far: 64 out of 2012.

[LoveOurBabies]

*

Edited by LoveOurBabies - 3/14/13 at 6:14pm

[Rainey Daye]

Out with the recycling:

3 boxes of paper trash and newspapers

Grabbed as I head out the door for Goodwill:

40 more random items--toys and stuff from the office decluttering

New total:

110/2012

[LoveOurBabies]

*

Edited by LoveOurBabies - 3/14/13 at 6:12pm