OMG! Edit!
I actually got rid of over 150 items of clothing from my girls! Some of it went in a bag to their Dad's, and some of it got donated. I had totally forgotten. As well, I am remembering that I already purged most of my unecessary items, and the worst of my stuff is unfinished projects. So I am going to count any non-work related projects finished as an item. :)
193/2012
I decided to conquer the homeschool room this afternoon and am adding 87 more items gone. I almost feel physically lighter while looking at the neat, clean, cluttered free shelves and closet!
Total: 220/2012
Started today: 85/ 2012
Today:
5 holiday cards- recycled
9 boxes accumulating in my utility room, broken down and recycled
DH worked in the office for a few hours tonight and got a lot cleaned up and decluttered:
3 trash bags each w/ about 100 items a piece- trash
8 phone books- recycled
10 boxes broken down and recycled
New total: 417/ 2012
2 bags of trash
3 stacks of paper
Up to 23/2012
7 donated
26 today!
NEW TOTAL
62/2012
$17.47
Could only find 16 more items to be donated.
I should mention that I've been decluttering for years and the 'pick' is getting pretty slim! Plus everything is packed up right now, which doesn't help.
Total: 170 out of 2012.
11 sample packs of dental floss (neither of us use any of these varieties)
Expired tube of oral anesthetic
Dead pen
Earrings that have lost mates or that I don't like (11)
Pair of tights
Crappy socks (6 pairs)
random trash x14
Junky soap dispenser (replaced with non-junky one, but still)
2 borrowed books (set aside to go back to their owners--I count stuff when it is set aside)
207/2012
I made it 1/10th of the way to goal! I got the low-hanging fruit though... it's not going to be as easy from here on out.
Although it's funny how we always know exactly what areas to tackle to get more items. I started with the pantry, but the pantry is pretty well gotten by now. It has undergone the most improvement of any area since I started this challenge. There might be a couple more things that could come out at some point, but it's a lot more manageable. Some of my drawers are also a lot better. Still to come: the basement (even though we decluttered it last year), the kid's wardrobe (needs to be catalogued and then can be weeded), some of my clothes, some stuff from my desk, under the sinks/cleaning supplies... but mostly the basement.
I have discovered I really like keeping this list. It's nice to look at it and see exactly how useless so much of this stuff I've been hoarding is! And to see the useless stuff that other people are getting rid of too.
So, I am totally addicted to de-cluttering. I can't stop myself now!
Last night I started going through my old clothes that are now too big but that I was saving assuming they'd fit again at some point. I am keeping some of them, but very few items. I've got to consign:
9 pairs of jeans
2 sweaters
7 pairs of dress pants
6 suits
4 blouses
1 skirt
12 dresses
Total: 41 items
That's a whole wardrobe!!
New Total: 263/212
$42.00 (and hopefully more when I finally sell the video games, book on tape, and all these clothes!)
Hmmm, I thought I wouldn't have time to do any purging today, but it's amazing what you start to see when you get in the habit of looking! In the process of cleaning for company that is staying this weekend, I got rid of a few more things either for donation or to trash: a gross old kettle, a broken tea pot, 4 coffee cups (counting as 1 thing), a bag of bottles and nipples, and lids (from my SIL, which I never used), an egg timer, a salt and pepper shaker, a clock...I tried to get rid of this UGLY chicken statue in our basement but DH wouldn't let me, as he needs to hide it his friends house the next time he goes (long story about stealing the chicken from someone's yard in high school and now they still hide it on eachother and the joke is how long it takes the person to find it...boys 
). Oh, and 2 more pairs of pants to consign. That makes 10 at least.
New Total:
273/2012
$42.00 (plus some pending amount)
Today I sold a glider with ottoman and gave away a cradle with bedding and a breastfeeding pillow.
I also started a bag for my upcycling friend.
I am checking in so I keep myself accountable.
I loved green_momma2007's before & after photos. I took some and will post when I have the after. I'm too embarrassed to post the befores without the "yay, I cleaned my room" ones. :)
So now I am at 322/2012 with $175.
Today I tackled one under-sink cupboard and tossed lotions that I've had for over 7 years. I sorted out the feminine hygiene items that I don't use so I put those in my donations bag. I tossed a box of ovulation sticks that expired in 2007! what a waste of money! I also worked on my room. I ended up with 2 large black bags of trash. I designated about 15 items for donation. I found $350 cash plus a $100 cheque! That's really embarrassing! I knew $300 was MIA in one of my dash & stash cleaning sprees. The $50 I had forgotten all about. It was in a Christmas card from last year.
So today I'm counting my stuff at 100 items purged and $450 made.
422/2012 with $175 / $450
I forgot about the 86 magazines and 30 books I pulled out for donation so I'm going to add 50 to my total for those.
472/2012 with $175 / $450
Count me in!
We just started majorly decluttering at the end of the year. It turned really sad for us last month. We were on a roll one night, getting rid of a TON of stuff. I had everything boxed up and separated. I put one box aside in the bedroom. DH took everything out front to be picked up by Purple Heart. Later that night, I realized I hadn't seen the box that I put aside. I searched the house for it - no where. DH thought I had left it behind and put it outside where it was picked up by Purple Heart earlier that morning. It contained my son's bracelets from the hospital when he was born, my wedding album, a scrapbook page a friend had made for our wedding, pictures of my deceased kitty cat and a ton of DHs old family pictures from pre World War II, along with all of the cards his mom had received when he was born and some mementos from his father. My husband's parents and grandparents are dead and he barely has more than 4 or 5 family members alive. There were a few other odds and ends in t hat box. We called them right away and the lady was sympathetic, but we never got anywhere. It's been a month and we just feel that it's all lost now. I'm devastated....but what can you do? So...we'll be so much more diligent.
We need to get this place decluttered. It's out of control. We have been co-sleeping with Ds since he was a baby. He is five now and says he wants his own room because he needs some privacy. :) The 2nd bedroom has been the catch all, so t he goal is to clear that out and make it into his own space. We also have a lot of work to do around the rest of the apartment.
I'm in the process of putting a bag together to get picked up tomorrow morning, so I'll add that count later.
10 make-up items tossed
1 Windchime to purple heart
4 pairs of flip flops tossed
1 pair of shoes to Purple Heart
16/2012
Start: 417
5 dish detergent bottles I was saving for some reason I don't remember now- recycled
13 sippy cups- trash
1 broken bowl- trash
1 set of feet to a drum- trash (we haven't used the feet in over 4yrs!!)
3 broken toys- trash
1 old bulb syringe- trash
1 dvd case- trash
1 unsalvageable book- recycled
1 ink cartidge- mailed for recycling
set of coasters- donated
1 plunger that doesn't work- trash
1 broken chalkboard eraser- trash
1 sunglass box- recycled
1 wine bottle that's been sitting on my counter for waaay too long- recycled
1 goody bag- emptied and trash
New total: 450
8 magnets
18 Christmas cards
Sock, underwear and accessories drawer will be emptied tonight if DS sleeps alright. Once I get that done I'll make a trip to the thrift store to donate and the pharmacy to get rid of expired meds.
I've had no hits on any of the stuff I posted online but have the heart to get rid of it and I can't seem to find any consignment shops that aren't vintage in my city. They are perfectly good winter coats and expensive stuff.
176/ plus 30 pending
Yesterday evening I went through storage totes in the garage and then tackled the kitchen, dining room and bookshelves today. 317 more items are on their way out bring my new total to 537/2012.
I'm enjoying immensely the free space and also the knowledge that my unused items are soon to be receiving second lives where they are more needed. Yet at the same time I am also looking at all this heaps of still and am, frankly, a bit appalled and disgusted with myself. Some of the items were needed items that are simply outgrown but others leave me shaking my head, wondering why I ever bought them, considering the life energy wasted in work to buy all of this needless "stuff". How much more count we saved and/or invested? How many enriching life experiences could we have had? Why of why have I been able to step off the hamster wheel of consumerism all while knowing full well the dire consequences of "stuff"? Anybody else feeling similar?
I'm enjoying immensely the free space and also the knowledge that my unused items are soon to be receiving second lives where they are more needed. Yet at the same time I am also looking at all this heaps of still and am, frankly, a bit appalled and disgusted with myself. Some of the items were needed items that are simply outgrown but others leave me shaking my head, wondering why I ever bought them, considering the life energy wasted in work to buy all of this needless "stuff". How much more count we saved and/or invested? How many enriching life experiences could we have had? Why of why have I been able to step off the hamster wheel of consumerism all while knowing full well the dire consequences of "stuff"? Anybody else feeling similar?
Amen!! This is a chance to make a change though!!
Wow! I am impressed with how efficient and neat some of you must be! Here's my latest update. But can I also mention that two times this week DH has told me that he "rescued" something from the garbage that I tried to throw away. How am I supposed to make progress with someone undoing my work?
4 old blinds (replaced with new room darkening ones, yeah!)
4 basement tool box clutter items
2 large hunks of styrofoam
1 pile of holiday cards (I was tempted to count each one!)
1 bunch of misc parts to a previously donated pack and play
2 misc kid toys
4 old fire detectors (replaced with new working ones, double yeah!)
7 suspect fridge items
70 + 25 = 95/2012
DS refused to let me do any schoolwork a bit ago so we played in the kitchen instead, I cleaned and he explored. I managed to get rid of: 6 plastic bags DH put on the counter, a dead plant, 3 empty spice containers, old rosemary, 6 ketchup packets, and 2 candles.
Added to my previous total, I am now up to 137/2012!
I got a few things out today for Purple Heart to pick up. They only pick up once a week, which I won't complain about because it saves me the drive to the thrift store. It's not that close and I don't have room in my car.
1 pair of shoes donated
64 clothing items
4 mini American flags
2 Christmas decorations
12 reusable bags
3 packs of expired meat from the fridge. <------------shameful
1 empty cardboard box that used to hold maternity clothes. Emptied and donated the clothes. This has been sitting in the same spot for 4 years. Yikes.
99/2012
Yesterday evening I went through storage totes in the garage and then tackled the kitchen, dining room and bookshelves today. 317 more items are on their way out bring my new total to 537/2012.
I'm enjoying immensely the free space and also the knowledge that my unused items are soon to be receiving second lives where they are more needed. Yet at the same time I am also looking at all this heaps of still and am, frankly, a bit appalled and disgusted with myself. Some of the items were needed items that are simply outgrown but others leave me shaking my head, wondering why I ever bought them, considering the life energy wasted in work to buy all of this needless "stuff". How much more count we saved and/or invested? How many enriching life experiences could we have had? Why of why have I been able to step off the hamster wheel of consumerism all while knowing full well the dire consequences of "stuff"? Anybody else feeling similar?
I am in total agreement. I can't believe the stuff! Frankly 90% of it is my fault for even getting into the house. I like to make my DH share the blame but really, I am the only one who really buys stuff for the kids, the house, etc. So really, it's my doing so I can make it stop. I had this realization before Christmas so I stashed and returned probably 30% of the planned Christmas gifts & my kids were still thrilled with their Santa haul. So I now know it's me who has to stop. I am training myself to look at something and ask myself, how many times do I want to pick that up off the floor? Thus we are currently Lego free. LOL
I am not getting much done today at all but will be making donation deliveries.
Wow! I am impressed with how efficient and neat some of you must be! Here's my latest update. But can I also mention that two times this week DH has told me that he "rescued" something from the garbage that I tried to throw away. How am I supposed to make progress with someone undoing my work?
4 old blinds (replaced with new room darkening ones, yeah!)
4 basement tool box clutter items
2 large hunks of styrofoam
1 pile of holiday cards (I was tempted to count each one!)
1 bunch of misc parts to a previously donated pack and play
2 misc kid toys
4 old fire detectors (replaced with new working ones, double yeah!)
7 suspect fridge items
70 + 25 = 95/2012
My kids do that to me. Now I use black bags and tie them shut. If your hubby is opening them up, then I'd try to do it on the day you can take them right out for pick up. It helps me too because sometimes things call me from inside and if I can see them, I rethink what to do with them. LOL Out of sight, out of mind helps me a lot!
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