New Posts  All Forums:
 

De-junking challenge

post #1 of 96
8/21/06 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 
I would love to start the New Year with a clutter-free home. Toward that end, I plan to de-junk a little each day between now and 31 December.

Anyone want to join me? This is not a "specific" challenge, it's more of a "let's all get rid of the c*@# in our homes that is causing us stress" kind of thing. (Sorry, you'll have to keep your in-laws. : )

We can post our progress regularly, to keep us on-track and motivated.

Let the clutter busting begin!

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
post #2 of 96
8/21/06 at 9:42pm
I think I can join this challenge. First of all, I can count all the inherited junk from my uncle. We had a big yard sale last weekend and got rid of everything that wasn't valuable enough to ebay, but that still left a lot of stuff. We need to get rid of all that plus some of our own. PLUS I have a bunch of stuff in the attic at my mom's house that hasn't made the trip from our temporary storage place to our new home. So, I think I want to set a goal of October 31st for no more uncle crap, and onward to a junk-free 2007

I wish you had told me about the inlaws earlier though. I just put them out on the curb with a free sign taped to their fronts. I could go see if they are still there *I suppose*
post #3 of 96
8/22/06 at 9:36am
I'm in...DH is deployed..that is always my clean out the c*** time!!!
post #4 of 96
8/22/06 at 10:01am
Well, I'll start by saying I got rid of 8 metal card files (to store index cards) that didn't sell at the yard sale on freecycle yesterday. Next up? The bizarre exercise machine my grandmother gave to us to sell which also no one was interested in.
post #5 of 96
8/23/06 at 12:44am
I am in...I just got rid of about 10 big boxes of stuff...It is sitting at my mom's for the garage sale this weekend..What doesn't sell is going straight to Goodwill....
post #6 of 96
8/23/06 at 9:13am
Got rid of a Little Leap Frog doll, baby step stool, too small bra...!!
post #7 of 96
8/23/06 at 11:01am
subbing for the inspiration

I'm on a de-cluttering binge lately Kid's stuff goes to the consignment store. Out of season kid's stuff or adult clothing goes to Goodwill. Most anything can go to my Aunt's church sale (in October but she's collecting stuff now). Anything odd goes to freecycle. I was feeling sick yesterday so didn't do anything : Maybe today will be better (or I'll end up lying on the couch again )
post #8 of 96
8/24/06 at 4:31pm
Thread Starter 

So far...

I have 2 bin liners full of things to donate to the charity shop, and another one that is nearly full.

Baby steps, right?

(I'm painting the kitchen on Saturday, so that will give me an opportunity to de-junk in one whole room. I'm taking everything out of the kitchen and finding homes only for the "keepers". The rest will go to the charity shop.)


Let's keep up the good work, everyone. There are only 129 days left of the year...(counting today)
post #9 of 96
8/24/06 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kathirynne
There are only 129 days left of the year...(counting today)
Well, when 'ya put it that way . . .

I got together a bag of stuff today that I'll give to my mom in a few hours.
post #10 of 96
9/1/06 at 1:52am
I'm in! I've been in de-clutter mode for awhile. I got rid of a few big plastic backyard toys already, and ds was SO good about it! It didn't seem to phase him (he didn't play with them, anyway). We are also lucky that the Goodwill is not too far away, so it is super easy to bring stuff there on a regular basis.
post #11 of 96
9/1/06 at 1:55am
How do you sister-mommas get rid of clothes? I tend to keep too many. I know, I know, throw out all the clothes you haven't worn in the past year... But WHEN do you make time to go through all of them? Any advice? Why am I so bad at this?
post #12 of 96
9/1/06 at 3:58am
im in.. im in this process anyways.. but its wlways good to be kept accountable!

we just finnished laying laminate wood floors in our home and while we did that my DS and i reorganised all of the toys in the house.. are getting rid of almost half!! (junky plastic crap) and sorted everything into bins and it looks and feels wonderful.

clothes and the closet from hell is the next thing.and the desk ( stuff gets shoved in here daily) ive done a bit in the kitchen.. its small anyways, so not to bad.. the closet is what scares me.. ive got a thing for clothes..especially for my kids..
post #13 of 96
9/1/06 at 10:33am
subbing~ Because I am SOO in on this!!! I accept the challenge .

I've been doing great this week. Will be back later to post what I did exactly !!!

so happy to be a part of this!!: :
post #14 of 96
9/1/06 at 1:35pm
Thread Starter 

Update

Since my last post, I have eliminated the following from my home:

1 full-size bureau with 6 drawers
2 bin liners full of "stuff"
4 bags (of various sizes) of rubbish
1 plastic laundry hamper

I have a trunkful of donations to go to the charity shop tonight.

I was given a floor lamp yesterday. (I don't consider that contrary to my de-cluttering goals. The lamp is attractive, it works well, and I had a specific spot in mind to put it. ) It's amazing how one item can inspire great improvements. When I got home, I de-junked, thoughly vaccuumed and re-arranged the sitting area in my front room. (I didn't want to just plunk the new lamp down in the midst of all the chaos and clutter.) The "reading nook" (as my daughter has christened it) looks sooo good, I am motivated to take similar action in the dining area.
post #15 of 96
9/1/06 at 2:34pm

Count me in!

We had a yard sale last weekend and are doing a sat. only tomorrow we got rid of lots of books, toys, some clothes, furniture, randoms.. I'm sure that I can find something everyday until 1/1/07. If not there's always my parents stuff.They're packrats.
post #16 of 96
9/1/06 at 2:47pm
gettin' rid of talkin' elmo, it creeps ds out. he got it for christmas from great g-ma.
post #17 of 96
9/1/06 at 7:10pm
Since ebay raised their rates last week I cleared out 4 boxes of books we're going to take to Half Price Books. That was on the agenda for last night but to our horror we found one of our cats had died unexpectedly with no warning during the day so the evening was spent having a funeral instead. The boxes are ready & we'll make it over there sometime on the weekend.
post #18 of 96
9/2/06 at 9:49pm
I donated five or six grocery bags to the local thrift store (and then only bought three new things, one a gift. I was sure I'd missed something, and when I pulled into the garage coming home... yep, I saw two more bags of clothes.

So those will go. And the bag of toys that I culled when cleaning out the playroom today. I'm also going to start a stash of things to give to a Mom in Need on the Holiday Helpers thread - a friend gave me a coat and snowpants for ds, but he's set, so those are starting the collection.

I need to go through dd's clothes and ds's too, since summer is winding down, to see which of their long pants and shirts from last year still fit. The rest I can donate.

I love the idea of a clutter-free house by New Year's!
post #19 of 96
9/2/06 at 11:15pm
I am totally in. I really need some inspiration to keep up this binge I am on now.

I have been off work since Thursday to switch kids rooms around and clean the hec out of this place before school starts on Tuesday! Now, I am not going to get everything by Tuesday....so I need to keep on it even after the first day of school comes and goes! I want the whole house done by the end of October...so that it is totally de-junked by the time the Holidays role around!

So, I put an old futon frame and mattress out to the curb last late last night and someone picked it up before I went to bed! (Gotta love living in a college town!) I was sooo excited!


I have a ton of get rid of stuff in piles around the house and in the basement....so I am not going to totally count them until they are actually OUT of the house...but they are sooo close. Old Kid books, clothes, and toys... a dresser, a twin bed frame, an old chest....all are going! This feels pretty good....

Just can't lose the momentum!
post #20 of 96
9/3/06 at 12:24am
Em T, sorry about your cat s

I enjoy reading about everyone's sucesses I really think a nice, neat, de-cluttered house by 2007 is do-able for me and I'm very excited . Well, maybe not the basement and the attic but I think we might at least start on the basement by then. But the living areas should be good by then. Before then actually. Wow, how great will that be!

Thanks for all the inspiration

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby