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Come join the November 500 Items Decluttering Challenge!!! - Page 12

post #221 of 312
11/13/06 at 2:04am
8 pieces of junk from my desk
24 items (clothes, diapers, and covers) in a box to a friend

87 gone! 500 may not happen, but there will hopefully be a dent!
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post #222 of 312
11/13/06 at 2:34am
I think I'll go ahead and join in. I'm not actively trying to "declutter" but it's happening my default as I give stuff away to MIN with the Holiday Helper thing.

20 pair maternity pants
35 infant clothes
Giving 2 pair nursing pads, 4 CD covers and 3 homemade fitteds to my SIL (11)
Coat, 2 pairs of jeans and a top (4)
Threw away about 10 broken toys so far

Total: 80
post #223 of 312
11/13/06 at 4:41am
Jumping in a little late but gonna try! Dh (who is a major packrat) said he wants to clean out the garage tomorrow. He really wants to get it cleaned up so hopefully we'll hit the 500 mark quickly.
post #224 of 312
11/13/06 at 10:51am
I've really slacked off lately but getting remotivated to have a clean house for the holidays. My previous number was 142 (continued from Oct.) My goal is actually 500 items by Dec. 15. It's slow going because I don't have a lot of just trash to get rid of....what I am trying to simplify and go through takes some thought and time.

Anyway, to add to 142

Recycled 1 huge stack of old papers/junk mail (everytime I sit down to go through paper and throw a bunch of stuff out I'm counting it as 1 item - previously I hadn't been counting papers and junk mail but so my numbers don't reflect the work I am doing.
Recycled 4 empty shampoo and vitamin bottles
Counting as 1 item - DH is taking all leftover Halloween candy to work
15 items donated to Purple Heart (mostly clothes)
Freecycled 3 homeschooling books
Recycled 2 catalogs

New total 168
post #225 of 312
11/13/06 at 3:24pm
was 185/500


11 t-shirts
10 misc item
1 large box

I have a ton of more clothes to give away but I won't count them until they are actually OUT of the house.

207/500
post #226 of 312
11/13/06 at 5:13pm
Whoohoo! I finally got rid of a few things!

41 pairs of underwear
2 bras

All of these went in the trash. I seriously have been holding on to this stuff forever. I threw away some that I've had since the 6th grade! I'm hoping to get rid of things by giving them to someone in need, but I'm not going to start with ragged underwear! And if you think 41 is bad...I probably saved atleast another 40 pairs!

43 down, 457 to go!
post #227 of 312
11/13/06 at 7:28pm
Trash day, so a whole pile of random stuff went out. I didn't keep an exact number, so I'll estimate about 45 conservatively.

New tally 360/500

I should probably get a lot done tomorrow. We have overnight guests coming so I'll be cleaning like mad, Dh has to take the car tomorrow so I'll be stuck in the house and I have a babysitter coming to free me up for a few hours after school. Woot!
post #228 of 312
11/13/06 at 11:57pm
4 magazines, 2 piles of papers

135/500

I need to get going faster if I'm putting up a tree and decorations anytime soon.
post #229 of 312
11/14/06 at 1:16am
I just joined but this weekend was HUGE!

My count is at 191/500 already!

Mostly clothes, toys (I counted a block set as 1), baby stuff, linens....
post #230 of 312
11/14/06 at 1:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaredsmom View Post
I've gotten rid of:

12 catalogs
2 of my ds's worn-out sneakers
15 children's books that we don't read
5 toys
2 goodie bag things

So far 36/500...I'm on my way!

Oh! I have over 30 Mother-ease diapers and liners that are still in good conditions that we no longer need. I would like to find a good home for them!
Well, let's add this to the list:
at least 20 articles of my clothing...gone!
10 articles of out-grown children's clothing
5 toys
a whole bunch of paper from my "coupon" drawer in the kitchen
35 diapers (thanks Rebekah!)
22 liners
12 covers
3 old undies (sorry, had to share)
3 bags of plastic bags
1 "husband" pillow (or reading pillow)
1 laundry basket (what am I going to do with 3 anyway?)
3 pairs of ds' worn out shoes
10 pieces of children's clothing
15 childrens books that we never read(donated to a new Montessori school in my area)
1 lunch bag (returned to my parents)
1 broken multi-tiered shirt hanger
2 pair of wholly socks
2 old fountain water pumps (small)

Grand total = 182/500
post #231 of 312
11/14/06 at 1:51am
I just went a little nuts tonight and cleaned out all the bathroom drawers, I lost count at around 50 things, but so many were just old containers with nothing in them or scraps of tissue that I'll just keep the number at 50. Then I went through my old desk and threw away a bunch of floppy and zip disks from my school days, and a bunch of other junk... broken pencils, pens that don't work anymore. I'm gonna tack on another 50. And I'm not even done going through all that stuff. So now I'm at 305/500! Woo! All I see now is junk I want to throw away.:
post #232 of 312
11/14/06 at 6:54am
1 fridge magnet
1 book mailed away
13 used-up craft kits and workbooks
1 old medicine
1 office furniture
305/500

Slow day... but took all the stuff to Goodwill so I don't have to add those back!
post #233 of 312
11/14/06 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Synthea™ View Post
I think I'll go ahead and join in. I'm not actively trying to "declutter" but it's happening my default as I give stuff away to MIN with the Holiday Helper thing.

20 pair maternity pants
35 infant clothes
Giving 2 pair nursing pads, 4 CD covers and 3 homemade fitteds to my SIL (11)
Coat, 2 pairs of jeans and a top (4)
Threw away about 10 broken toys so far

Total: 80

That is awesome mama! I think I was a recipient of the maternity pants and they will be well loved!!

I hope more mama's are sending to the MINS!!
post #234 of 312
11/14/06 at 7:13pm
76/500

Still a long way to go, but I'm getting there! New additions include:

Magazines
Plastic bucket (to recycling)
Broken trash can

I didn't count the nearly 100 moving boxes I took to recycling. I'm sure our front porch looks much more pleasing to the eye!
post #235 of 312
11/14/06 at 7:21pm
1 basket of paper shreds.

I have a stack next to the shredder now that probably equates to two more baskets. It's amazing how much financial and paper clutter we accumulate. A friend sent me a financial clutter checklist - what to keep and how long etc. It's been so helpful, I'm amazed at what I've been holding on to for years that is just totally unnecessary.

I didn't get as much done today as I had hoped. I've noticed that I am much more productive on trash and recycling days and when I schedule donation pickups. So VVA is now scheduled for the 20th & 30th.

Dh is being really hesitant though. I've been after him to at least clean out his cloest. There is so much that he never wears or that doesn't fit him. We might as well get rid of it. My MIL is coming tomorrow. That should help nudge packrat DH along. : She's also in a major decluttering mode - getting ready to sell the house she's lived in for over 40 years!

361/500
post #236 of 312
11/15/06 at 4:21pm
I have removed 500 items via Goodwill, recycle, trash, and sharing with friends!

Just out of curiosity I tracked the recipients and about 2/3 went to Goodwill. Unfortunately I counted trash by the grocery sized bag, not by the item, so I did throw quite a bit away but I hope someone makes good use of many items I was just storing.

My recent success makes me wish I had announced myself when I first found this thread and started counting. I have been clearing out the unnecessary items for a while now and I wasn't sure I had 500 more to part with but I did. My goal was Thanksgiving because my in-laws will be here with more. I am guessing that 50% of what they bring in will follow them out the door but that is another topic.

This is so addictive! My home is getting easier to keep straight, we can find what we want, we know what we have. Now, when I pick something up I think "Do we still need this?" My dc are tired of protecting their belongings and I haven't even gotten to my dh. When thinking about Christmas gifts I have added the question of "How long before I will send this packing?" I am usually careful about what comes in the house but there are so many places where I still struggle.

Thank you ladies for being so inspiring and keep up the decluttering.
post #237 of 312
11/15/06 at 5:43pm
Wow! Congratulations on completing this challenge! I'm slowly getting there...I'm sure if I could just get time to spend in clearing my basement, I'll make the 500 in no time!
post #238 of 312
11/15/06 at 6:36pm
Thank you. Thank you.

A big number day for me was when I cleaned out my ds (age 10) captain's bed drawers. He went up to do it first and brought me three things he felt he could part with. I took him upstairs and dumped out the drawers and said, "Pick out three things you want to keep." (It wasn't as bad as it sounds, he did buy into the idea and has since commented on how he likes what we did.) We actually found $23 in old birthday and holiday cards. : I thought 50% should go as a finder's fee but he didn't agree.
post #239 of 312
11/15/06 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommajb View Post
We actually found $23 in old birthday and holiday cards. : I thought 50% should go as a finder's fee but he didn't agree.
:
post #240 of 312
11/16/06 at 12:14am
Another day with only 1 item. But it was a good one.

362/500

Can I count the old crappy desk chair I'm getting rid of tomorrow even though I used it everyday up until this morning? It just feels so good to have a new, decent, sturdy chair!
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › Come join the November 500 Items Decluttering Challenge!!!