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March Decluttering Challenge! (think Spring!) - Page 6

post #101 of 296
3/7/07 at 4:43am
I'm in this month too...

I'm going to set my goal at 200 items. Mostly from the bedroom, the kids toys, and I really want to find the time to list a bunch of stuff on ebay ( thats been piling up in playroom closet! )


This month dh,ds1, and I all have birthdays (in the same week ) so I really want to limit what comes in the house as well

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post #102 of 296
3/7/07 at 1:15pm
After a grumbly night with a baby (and sick kid(s) the past 4 days), I just knew that nothing would get done today, either. Wrong! Connor fell asleep to bagpipe music almost 2 hours early, my coffee was still in full swing, and I got 3 1/2 shelves on my garage pantry sorted through and organized!! So I can add:

Recycled or thrown away (as appropriate):

17 glass storage bottles, odd shaped or missing lids
4 tins of kippered snacks, which I love but had stopped eating because "they make the house stink", at least 4 years old
1 metal oatmeal tin
1 gal jug drinking water from the emergency stash that was leaking--used it for the plants and recycled the jug
7 bottles of spices that I had forgotten, they were out there too long to use
1 marinade mix, same problem
1 orange dreamsicle shake mix, same problem
5 packs of ramen
1 random plastic bag
2 cans boost from my daughter's birth
2 jars baby food applesauce (from same pg, when I could only stomach bland pureed food in the 1st trimester)
1 wine bottle
1 handful old m&m's (kept the pretty bottle they were in )
1 vase and 1 cream pitcher that I had intended to keep, but broke while I was cleaning so I threw them away. It counts, right?

To donate:
1 new paci in pkg
12 steak knives and peelers
1 lg can formula
1 shoebox of random mismatched silverware

Oh, and last night while replacing the broiler element : on my stove with DH, I swept and cleaned out from behind/under the stove, so I am going to count that as 1.


My new grand total: 86/250
post #103 of 296
3/7/07 at 2:35pm
19 more clothes donating to neice & nephew
1 blanket


20 for the day so far.
post #104 of 296
3/7/07 at 4:05pm
I'm in, although a bit late. But that's not stopping me, it's all or nothing. This is going to be my big declutter month before the weather gets nice and we spend all of our time outside. Soooooooooo,

it's 1000 items for me!! I'm already at 87! The kids are asleep, so here I go
post #105 of 296
3/7/07 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rikki Jean View Post
-7 bags of "stuff" (anything) to be given away

-10 pairs of shoes to be given away

-25 pieces of clothing to be given away or sold for cheap

-5 bags of papers to be recycled or shredded (I know that sounds nuts, but I am a major paper collector, a habit I'm desperately trying to break!)
Seven pairs of shoes got picked up this morning by a Freecycler, and I have 9 more that are going to the trash by the end of the week (there is no hope for these shoes, as they are TRASHED).

So, 7/47!
post #106 of 296
3/8/07 at 12:55pm
Thread Starter 
16 more items gone so far for today..
So I'm at 33-300.
Hopefully I will be adding quite a few more this afternoon since DH goes in to work later today!
post #107 of 296
3/8/07 at 1:33pm
After yesterday, my total was 305/500. I'm thinking I underestimated the amount 0f crap we own.

The highlights of yesterday's work-
*sorted through 3 totebags of paperwork, 95% of which was recycle. Note to self, don't save this crap, recycle when it comes it and be done with it!
*Bedroom bookshelf, about 50 books/video tapes/knitting patterns from there to goodwill.
*Master bath-I had soooo many old bath products hiding in there. It felt bad to throw them away, but they don't smell or look good any more. I also don't need 2 flat irons or 3 curling irons, do I?

I also have an abundance of disposie mama pads from back when I used them. The packages are opened, will a shelter still take them?
post #108 of 296
3/8/07 at 2:53pm

Whoo Hooo

DH stayed home sick yesterday and he watched the Greg Berhandt Show and Dr. Phil. Both shows were about hoarding disorder.

Both approaches to solving the problem were different but DH did see some of himself. Strictly speaking, he is not a hoarder but he does have trouble letting go of potentially useful stuff. His college and grad school textbooks too. He said we could start getting rid of the books (probably too outdated to sell).

I should have serious progress to report after the weekend.
post #109 of 296
3/8/07 at 3:15pm
I can't beleiver I already have 92/200 things. I'm gonna surpass that goal for sure!

but my garage is so fecking cold right now I don't dare get out there to work on it, here;s hoping for warm weather!
post #110 of 296
3/8/07 at 4:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by memiles View Post
I also have an abundance of disposie mama pads from back when I used them. The packages are opened, will a shelter still take them?
I'm sure you could freecycle them! I gave away a whole box of half-used items like shampoos and conditioners & body sprays that I didn't like.. it was crazy how many e-mails I got!
post #111 of 296
3/9/07 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by my2girlz View Post
20 items I gathered around the house.

205/900
Not much progress the last few days.

sold 3 items today for $60
threw out 5 items

213/900
post #112 of 296
3/9/07 at 5:20am
Wow, we have way too much paper! I just dumped 110 random pieces of paper from my dd's desk. Dh got rid of at least 50 miscellaneous paper items yesterday. I have a whole box of papers left to sort through. The sheer vast quantity of it all is making it easy to reach my goal, but this is beyond ridiculous! My mom is here now, so we tackle the tupperware cupboard tomorrow - out with the mismatched lids! Also need to declutter the kitchen counter (again). With a little bit of decluttering today, I am at 653/750.

Kristin
mom to dd (5 1/2), ds (2 1/2) and #3 due in June
post #113 of 296
3/9/07 at 12:01pm
Jeez MtnCanary we're not even half way throught the month!:

Congrats!
post #114 of 296
3/9/07 at 1:38pm
I just recycled a TON of coupons that were expired. Just counting them as one, though.
post #115 of 296
3/9/07 at 1:46pm
i am in th process of moving and am decluttering LOTS! i can count exactly how many items but im up to 5 boxes! thanks for the inspiration!!
post #116 of 296
3/9/07 at 4:13pm
Wow this feels good! Toys are hard for me to get rid of. I started going through toys last night and worked on it all morning while the daycare kids played. I already sent off a bag with some Rescue Heroes (spiderman and hulk and the ones that were dog-chewed when I bought them off ebay..ick), some bigger vehicles, a few cheapie matchbox type cars, and the old-school Little People since I only had a few and hardly any accessories, I'll ust keep the new kind. Plus other random toys like McDonalds toys, etc. I put half the matchbox cars in a gallon bag in the closet- I figure half as much to dump! But they get broken pretty regularly so I'll use those for my replacements. Took all the random plastic balls and bean bags and put them in a bag for the closet- they get in trouble for throwing them, so I'll just bring them out if we get the pop-open basketball hoop thing out. Also filled up a grocery bag with bay toys with not so much play value (still have a big basket full) and am hoping to give those to a daycare family when they drop off in an hour. A pile of other toys to get rid of on the changing table that need bagged up still.

I've also gotten in the habit of getting rid of a few pieces of clothing every time I fold laundry. I have a garbage bag and a box set up so I can just toss stuff in there witout having to go to effort.
Mel
post #117 of 296
3/9/07 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by my2girlz View Post
Not much progress the last few days.

sold 3 items today for $60
threw out 5 items

213/900
took 15 pieces of clothing out of the closet and dresser

228/900
post #118 of 296
3/9/07 at 4:50pm
It's been pretty busy since I decided to do this challenge- but today I sat down in our office junk area and went through-- got rid of a big bag of paper junk and then I had an extra bag when I got home from the store- so I cleaned out the car and stuffed another bag full of garbage! YEA!
post #119 of 296
3/9/07 at 6:42pm
63 more items from the kitchen!
post #120 of 296
3/9/07 at 10:42pm
The house has pretty much been decluttered - but that resulted in stuff ending up in the garage. So, last week I set up a swap park date and took a bunch of stuff to give to families in our AP group. Today I worked on the garage while the kids played in the driveway and helped some. I pulled out all of the extra boxes lying around in there and took them to the curb for the garbage truck. I hate doing that but I just have to get stuff out of there and I haven't made it to the recycling cecnter recently. I folded the backseat of the van down (good thing I'm doing that before number 3 gets here). I went through all of our donation stuff, set the stuff aside that I know I have homes for with friends...then loaded everything else in the back of the van. Tomorrow it is all getting dropped of at the Salvation Army or Good Will. I still have more organizing to do in the garage, but the majority of stuff is out! Wooo Hooo!

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
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › March Decluttering Challenge! (think Spring!)