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August declutter challenge - Page 2

post #21 of 222
8/1/07 at 8:51pm
I have an office/guest room that is currently my Secret Shame...that's the door we don't open. The carpet has been peed on so many times and partially eaten, as well, that we need to replace it, but I have to be able to empty out the room first. So that will be my August goal! Tame the office before school starts.

Holly
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post #22 of 222
8/1/07 at 10:00pm
I just took a carful of stuff to Goodwill so I'm going to round and say about 100 items.
post #23 of 222
8/1/07 at 10:05pm
ooooo, I've never been to this board before but I am soooo in! My garage is a disaster and has been for two years! 10 items a day I'm sure I can do!
post #24 of 222
8/1/07 at 10:49pm
This is my first time on the decluttering board too...

Do we get rid of 10 items a day or does it count to sort/organize/store the items?

I need all the help I can get!
post #25 of 222
8/1/07 at 11:47pm
I've taken the past few months and I'm back on board this month.
I got rid of 6 grocery bags full of items and then another garbage bag full. All donated- a mixture of toys and clothes, a few movies and misc. items.
I am going through our baby and toddler clothes to organize them and I'm getting rid of anything that fit the kids funny or I never ended up using for one reason or another. It's amazing how much we have accumulated over the years!
post #26 of 222
8/2/07 at 12:18am
I got rid of 4 things today! I exceeded my goal! That's good, because I'm sure I'll slack off at least one day this month . . . .

So that puts me at 4/93.
post #27 of 222
8/2/07 at 12:46am
I did 15 today, more tomorrow when I finish moving out of my old place!
post #28 of 222
8/2/07 at 1:07am
Just checking in... I haven't had a chance to do anything today. Last night before I posted to join, Dh felt motivated to clean out and re-organize the closet in here though. Found a skirt I can take back to wal-mart!

I got inspired a few days ago and hung up some of dd's artwork from school. Got the papers up off the floor and made some room to sort in.

so we've go a good start going.
post #29 of 222
8/2/07 at 1:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzmama View Post
This is my first time on the decluttering board too...

Do we get rid of 10 items a day or does it count to sort/organize/store the items?

I need all the help I can get!

you can count it however you want to. I count it if I put it away where it belongs especially if the item was homeless before i put it away.
post #30 of 222
8/2/07 at 1:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzmama View Post
I'm in!!

This summer I've done that thing I always do where I get about halfway there with decluttering and organizing and fizzle out...

I have not done the challenge before...how does it work?

Mama to DDs (12) (15) & : (21 pounds, should I worry?)
Just set a goal for yourself. It can be a number of items for the month, a number of bags to donate, a room you want to work on....whatever is going to work for you to get you motivated. Its especially fun to track your progress in your sig. Check in with us as often as you need to to stay focused. GOOD LUCK! and
post #31 of 222
8/2/07 at 9:42am
SUZMAMA i´m in with you! never done it either, so...

i like the "10 things a day" plan but i prefer to focus on 1 thing, 1 room or 1 task. i think i´ll go week by week.

FIRST WEEK
*get rid of clothes (i always give away clothes but always seem to have clothes to give away...where do they all come from???)
*get my son´s clothes into boxes and lend them to my friend
*sort pictures into albums and copy pics from the computer onto cd´s

i started yesterday and filled 3 boxes of my son´s clothes and 1 bag of my clothes to give away. a good start!
post #32 of 222
8/2/07 at 12:54pm
I'm in for a goal of 500 again this month. I made it just under half-way last month, but I'm not beating myself up because there were circumstances out of my control that put a crimp in my plans.

Here's to decluttering in August!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzmama View Post
I have not done the challenge before...how does it work?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzmama View Post
Do we get rid of 10 items a day or does it count to sort/organize/store the items?
Here's the link to the July challenge, which has some more detailed info in it: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=707215
post #33 of 222
8/2/07 at 1:04pm
I've had a good day. I consolidated some of my dd's art stuff into one container. That left 18 things to appropriate get rid of (trash, recycle, donate)

Then I went thru a cupboard in my kitchen that has storage stuff. I got rid of a plastic storage thingy and all it's parts, and about 8 tubs and tops. All together 6 plastic bags full of stuff to donate.

I also loaded my car up with a milk crate full of books for a friends classroom and a staples bag full of school supplies.

I definitely have my 10 things for today and yesterday.
post #34 of 222
8/2/07 at 2:19pm
Today is the declutter of the movies and hopefully some of the toy room. My goal is to chuck all VHS movies - if there is something we *really* like, then we can buy it on DVD. Of the DVDs, I plan on getting rid of approximately 50%. There are movies we haven't watched in years, some we will never watch ... and there are some we watch a lot. I just need to do it while the baby is asleep! For the children's movies, I plan on letting them pick so many of their favorites, and then I'll fill in the rest.

If I can get through that and still have time before dh gets home from work (I need to finish painting one of the boys' rooms when he gets home), we will move into the play room and start downsizing toys. If not, we will do that on Friday/Saturday.

My birthday is on the 15th; my goal is to have my house back in order and as decluttered and simplified as possible by then. It's my birthday present to myself.
post #35 of 222
8/2/07 at 2:31pm
I'm in for 10/day! I just returned from taking a WHOLE vanful of stuff to the homeless shelter. And there was a little girl on the porch who started tearing through the boxes as soon as I put them down and was screaming, "Look mom! SHOES!!!" Made me glad I finally got them out of my house, I think she needed them worse than my attic did.

Still, I have so much stuff I need to go through and get rid of. That last load was hard, it was a lot of baby stuff and maternity clothes. It was an admission that I'll never have another to get rid of it, but it had to be done! Now I figure I've done the hardest part, the rest should be easy!
post #36 of 222
8/2/07 at 4:09pm
i'm working on it. hard to be patient whein selling stuff.
post #37 of 222
8/2/07 at 5:08pm
Subbing!
I don't have a set goal per day, but I am definitely in this month.

I did table linens earlier this week - have most of them ready to ship to other MDC mamas after posting in the TP here.

Hogged out my cookbooks - not sure what to do with them.

Went through bathroom cupboards and drawers and have been consolidating to try to use up all the shampoo, soap, etc. we have before we move.

Remaining to be done this month:
Master Bedroom - get rid of the hideous vertical blinds before Aug 27 so the city will pick them up on "bulky item" trash day.
Upstairs Closets and dressers - old clothes, my excess shoes, extra winter stuff
Hall closet - mostly sporting goods, would like it emptied before movers come
Garage - sporting goods hog-out & organization
Garage - break down and recycle old computer boxes
Downstairs Bed/office - move old computer parts to trash/recycling, move unused bookshelves and chair to office to facilitate carpet cleaning
Office - clean my desk off, hog out desk shelf storage, make better use of filing cabinet
Kitchen - not too bad here
Laundry - couple "junk boxes" to be reviewed, not too much otherwise
Bathrooms - not too bad, can be last-minute hog-out
Living Room - sorting out the stuff stored next to the piano. Re-hang the now-clean drapes. Take the "trash books" I have culled from collection to library or bookstore.
post #38 of 222
8/3/07 at 12:20am
I lurked on this thread last month and this month I'm ready to join in... we are converting an office to a baby's room, a guest room to an office, and a room that we call the Fifth Dimension into our guest room. All of this moving has been a good opportunity to reorganize a bunch of our stuff -- I have been sorting and consolidating craft supplies, clothes, and keepsakes and mementos.

I'm not going to set a goal, but I am going to track my progress here.

Right now I have the following poised to take to charity:
2 boxes of books
4 boxes of clothing and toys and random housewares
1 wicker CD rack

Today I gave away:
1 Costco-sized box of leftover milkbones from our dog that went to heaven

This week I am shredding the equivalent of:
1 file box of old papers

I have thrown away:
2 shopping bags of random debris out of medicine cabinets, nightstand, and son's dresser.

I have listed for sale on Craigslist:
1 canister vacuum

Maybe my goal will be 15 units of stuff... that sounds ambitious but countable! I feel like I might be coming to the end of the easy-to-get-rid-of, but I could probably go through the kitchen and linen closet and be ruthless.

Whee! Feel the chi flowing!
post #39 of 222
8/3/07 at 12:41am
I gave away 3 scented lotions today to a friend! Yay! She was happy, and so was I!

For me, this 3 a day thing is relatively easier to keep up with.

Total: 7/93
post #40 of 222
8/3/07 at 12:45am
Oooo I'm in... 10 items per day sounds like it will work for me. :

I have a blog set up and I plan on using it *nods*