September Decluttering Challenge! - Page 6

[superstella]

3 magazines
1 catalog
1 big ole box of junk from the pile beside my desk; it's a much more manageable pile now . I'm quite certain there were at least 20 items here, but I'm just going to count it as 1 big ole box.

17 more shirts
2 pairs of shorts
My children (especially the 3yo) have entirely too many clothes. That is the understatement of the century.
3 more books, sold on amazon.com (yay!)

141/250

[ErinEmily]

I know it's the middle of the month, but...

can I play too?

I have company coming with three little kids for a family wedding in 2 weeks and 1 day.

My house needs help. I need help.

Thanks.

I am going to try for 100. But I don't know, for me if that's for the day, week or month.

[hellyaellen]

so a girl at work gave me two HUGE bags of clkothes for my dd. I'm super grateful b/c this is a tight month for us and now we won't have to do much winter shopping for her but now I've got to make her clothes my next de-clutter project:

In a few minutes I might do more with my papers though

[brittneyscott]

35 more items (DD's toys)


1280/2000 items

[kissum]

Originally Posted by kissum

Another 32.

104/300.

15. I tossed some of dd's toys, and some paperwork.

119/300

I need to do clothes next!

[clothdipemomof2boy]

I have decluttered the house as much as i can right now. I have a scheduleda garage sale when we get back on the 20th of september that will get rid of about four big moving boxes. I am actually pretty proud of myself since I am a HUGE pack rat. But even though I am making a goal of atleast 200 items I have paperwork and magazines to go through also I will be going through clothes so I hope I make my goal.

[michelle524]

I finally got around to counting some of the yard sale stuff in the pile: 25. Plus I chucked a dried up thing of white-out and (my favorite) instructions to install my printer in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. Why did I keep that?

So, that's 27 things to add to my list. The yard sale is off for tomorrow b/c it's going to rain, but I'll do it next weekend (gives me more time to gather up stuff!).

New total: 137/500

[brittneyscott]

50 more toys


1330/2000 items

[hellyaellen]

Welll i went through the kids clothes last night, and the t-shirts i keep thinking i'll make dipes out of, i didn't count while I was sorting but i'm going to say

100 items of clothing are headed out the door

i am keeping the stuff i've been saving to tye-dye (i actually have a prefold, a flat, and a grateful dead shirt in the sink now) and a pile of sewing scraps that Olivia and I are making skirts with. i'm keeping a few gender neutral and boy things in each size too.

I just did al ittle with my papers wich is the main focus this month and

7 envelopes trashed
6 envelopes saved
4 permanent files created
7 papers filed to temporary files
5 papers trashed
15 papers filed to permanent files

and kurt got in the mood the other night and shredded some papers too. (but i won't count that in my total)

143 items dealth with in the past few hours

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

58/100

The numbers are Sept. dates that I worked on that area.

1. Filing Cabinet 1 2 3 4 -- DONE!
2. Closet in the nursery 5 6 12 -- DONE!
3. Storage Garage Outside 8 -- DONE!
4. My daughters' clothes 15 -- DONE!
5. My clothes closet
6. Garage
7. Closet in the Guest Bedroom
8. My desk
9. Kitchen Cabinets
10. Bathroom Linen Closet

I picked today to drive around and give all the stuff in my trunk to the various charities I'm donating all this decluttering to.

Basically, when I decide it is leaving our house, I move it into the trunk of our car.

Today we tried to put something in the trunk and it was slam-full with those 58 items from this challenge.

So now they are gone and....ahhhhh....yes, I feel lighter.

[goldfinch]

No sense of accomplishment!

Hi, Mamas!

I absolutely met my 250 goal this week; I just brought an entire carload (I don't even know how much -- 6 bags and 2 boxes, at least) to Goodwill! Yay for me, right?

But I don't feel excited, or lighter, or anything. I don't have any sense of accomplishment or forward motion.

What happened? Have I reached a decluttering-high plateau? Do I need to declutter larger and larger amounts to get the euphoria jettisoning a single box used to give me?

Has this happened to anyone else? Help!

[FamilyFriendlyLife]

DECLUTTER: 25/100 items

1. Home office - desk - DONE
2. Home office - filing cabinet
3. Home office - 2nd desk/floor/closet - Making good progress...
4. Our bedroom
5. Our closet - Started...
6. Bathroom closet
7. Rubbermaid bin in DD's room
8. Bureau in DS' room - DONE
9. Living room shelves - DONE
10. Pantry
11. Washer/dryer area
12. Kitchen cabinets

Finding the areas I am able to attack are not as much need-based, as contingent upon where the kids are happy playing (hence DS' bureau + living room shelves are done, but not the bedroom or bathroom closets, which really need help). Oh well, progress is progress...I was able to get my office largely under control after everyone was in bed; now just need to hit the 2nd desk.

Kim

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Goldfinch -- I think it is just a passing mood.

Honestly, I am not a keeper -- my house is so pared down that finding 100 items to give away is a BIG deal for us. And I usually never have that euphoria feeling because really our house has very little clutter.

I like space and I like travelling lightly (and we've moved 5 times in the past 7 years).

So maybe you HAVE gotten rid of the bulk of the stuff you need to declutter and the decision to let something go is getting harder and harder...which is why you aren't feeling that lightening feeling when stuff leaves.

But you are still doing a good thing (in my mind) because you will feel euphoria when you need to find something in your closet and it is easy to spot. Or you go to clean and it is so much easier because your surfaces are clear.

[goldfinch]

Prudence, I wish that were the case! I think what's happened is that I've realized that even getting rid of a full carload of stuff -- I mean, literally over 250 good, useable items -- didn't make any kind of a visible dent in our clutter... I think I'm just overwhelmed by how far I still have to go.

[hellyaellen]

Goldfinch I think we've all been there.

When I get discouraged I like to do a quick de-clutter in a small area. Something i can get to perfection in under an hour. Something like the junk drawer or the bathroom cabinet, then I can stand back and look at a perfectly clutter free, area and know that "I did that!".

And then are days when I just say srew it

But eventually if you keep at you will SEE the progress you're making. The thread is good for helping to recognize progress even when its not yet visible. :

Chin up mama We're right here with you!

[katheek77]

2 old baby Ts
1 stained shirt (mine)
1 rusted razor
8 summer baby outfits
1 pair outgrown sandels

13 more items, bringing me up to 70/100.

*sigh* I'll never make it in time...

[kissum]

Originally Posted by kissum

15. I tossed some of dd's toys, and some paperwork.

119/300

I need to do clothes next!

I tossed 45 clothing items into the goodwill pile! YAY! Now, too bad I can't find a goodwill anywhere in my area. I put the box in the living room, so I am hoping that will motivate me to find a home for it. I still have all of last month's giveaway items in there too.

164/300- more than halfway there! :

[superstella]

Can i get a little happy dance? I got rid of the baby swing today!!! I've been holding onto that thing, thinking I'd sell it or donate it somewhere useful, and a local MDC mama saw one of my posts and offered to buy it and pick it up, so it's GONE! Although I went ahead and donated it to her even though she offered to pay. I was going to donate it elsewhere, I'm just happy it's being loved and it's out of my house. SO woooohooooo!

That's the only thing I decluttered today, but that should count for like10 things I think! Oh, and 1 book.

so
143/250

[michelle524]

Originally Posted by superstella

That's the only thing I decluttered today, but that should count for like10 things I think!

That totally counts as more than one item. Think of all the space they take up!!

[goldfinch]

Thanks, mamas. Got rid of a bunch more stuff today! Busy right now but wanted to pop in and say "thanks for the support!"