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February Decluttering Challenge

10K views 299 replies 76 participants last post by  MommyErin 
#1 ·
And so starts the February Decluttering Challenge. If you are lurking, join! Make your goal small. Your goals could be a certain number of items, a certain room, or rooms, a number of boxes/bags, anything. If you see something that isn't blessing your life, you haven't used it in years, you have no place to put it, let it go!

So my goal for February is 20 boxes/bags/big items(like furniture or such)
 
#177 ·
I started cleaning under my bed, and I found an underbed tupperware container full of lingerie!!! It's been so long with pg and c/s and baby that I totally forgot I had it!!!! I probably should have gotten rid of more, but I did get rid of 10 items from threre, threw away another old pillow, and added something else small (I can't remember what) to the donation pile! SO 12 more!
 
#178 ·
WOOHOO! Almost halfway there!

I went through three bins of baby clothing this morning while dh and dd were at playgroup and ds was napping. I divided them up into piles:

-Goodwill
-a friend with twin boys (who's given us a ton of lovely clothes for dd)
-my pregnant SIL
-an upcoming cloth diaper and clothing swap
-consignment store
-loans to return to their previous owners
-keep

The keep pile was pretty small -- mostly current stuff that had gotten tossed in the bins thanks to La Toddler and just a few keepsakes.

My SIL is coming up for dinner tomorrow and is going home with a huge bin of cloth diapers and clothing.

Anything the consignment store doesn't want will go in the diaper swap bin. Anything left after the diaper swap (on the 20th) will go in the Goodwill bag.

Happy happy happy.
 
#179 ·
My dad and step-mom are going to visit next weekend (hopefully... they haven't made it here for a looong time because of health problems, so I have my fingers crossed). So I need to get a bunch of crap *out* of the guest room closet, where I've been piling up get-rid-of stuff.

Some random totals:

3 big bags of baby clothes to go to another MDC mama.
: (But I won't see her till March... but I bet I can come up with another bag by then!
) Est >150 items
2 big bags of baby clothes past their prime to donate. >100 items
~50 old mazazines to go to the library free bin
probably ~20 items all told removed from my closet.... I think I'm going to reserve a few, though, to do wardrobe refashion projects with
box of plastic, battery-operated toys to go to the pediatric ward of the hospital (~10)
4 pairs of old shoes to take to recycle.
6 pieces of block styrofoam to recycle.
box of bubble wrap and box of styro peanuts to recycle.
~20 items of maternity clothes to list on craigslist (don't know if they'll go immediately, though)

There's more, but that's what really needs to get out this weekend. I suppose I'll have more before they arrive.

What the total? ~370? I realize now that I should set a goal of oh... 5000 or so.
:
 
#181 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mama2babybeans View Post
5 more shirts freecycled
15 items to Goodwill

85/250
1- small wooden chair- freecycled
14- bag of misc. stuff to goodwill
1- sweater to goodwill
2- bags of old shredded bills, et.
1- funky shaped tupperware container- goodwill
3- cheap toys- goodwill
1- textbook to goodwill

108/250
 
#182 ·
i threw out another bag of trash from the office and put out 2 large boxes. i'm at 10/10 bags/boxes my goal!- and there is still more to do. right now i'm going throughh our pictures and making albums of the good ones, then i want to go through my clothes some more. then maybe i can put some of the office in the empty spaces i cleared.
 
#186 ·
I finally got a February start this weekend...

23 clothing/misc items out of what will be the baby's room
37 items out of the pantry (yes, it was that bad!)
-----
60/100

and more to go in the baby's room. perhaps i'll hit my 100 goal afterall! i was beginning to doubt it.
 
#187 ·
got dh to go through his side of the closet today - WOOHOO! i also went through the bathroom cabinet and the second bedroom closet. that pretty much does it for me for closets/cabinets in this house - total of 122 items. i still need to get rid of 178 items to make my february goal. i am going to start going back through things - i know there is more to get rid of.
 
#188 ·
Okay, I need to admit a problem. I have no problem boxing up stuff and saying 'this can go' I do have a problem actually getting it out. Somehow the obstacle to doing it seems high.

So, I want to join the challenge. I am going to get one box of stuff out of my house by next Sunday. One box, even a small box would be a big step.
 
#189 ·
Okay I am SO behind, and my mom is coming tomorrow for almost 2 weeks, so no major work to be done then, either. So far this week, I got rid of:

40 pieces of junk mail and catalogs thrown out from my "stash" of going to read someday stuff (over a period of several days unfortunately)
1 old bra tossed
2 holey socks
2 ratty dishcloths
2 bags of old marshmallows--one dried out and one completely stuck together-and semi reorganized 2 pantry cabinets

so that brings my total to 123/250.

In addition, I have discovered that I am getting more conscious of holding onto something for later vs. letting it go when I should, so I am working on the clutter from both ends.
 
#190 ·
Its been a good decluttering weekend.
Cleaned out my dresser drawers.
Cleaned out my fabric stash and reorganized my yarn stash.
1/2 way done with the linen closet.
Dh finished building dividers for the coat closet, added 2 more hooks.

3 boxes of clothes, shoes and household items to goodwill.
(I have since packaged up two more boxes)
1 box of fabric + 5 knitting magazines to freecycler.
1 bag of trash.
Hmm, conservatively 150 items.
355/500 items.
 
#194 ·
I DID IT!!!


I haven't checked into this thread for a while but I have been keeping an extremely anal-retentive chart in Excel to document my progress.
:

2/1 - 45
2/2 - 62
2/3 - 46
2/4 - 4
2/5 - 72
2/6 - 0
2/7 - 34
2/8 - 0
2/9 - 0
2/10 - 6
2/11 - 47
2/12 (today) - 35 so far, for a total of 351; my original goal was 350. My realistic expectation was 250...I can't believe how much STUFF I have!
: I'm going to keep going and I'm thinking of making a second goal for the month...although I would hate to change my happy signature.


Thank you so much for this challenge! I never would have been motivated to do this otherwise.
 
#195 ·
I lose track of where exactly we are, but I did some more tidying up. I'm going to drop off a bunch of plastic bags for recycling, plus an old plastic chair and a ton of plastic tubs. I feel a little
: about this (that plastic is in our lives, that it accumulated in our house/garage, etc.), but I'd say I could add at least 200 more to my total. Also... a bunch of plastic hangers in the give away pile. A few more yucky kids books and toys. A few odds and ends. A couple of the big infant things that we don't need. So my grand total is probably ~600 so far. Egad. That's exciting but also a little embarrassing.

Off to call ARC.
 
#198 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by marybethorama View Post
but i'm doing it

I took a carload of stuff to Goodwill on Friday and I just (ahem) disposed of a pile of papers

I've got a bag of clothes going to Goodwill today

I'm actually seeing SPACE It's so amazing. I'm beyond thrilled,
I know, isn't it crazy to come home and have a flat surface where you can put your bags?!

I am sitting here right now with the end table/storage cube door wide open so I can see inside. Yesterday you had to open it really slowly to prevent an avalanche of books, toys, and random odds and ends (mostly stuff we stashed there when company was coming over). Today it is completely empty, and I threw out everything but two small piles of books - one for me, one for the kids. Now I have nothing to put in the end table, because I finally have shelf/cabinet space for the books. It's a huge storage cube - I could probably put our extra pillows and blankets in there and free up that corner of the guest room where they're currently piled sloppily.

This is fun
 
#200 ·
I am reading everyone's post and everyone is doing so great. We should all be so proud of ourselves.

Don't know about you but I can feel the extra energy whipping around my house.

Just wanted to say way to go everyone. You all are inspiring me to get rid of more and I appreciate that more than you know.

Thanks,
Elizabeth
 
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