Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Declutter Challenge- January

 

 I'm joining in with Amy from Amy's Finer Things in her Declutter Challenge.  In case you haven't heard she's inspiring others to get rid of 730 items in 2010.  That averages out to be 2 items per day.  Of course you don't really have to get rid of 2 items a day, just whenever you can and it doesn't even have to be 730 items.  The object is to simplify your home by getting rid of things you don't or can't use anymore.

If you read my post earlier this month about the mouse, you know I had a great reason to get rid of some stuff.  I started with the closet the mouse was in.  As I was going through boxes, I realized I didn't need a lot of those things.  Some were old Christmas ornaments that were broken, a few were old manuals for things we no longer owned.  There were things I thought I wanted, but after thinking about how they had just been sitting in the closet unused, I decided I could let go of them. 


Then we did my bedroom.  I had a lot of paperwork there that I no longer needed, so we tossed that.  We went through our clothes and got rid of the  ones we couldn't wear or that had holes.  We also got rid of some more toys.


So, for January my total is 78 items!  I'm sure there will be months with less items and maybe months with more items.  Even if I don't get to 730 items, I am feeling better about having less clutter in my home!  I'm also putting the total on my sidebar, so I can better keep track.  If you want to see how others are simplifying visit Amy's Finer Things.

15 comments:

Farming On Faith said...

You Go Girl~I did that while putting away Christmas. It feels so good. I hate clutter!

Tammy ~ Country Girl at Home ~ said...

That's great, Nancy! I did this somewhat when we were decluttering for our homestudy for the adoption, but we're going to have to do it again as we are redoing these bedrooms! That's a great challenge! We have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!

Thank you for the sweet comment and birthday wishes for Joy!

Have a great evening!
Tammy

Nancy said...

Oh man. I should probably join you in this...but I'm afraid!! ;)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I wish I had known about this earlier. For the past three months, I have been slowly decluttering preparing for the sale of our home. We went thru our clothing, kitchen cabinets, garage etc. and have donated a lot to Goodwill or Habitat. It is a great feeling and makes cleaning a lot easier/quicker. Good luck and Jan. was a great start for you.

Wendy said...

Ha! I've already started doing this... didn't realize there was a challenge involved! I have cleaned out and reorganized my linen closet and my bedroom closet. It is quite the feeling of accomplishment. Also, how on earth did I end up with so many sets of sheets?

QuiltedSimple said...

I think i seriously need to join this challenge. I have way too much stuff....pretty bad when I can't get in the closet to find anything, right? Thanks for a gentle push
kris

Beansieleigh said...

Nancy, I'm in awe of you, for taking such a challenge! I could see wanting to accept the challenge myself, but I think I definitely already paid my dues with the "big bad move" I just went through in October! I'm taking a BREAK from throwing any more of my stuff out!.. Well, with the exception of clothes. (0; I think that I could stand to declutter my wardrobe and SOON! ~tina

My Blessings From Above said...

That is great Nancy! I have been decluttering for the past year. We have a tiny, tiny home and have taken countless loads to the thrift store for donation. I am continuing on this year. trying to live more simply.

Amy @ Finer Things said...

Great start, Nancy! Thanks so much for joining in. :)

Cheryl said...

You go girl! Good Luck, you will be happy you did it.

Two years ago when we moved (after 30 years) we really wiped out stuff. Made 6 trips to Goodwill and not counting stuff we trashed. Should have had a yard sale....grrrr but hubby didn't want to mess with it. Now every thing is so nice and roomey!

Judy Kay said...

This is just the motivation I needed, I'm posting about it on my blog tonight and starting it tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!
God Bless!
Judy

Anonymous said...

Hello!
That's such a great idea - but I'd loose count - I've alredy given/thrown away 5 boxes and several bags! There's still loads more to loose...

Mandie said...

I have been decluttering too. I actually organized my craftroom! It has been 4 years since I have really gone through that room and I am so happy I did. I have found things I forgot I had, hehe. I have made 2 aprons, cards, and 2 pillows. I am so motivated to craft now!!

Shannon said...

Nancy, kudos! Wish I had known about this a few weeks ago when I donated a Suburban load to Christian Ministries, lol. As you have seen from my blog, I can get carried away. I mean, I de-clutter the crayon box of broken and peeling crayons. I have to stop myself sometimes, haha. Keep up the great work!!!!

Cindy said...

Wow, fantastic! You did more than 10% of the challenge the very first month! Good for you!!!