Last month I challenged myself to get rid of 100 things a day for 7 days. I'd been decluttering all spring, but felt like I was getting nowhere. (My boyfriend and I have been accumulating stuff in our house for 6 years.)
The first day was super easy (gathered well over 100 items), but the last three days took a lot more effort. Especially because there were a lot of things that I didn't include: 8 crates full of CDs, 3 crates of LPs, a closet full of clothes, and a bunch of other stuff we had already decided to get rid of. Altogether, about 1,500 items large and small have left our house in the last month.
Today, I finally, officially finished the challenge! My house feels much more relaxing now, I'm spending more time on my hobbies, and I've been cleaning more often since I don't have to deal with so much junk every time I want to vacuum or whatever.
I also kept a list, which I thought it might be fun to share. (Thanks to B for the idea.)
The 700 Things
can of Shoe Stretch, sight-reading book, black skirt, 16 pairs of socks, 2 menus, old pizza coupons, plasticware, tea tin, papers, Xmas candle, travel mug, address labels, agency keycard, DC Metro pass, orange & white blanket, green purse, dragon slippers, homemade dish soap, 2 cat medicines, 5 boxes of tea, bottle of caramel syrup, bad onion, Kenyan pop rocks, 2 sewing books, 3 cleaning pads, 5 cleaning products, 2 toothbrushes, empty salt can, pretty pinwheel, water bottle, keycard holder, old deodorant, tiny tea tin, bunch of garbage from my tote bags, hard drive, old syringes, McDonald's honey, 4 packs Orbit gum, jar of cinnamon sugar, tea tree oil, 3 bottles expired supplements/pills, expired chocolate, expired powdered sugar, set of mini cookie cutters, box for iphone case, 2 CDs, 2 more cat medicines, air purifier, gloves, mittens, 2 pieces of other people's mail, muffin tin, post-it flags, old soy sauce, bedsheet, pillowcase, backup CD, 3 books, 2 Palm III manuals, High Road notebook, Synonym Finder, Content Management Bible, Learning Web Design, Web Design in a Nutshell, The Confident Speaker, Writer's Thesaurus, Communicating Design, 8 workbench accessories plus hardware, lead tests, 4 foam mini rollers, mango green tea, bluetooth headset manual, blue strength band, 3 notepads, 9 little toys, 11 burned CDs, cover art to 34 CDs, 3 CD cases, 1 DVD case, junk & chud from basement, used steel wool, Count von Count bookmark, Case Logic case, 4 old journals, 5 notebooks, yardstick, Junior World Encyclopedia, Practical Dress Design, 6 curtain panels, 3 valances, 2 old sauce jars, clutch bag made of bottle tops, piece of polyester organza, cardboard cutting pad, 2 Crumpler bags, old soy sauce, Guatemalan pouch, thread, 2 design books, gray corduroys, scrap of wrapping paper, 3 matryoshka ornaments, tiny notebook, large DMC floss case, storm window, 2 DVD-Rs, 6 workbench pieces with instructions, fabric swatches, papers, keyboard belt buckle, orange scarf, rusty pin, three-hole punch, box to serger, black scarf, 2 CDs, vanilla tea, lots of plastic bags, Adidas insoles, used-up notebook, 4 pieces old software, legal pad, big-ass binder clip, 7 bottles cleaning products, zippered plastic bag, 4 sheets stickers, used half of a journal, 2 gross things, half-finished cross-stitch gift, metal waste basket, holiday plastic bag, 4 old framed prints, masala chai, 8 cans Wellness, 2 CDs, 2 1GB RAM sticks, Circa portable punch, old bra, Pu-Erh tea cake, tin of splenda, empty tea tin, fennel tea tin, 11 scratched lottery tickets, noise-cancelling headphones, 5 plastic lids, scratching post, 3 pieces moldy plywood, 12 pieces garbage from mud room, papers, jug of Tidy Cats crystals, cardboard box, dust mop, photos (hundreds of them), cardboard box, 3 things from pantry floor, old record cabinet, 20 old toiletries (actually more like 40), 3 things in mud room, 5 things under kitchen sink, 3 small product boxes, 7 gift bags/boxes, 2 vintage hanging lamps, 1 coffee scoop, 81 clothes hangers, protein powder, fiber supplement, box of pills, papers, 6 milk crates, 9 cardboard boxes, bobbin rack, crinkly kitty pad, empty iodine bottle, Ikea bag, EyeTV, 13 video games, 2 Oberweiss bottles, 4 dead AA batteries, 1 AAA battery, 6 paper grocery bags, 8 antique bathroom fixtures, USB hub, 5 pendant lamps, agency keycard, iPhone stand, vintage Franzosische set, spice jar top, 2 pillow covers, 8 pieces polyester yardage, car CD player & iPod interface, 2 laptop bags, UPS power supply, wireless keyboard, 2 cat medicines, gold braid, vintage yarn basket, old gym keycard, tons of plastic shopping bags, Deery Lou bag & wallet, 5 Megaman figures, rolling massager, heat-deflecting batting, big vintage lamp, 2 pieces fleece yardage, old laser printer, phone clip, 2 phone batteries, Playstation, Sigg cap, Wahl shaver, bike seat cable, 2 preamps, set of pedals, Apple G5, black keyboard, vintage skeeball game, Playstation card, fluid trainer, car CD player, 3 Pokemon figures, 1 pack Pokemon cards, Wacom tablet, Brooks saddle, Wiimote, tea tin, Fozzie Bear stand-up figure, vintage alarm clock, Nabaztag, electronics repair kit, DSL filter, Frankenmuth boot mug, cardboard box, 2 fabric cube bins, 4 letter-size banker boxes, 2 legal-size banker boxes, 2 shoebox-size bins, 4 medium plastic bins, 1 large plastic bin, 1 under-bed box, 5 banker-box lids, 8 plastic-bin lids, flowered paper lantern, 6 inket refill bottles, 2 inket refill syringes, car-washing mitt, sheet of stickers, shredder, 5 mop covers, red shoes, laundry rack, 4 Domokun coasters, 3 Cozumel coasters, 3 takeout containers with lids, Singer Izek, Gus Gutz, 2 La Croix cartons, Jem VHS tape
My 100-things-a-day decluttering challenge
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AnneBentham
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:15 am
I'm in the process of downsizing from 175 to 98 sq ft for two people. I've been putting off going through my stuff to get rid of more things, but I should really get on that. I always dread getting started but it feels so good when it's done so I'm not sure why.
Anyway, thanks for the inspiration! I bet your house looks great.
Anyway, thanks for the inspiration! I bet your house looks great.
I also follow a "1 in, 1 out" rule for personal possessions. I find it's useful mainly for considering the value of something I'm considering acquiring (what do I own that is less useful than this item?).
I also periodically go through my "stuff" and evaluate whether or not items are getting used. It is really important to me to try to declutter things to a "better" place so I usually try to dispose of things through craigslist, freecycle, etc., rather than just dumping into the trash/recycling.
One thing I've noticed in the past few years is that much of what I declutter are items that were given to me, not items that I purchased or acquired myself. On the one hand, this is good: I personally seem to have a good handle on whether or not I'll actually use something. On the other hand: I think I need to start discouraging or more forcefully directing gift giving.
I also periodically go through my "stuff" and evaluate whether or not items are getting used. It is really important to me to try to declutter things to a "better" place so I usually try to dispose of things through craigslist, freecycle, etc., rather than just dumping into the trash/recycling.
One thing I've noticed in the past few years is that much of what I declutter are items that were given to me, not items that I purchased or acquired myself. On the one hand, this is good: I personally seem to have a good handle on whether or not I'll actually use something. On the other hand: I think I need to start discouraging or more forcefully directing gift giving.
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irononmaiden
- Posts: 61
- Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 5:33 pm
That's a great rule.
It's definitely gotten easier to not bring things into the house--mostly because the pain of getting rid of them is still so fresh.
The biggest problem for my bf and me is hanging onto stuff that we don't want anymore, but don't know how to get rid of. Some of the stuff in that list had moved into the house with us 6 years ago.
It's definitely gotten easier to not bring things into the house--mostly because the pain of getting rid of them is still so fresh.
The biggest problem for my bf and me is hanging onto stuff that we don't want anymore, but don't know how to get rid of. Some of the stuff in that list had moved into the house with us 6 years ago.
If you want to donate items, Miss Minimalist compiled a list of 101 places to donate your stuff:
http://www.missminimalist.com/2011/04/w ... n-do-good/
It may help in placing some items besides craigslist and freecycle.
http://www.missminimalist.com/2011/04/w ... n-do-good/
It may help in placing some items besides craigslist and freecycle.
@Hoplite: Thanks for that link!!!! When I get home everyday after work, I look at all the stuff that I am trying to purge from my apartment and I *wished* I had a place to take this stuff. I have been dropping things (bags of miscellany) off at Goodwill but the other day I had a horrible thought that they would just throw my donated items away if they can't use them(unfounded, as I have no clue what they do with unwanted things). Now I will be able to donate things through the proper channels. It may take a bit longer to organize before donating but the value factor for the recipient is probably higher.