30 days to less - Day 31

I know I've been calling this series of posts "30 days to less", but since October has 31 days and I had a most appropriate picture of stuff to get rid of here at the end, I thought I'd finish off the month with it.

When emptying out the storage/furnace room this summer, I came across a box of tax records that Hubs had stored and had completely forgotten about - evidently for most of the last decade.  A couple of weeks ago I uncovered it again and I decided it would be the grand finale of decluttering this month.

Tax records from 1972 (the year he first filed taxes at the age of 18) to 2011.   He had obviously culled through these files since they all fit in this one box, but he was surprised to find he hadn't destroyed them already, as he doesn't keep this kind of stuff any longer than he needs to anymore.

That was a great find, but he very unceremoniously shredded it all.  Freeing the house of another box of truly unnecessary stuff.

So treating this box as one item gone from the house, here is my final total:

Day 31:  497 things gone

~~~~~

And now, another idea!

Having completed this month's challenge and wanting to continue with house clearing in some fashion, I've come across an idea (iow, it's not original) for doing this in a less intense, but still effective way.  And I'm inviting anyone who'd be interested in joining me to do so.

I have decided to set a goal of creating one weekly post accounting for items leaving the house that week.  Personally, I'm going to aim toward the goal of 10 items each week, but I'm not going to stress at all over the actual number.  I'm simply hoping the goal of a weekly post and a reasonable number of items leaving will keep me going with clearing my home of unwanted and unnecessary stuff.  I am sure there will be weeks when I remove more than 10 items, but there will probably be weeks when I don't come up with that many items, and maybe some weeks, I won't post at all - because...  well, life.

In fact, it was the intensity (especially toward the end) of the 30-day challenge that made me realize I was forgoing concentrated cleaning and decluttering for the sake of the challenge.  I'm glad for the challenge as it jump starts something, but what I hope to accomplish now is decluttering in a more purposeful way.  A way that may make messes, or take longer than a day.  If I decide to sift through craft items, or photographs, or my closet...  anything...  I can take my time to do that as thoroughly as I want.  My goal isn't just to get rid of things, but to make the space we live in as nice as it can be.  To live in, to invite others into, to create in.  I've learned over and over that too much stuff stifles my desire to create.  I believe we all need space in our minds and in our physical surroundings to go about the often times messy business of creating, making things.  Even just making our spaces better usually involves a bit of mess before "better" happens.

If you'd like to join me, just for the sake of camaraderie and mutual inspiration, that would be wonderful. There is no commitment to a time frame, or even a regular post.  There's just the opportunity to post however regularly you want to post about decluttering.  The beauty of this, I'm thinking, is that there is no pressure to post, there's no "getting behind" or feeling like you need to catch up - ever.  There will just be a weekly (that's my personal goal) opportunity to share the camaraderie of however many of us are working to make more space in our homes.  

I only have one personal rule for this - for me, decluttering a thing has to be an intentional decision to let something go, and then taking action.  Things I throw away or recycle as a matter of course, I won't be counting.  That doesn't mean there won't be things that will go straight into the trash or recycling bin.  Here's an example of what this might look like:   If I open a jar of spaghetti sauce for supper and I wash and recycle the jar as I'm cleaning up the kitchen, I wouldn't count the jar as something I decluttered.  But if I've been hanging onto jars thinking I'll do something with them someday and I finally decided to just recycle them and clear some space - that I would definitely count.  You make your own rules.

I have some ideas of things I'd like to share in posts...  photos, for sure, since they make this personal and relatable; podcasts and videos I come across throughout the process that I find motivating; books I may read or listen to that inspire and motivate me; and links to blogs - perhaps yours and others that share inspiring tidbits, or prove as good examples of diminishing the amount of stuff in our homes.  And, of course, stories - if I have any.  It's stories that we all share of why we've been saving things and how or why we set them free that can help break the hold some items may have on us.  Don't get me wrong.  You should keep what is important to you to keep.  It's just that sometimes we hang onto things we don't even really want, and all it takes is an instant shift in perspective from someone else's experience to set us free. 

I'm planning on making my post mid-week -- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, which ever day works for that week.  If I don't post, I just didn't have the time or possibly inclination.  Hopefully others will post and keep the inspiration going.

What to call it?  I know it doesn't sound very original, but I'm calling it Making Space.  That phrase encompasses not only making space in our homes, but making space in our lives and minds and hearts for things that truly matter to us.  If you join along, feel free to use that title if you want - and I've come up with a graphic (below) that anyone joining can feel free to grab from my blog to use if they like.  

Congrats to the others who completed the 30-Day Minimalism Challenge in October with me!  Together we made more space in our homes, and from the looks of things, sent many things out into the world to bless others in the process.

Let me know in the comment section below (or at any time in the future) if you'd like to join me in continuing to declutter in a less intense, but somewhat regular way. 

Of course you can make your own graphic, or feel free to grab (copy to your own computer) a graphic below if you want to use it for your Making Space posts (whether you call yours Making Space or not).  

Check at the end of  this post for more color options 

and a few different graphics if you're interested.

30 days to less - day 30

Today is another hodgepodge collection.

You can't see what's under everything, but it's a side table with two drawers.   It was replaced with something we brought home from MIL's, so removing it doesn't make any more space, but it feels good to move it out.

Also pictured is 1 purse, 5 eye glass holders, 3 clip-on sunglasses, a Christmas sweater (I think that my MIL passed down to me), a scarf, a Christmas hand towel, a blanket, 2 headsets we don't use anymore, a little notebook, pen and scissors set that came in the mail, 2 books, a little plastic jack o' lantern, a plastic box, a book carrier bag, a dried out bottle of Mod Podge, 2 coffee scoops, a top, a small wooden carved sword,  and two more packages of napkins I found in the china cabinet. 

If you're counting with me above, you'll say "hold on now, that's only 29 items in that list."  And you would be right.  I was initially disappointed in myself that I hadn't realized my mistake when I took the picture.  Later when I was separating the eyeglass cases for donation, I realized the fourth sunglasses clip-on was in one of them.  I HAD originally counted correctly - 30 things gone on day 30!

Day 30:  496 things gone

30 days to less - day 29

Most of today's haul is going to a young crafty friend.  I think she'll enjoy all the miscellaneous crafty goodies.

Starting from the top left hand:  a small quilted drawstring bag, 3 latch hooks, a floss or wool sorter, a package of ruffled lacy goodness and another length of ruffled lace wound 'round a piece of cardboard, a large bag of cotton fabric scraps, a bow maker, a pocket mending kit, 2 small bags of mini-pom poms, 2 bags of wooden beads, 2 bags of googly eyes, 7 bags of large beads, 4 wooded hearts, 1 lonely little Christmas ornament, a small plastic t-square and 2 protractors. 

I'm already giving thought about how to continue this "decluttering".  Not with a daily posting, but something that will still be meaningful and that maybe others would like to join, too.  

Or not - and, of course, that's okay, too.  😉

Maybe that will be Saturday's post. 

Day 29:  466 things gone

30 days to less - day 28

Today, I revisited a coat closet by our front door and made a nice dent in removing stuff we don't need to keep.

Two coats - one heavy winter coat and a trench coat that I think youngest son bought at the thrift store as a costume piece.  I've kept it because it's a nice coat, but trying it on today I have to admit it's not likely to fit me any time soon and if it ever does, I'm not sure it's a style I'd wear anyway.  If son doesn't want it, it will be a nice donation back to the thrift store.

Add to that a pair of boots that don't fit anyone who lives in this house anymore, 6 pairs of gloves, 5 single loose gloves, 5 hats, 6 scarves, and raiding my sock drawer I found 4 unused pairs of no-show socks that I, personally, find uncomfortable to wear.  

And what do we have?  

Day 28:  437 things gone

30 days to less - day 27

 

Continuing with yesterday's "party eats" theme, I opened up a couple of drawers where I store fun napkins and some miscellaneous party things.  I decided that I've looked at these decorated napkins for long enough while using too few of them.  I'm not going to get rid of them immediately, but I'm putting them in the napkin holder where they will be used in fairly short order, though I may put a few of the ones with cute designs with my paper crafts for some future decoupage project - or will that just be creating another thing to clear out later when I sort through those items?  

Regardless, the next time I serve up some decorated cupcakes with fresh candy sprinkles, I may just have to buy some fun fresh napkins to go along with them.   

Or not.

The questions I ask myself regarding getting rid of this kind of thing are not easily answered in light of recently learning my favorite napkin buying source - Tuesday Morning in southern Indy - has closed its doors. See... this is where the problem begins - buying things when one sees them at a good price instead of simply buying what one needs when one needs it, and paying retail if that's the way the cookie crumbles...   I'm often prompted to buy a thing based on some perceived future need for the item without asking if it's a thing that is actually needed at all.  

I hope all this thinking while I'm purging stuff will serve me well in the future.  I hate the thought that I might return to my old ways.  I know, too well, how prone I am to doing so.

I know paper goods don't exactly have an expiry date, but let me assure you... after clearing out MIL's  house I've learned these types of things do reach a point where they aren't fresh anymore. And I'm not talking about the designs.  

Just sayin'.  

Fun, pretty napkins need to be used.  Enjoyed.  Not stored for years.

Besides the napkins, what's pictured here are some greeting cards I gathered together in ziploc bags to take to the thrift store, a foldable gift box, two styrofoam plant thingies I don't recall why I purchased them (though the smaller one had been opened and cut, so I evidently did have a reason.  Also I've got four packages of paper heart doilies, some broken and some cut dowel rods, an unopened package of colorful gift bags (I confess I saved back a second unopened bag of these), and two placemat grippy things that go under cloth placemats.  I actually cut into one of these for making some grippy feet for furniture on our wooden floor.  These can go.

Day 27:  409 things gone