1000 Things Challenge

Things 101-142

2009-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Out With Some More!

Just culled 31 videos and 8 dvds- thinking the kids won't even miss them...

1 wok set, it's cool, I just never use it, it collects dust.

1 banana holder, same thing- I have a big family, I buy several bunches of bananas at a time, and don't plan on having a counter full of bananas on hooks. I just stack 'em up!

1 unused photo album- I have others, and most of our pics are digital now...

There is so much more, we just have too much stuff! I've been throwing way more than I ever used to, and rather than feeling any guilt, I'm feeling so much freedom! It really does make me want to keep going. I need to face my closet... soon.

Throwing away: magazines, grungy kids' clothes, old shoes in rough shape, fabric scraps I'll never use, old CD-ROM computer games, games missing pieces...

I really should stop shopping, except for maybe necessities, like toilet paper and toothpaste.

Still enjoying the process-
ali

Things 71-100

2009-06-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

I went through a kitchen cupboard...

4 mismatched and unused root beer mugs
1 odd coffee cup
1 unused Tupperware microwavable thingy
1 Tupperware 'water jug'
2 wrong size flourescent bulbs

My husband went through his closet...

3 pairs of shoes
many (5+) pairs of pants
many (10+) shirts

My closet is next! Thrift store, here we come!

Random things-

2 unread kids' books

1 baby car seat mesh cover

Enjoying the process-
ali

Purging Winter Wear

2009-05-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've tried to find homes for any and all winter coats we've grown out of (or when we've just ended up with more coats than even Minnesotan kids can wear!) With the recent washing and packing away (for a few short months) of winter stuff, I did something a wee bit painful.

I threw away a coat.

Yep. I did. It used to be white. It's not so white anymore, even after several washings. I thought and thought, and, well, I would never buy a coat so dingy if I were thrift store shopping. I really don't think anyone but the poorest of the poor would even care to wear a coat so dingy, no matter how warm.

So I threw it away, and I feel good about it. Well, at least fine with it. It was taking up precious closet space- we need coats for 9 people in an average size closet, with room left for shoes... It was so dingy I couldn't stand for any of the girls to wear it out.

As a "but what if we need it someday?" certifiable pack rat, you may not realize just how big a step this was/is for me. It's big. Trust me.

It won't be the last thing thrown out this year, I can guarantee you that.

More soon,
ali

Oh, and a wool knit hat that was accidentally felted and is now much too small and much too stiff for human wearing, it's outta here too!

Things 61-70

2009-04-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

61. baby food grinder- returned to friend I borrowed it from
62. car seat cover- returned to same friend
63. 4 baby girl outfits- passed on to sister who's having her 1st girl
64. cute tiny ducky slippers- to same sister
65. beanie baby spider- thrifted
66. personalized plate- returned to the family that brought cookies on it after Baby J was born

67. Changing table!!! no longer used, taking up space, passed on to friend!!!

***Yay!! Let's hear it for moving big items!!***

68. Animal dominoes game- not played with- thrifted

69. Pink button-up dress shirt- rarely worn, getting too small for youngest girl, thrifted

70. long sleeve floral knit girls' shirt- thrifted

***tossed- unused lego container, miscellaneous tinker toys, several unused pens with no covers, very dingy baby clothes, and random paper clutter including some number flash cards- missing the number 3... some expired canned goods... random tinker toys... dried out dry erase markers...

Passing stuff on is nice, but tossing feels good too.

Enjoy the process-

ali

Things 51-60

2009-04-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

51. 3 matching little girls jean jackets, cute, too small, rarely worn
52. new blue baby boy onesie
53. red toddler dress
54. pink Gap toddler dress
55. blue toddler dress, sort of sailor style... cute, too small
56. little girls' pink Old Navy sweater

all gifted to friends at church :-)

57. Dr. Sulpher's Night Lab, science game cd-rom
58. Mensa Mindteasers cd-rom
59. Kids Mensa cd-rom
60. 2 teddy bears, I've set a 4 stuffed animal per kid limit, for now, with a goal of 2 per kid, they didn't make the initial cut...

Thrifted.

Pioneer Thinking- Quick Clutter Control

2009-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

This week's resource is an easy to read 10 point article titled "Quick Clutter Control" found at Pioneer Thinking.

Here's point number 5, an important point for me, as I'm not one of those 'tackle the whole thing in one weekend' kind of people-

If you can't face an entire room, break the job down into manageable tasks - the
kitchen junk drawer, the letter pile, the hats, coats and shoes area. That way
you won't be put off decluttering as just too big a task.

This was a new site to me. I've only taken a couple moments to peruse- this page full of 'cleaning solutions' looks like a great resource.

Find some time today to return some items to their proper places, toss some things that need tossing, and find new homes for a couple more of those extra things you don't need anymore (you probably never did...) Then, reward yourself- a nice, hot, cup of tea and 15 minutes to sit and relax while drinking it; a long, hot, bath before bed; a pizza and movie night with the kids; whatever makes you smile!-

Enjoy this process-

ali

Things 41-50

2009-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

41. men's navy plaid flannel shirt
41. men's red plaid flannel shirt
43. boys' short sleeve dress shirt
44. boys' blue stripe polo shirt
45. boys' kahki dress pants
46. boys' grey dress pants
47. boys' tan corduroy pants
48. 3 copies of Adventures in Nature
49. reading book- Secret in the Maple Tree
50. reading book- Liberty Tree

-Men's shirts to the thrift store, the rest given to friends at church.

950 things to go!

Things 25-40

2009-04-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

25. boys' blue striped sweater
26. ladies' sweater- green & yellow argyle , 3/4 lengh sleeves (cute, but what was I thinking? I can't wear that shade of green, or about any shade of yellow)
27. ladies' sweater- creamy, bulky one (cute, but I just never woare it)
28. adorable, knee length, black with bright floral border skirt, worn twice a couple years ago
29. white, baby "pajama-sack"- we have so many of these...
30. "Sweet Land of Liberty" Americana wall art
31. old, but working, cd 'walkman'
32. silly cow pony tail holder
33. stuffed moose
34. white striped ladies' dress shirt
35. hooded baby bath towel
36. girls' striped turtleneck
37. "English Handbook" old edition
38. Roy Rogers 'A Musical Anthology' cd
39. boys' Old Navy navy shirt
40. boys' Old Navy blue striped polo

all added to the big box for the thrift store- who has time for a garage sale?

also- threw out several stained kids' shirts, 3 pairs of too short pants with torn knees (teenager is now taller than me, and I'm not a short woman), and a random little doll with no clothes, in addition to a pile of paper and magazine clutter- yay!

Make That 24

2009-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hehehe, my last post needs to be renamed Things 1-24. Item #4 (see & say) has been around since my 15 yr old was 2. It has lasted through many small children for a very many years. No sooner had it been relegated to the thrift store box, to be gone from here for good, than it had to be played with another time or two by my 2 year old, who proceeded to break it. How ironic is that?
You wanna know the really bad part? It took several days for me to actually throw it away...
It's finally gone! 1 less toy!

Things 1-25

2009-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

1. black linen jacket- cute, got a good 'deal' on it, never wore it, so, it really wasn't a good deal, it was really a wasted $12, and a waste of closet space
2. classic, long, black, pencil skirt- nice skirt, but with the slit higher than I'd wear, again, a waste of closet space
3. pair of cute shoes, less than comfortable, rarely worn, won't be missed
4. mattel "See and Say" the farmer says version- rarely played with, a noisy toy when it was, I'm not a big noisy toy fan, enough said
5. red string art basket type thing, cute, but unneccesary, unused, taking up space, someone else would appreciate it more...
6. pack of "Bible Quiz Cards", level 1- haven't used them in years
7. 'A Writer's Reference'- old, college book, outdated, unneeded
8 & 9. 2 metal bins, cute, unused, unneccesary, taking up space
10. glass flower vase
11. large yellow vase
12. girls' sweater, white
13. girls' sweater, striped pinks and browns, cute, but rarely worn
14. 1 pair toddler girl shoes, my next toddler is a boy, if we have another girl, we can find some new shoes...
15. girls' shirt- 1 summer tee with cherry applique, small, don't need to store 'just in case'
16. girls' shirt- pink & purple florals
17. girls' shirt- white
18. girls' shirt- purple turtleneck
19. ladies' top- purple stripes, haven't worn in a very long time
20. ladies' top- navy, sleeveless
21. ladies' top- white embroidered, worn once...
22. ladies' top- teal, short puffed sleeve
23. north woods moose and trees decoration, no longer have a north woods decorated room...
24. boys' linen shorts
25. boys' red plaid shirt

all to the local thrift store, somebody can use that stuff!

*also- threw away 2 very old bottles of natural mouthwash, if I didn't like it some years ago, why would I like it 'someday'? Tried a different brand...

*also- washed and packed away several winter coats that don't currently fit any kids. They are nice coats (REI and Columbia) and we have growing kids who will use them in the next few years. They have a new home in the attic, much better than our overstuffed entry coat closet! When the last little ones outgrow the good winter coats, any that are still in good shape will get passed on to friends at church, or donated to a local winter coat drive charity.

That feels good, 25 things lighter already, (975 to go!)-

ali

The 1000 Things Challenge

2009-03-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Wow. This could be big. I mean, 1000 is a big number, so it only makes sense that purging 1,000 unnecessary things from our home and our lives, could have a really big impact.

It all started with a little bloghopping. You know, read a favorite blog, follow a link, then another link, and then you land in yet another Ravelry group. Enter Live Simply and the "The 1000 Challenge" thread. I was inspired by Prairie Girl's post, followed her link, and the fire was lit- it's time to purge! Well, it's way past time...

The challenge, in a nutshell- find 1,000 things to get rid of, and get rid of them!

1,000 things is a LOT of things, but in this thing-saturated society of ours, it may be just a drop in our rather large proverbial buckets...

My home is cluttered. Our closets are cluttered. The kitchen cupboards are cluttered. We have more than we need, that's for certain. Too much stuff gets in the way, it makes cleaning complicated, and I don't know about you, but I'm a busy mom, make cleaning complicated and it just might not get done... and that's just not pretty, know what I mean?

I've been a fan of Flylady for a few years now. At first, I was really excited. I started decluttering, shining my sink (of course), doing hot spot fire drills, and generally keeping on top of things and working out some good routines. It didn't last. Things rarely do with me. I keep hopping back up on the bandwagon, but I tend to bounce around too much and fall off. It would take way more than 21 days to create a new habit in this girl. That's okay, I'm pretty sure it will take more than 21 days for me to get rid of 1,000 items from my home. Pretty sure.

I've started this blog (and invited my good friend, Traci, to join in the fun) as a way to 'journal' my progress. I'll be posting actual lists of real items that I am honestly getting rid of. As per the original challenge, I'll only be counting things that are given to someone else- not trash. Real trash, junk that no one would want, that really just needs to be thrown away, will get taken care of during my attempt at daily 27 fling boogies.

I'll also be posting some thoughts along the way- thoughts on decluttering, thoughts on simplicity, thoughts on our society's epidemic of affluenza (and, perhaps thoughts about how current economic conditions are affecting said epidemic...)

Join us, if you feel the bug, as we go through this process. 'They' always say "there's safety in numbers", right?!

We'll get a button up soon that you can use to link back here, if you're so inclined. Thanks!

Enjoy-

ali