It’s Day 2 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge!
Today’s project was to declutter at least 25 things from your bedroom.
Gulp.
Truth be told, our room is one of the most cluttered rooms in the house. It doesn’t really look cluttered, usually, but our Master Walk-In Closet has been hiding a lot of excess. So I spent time really decluttering in the closet today and am so happy with the results.
I went through the shelves, the shoes, and my jewelry… And came up with 44 items to retire/give away/donate — including two pairs of running/athletic shoes that I already have new replacements for (my husband has a thing for a good sale on running shoes!) that I’ve not wanted to part with until they were super used and worn. I decided today was that day!
Today’s total: 44 things decluttered
Total for the entire challenge: 108 items so far!
I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.
How many paper (or other!) items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.
P.S. You can read more about the Decluttering Course I’m going through here. If you’d like to join me in going through it in January and get the videos, information, and printables every day, you can go here to purchase to get it for just $5.99 right now!
All I can say is, you have inspired me! There’s no reason under heaven to keep 10 tops and 10-12 pants that are way to big and can’t be altered. Also art deco jewelry from the 70s has to go somewhere!
I’ve been tossing out old paperwork this morning. Two bins to recycling already. Yesterday, I pulled out the luggage my parents gave me for graduation. I haven’t used it for years and it’s been taking up space in our closet. It isn’t TSA compliant so out it goes!
Hi, I have been in a brutal declutter mode today. I took a day holiday from work and went through all the wardrobes while hubby was at work and kids at school!
I have asked him to go through his stuff for months and all he gave up was 2 shirts and some shorts he used to cut the grass in. So I’m afraid his times up and its tough luck! He’ll get over it I’m sure!
So glad you’re going through the things you don’t need with such energy. Keep it up!
227 pieces of paper recycled! Thanks for inspiring me and my son.
Way to go!!!
I’m working on de-cluttering my basement. Today I listed 11 cans of old paint for free on Craigslist and it was picked up within and hour. Sold 2 building block sets on our local garage sale FB page and contacted my daughter’s old k teacher to see if she would take some of the toys that will otherwise go to the goodwill. 25 clothing items bagged and ready to go! 53 items gone today. Over 82 pieces of paper filed or shredded and Christmas cards tossed yesterday!
Jen, you’re doing so great! Keep going!
I’m almost embarrassed at how easy it was to find the first 100 items to donate/throw out! Shooting for another 100 by the end of the week. My husband and I even tackled a desk that has been collecting clutter for years, now it is a functional desk that we can use! Thanks for the motivation!
Aimee, that’s so great that you’ve got such a good flow going! Keep at it!
I walked into my home Monday after tackling my walk in closet this last weekend and could not believe how free I felt. I was able to get rid of over 200 items. Total declutter in my 700 sq. foot apartment is over 400 items total.
Bev
Way to go, Bev!
25 papers from an area that I had thought about going through before, but hadn’t gotten to. Very glad to have done this.
Yay!
I didn’t keep track of how many things I got rid of after I hit 25, but I will starting tomorrow. I easily got rid of 50 things in my bedroom and my son found 25 pieces of clothing to pass along to a friend. I could do this every week in our bedrooms. I”m so glad for this challenge. It’s so much fun finding freedom in more space that I don’t want to stop when I hit the 100, or 25 things. Thanks for the challenge, Kathi Lipp.
I’m so glad that you’re having such success and such fun getting rid of things!
Woohoo! I am loving this. It is just what I needed right now. 222 items total out in the trash plus another MANY put back in their proper places.
Blogged about it here: http://atmulberryhill.blogspot.com/2016/01/decluttering-day-1.html
if you’re interested in celebrating with me! 🙂
Thanks, Crystal, for all of the ways you have inspired me.
Thanks so much for being such an inspiration to everyone!
I got rid of 130+ things (I did both days 1 and 2)!
That’s awesome!
I went through my box of “future presents to give” and got rid of 25 things pretty easily – mostly small items intended for gift baskets that had expired or I just never used!
Oh, those things will add up so quickly!
I found 64 things in my closet to toss, recycle, or give away. Amazing how this challenge is giving me permission to let go of these items!
64 is amazing!!!
I couldn’t get rid of anything in my bedroom today. I need to go through clothes later this winter once I’ve lost some weight and know where I’ll be this year. It’s just not the time for that.
But I did find another stack of newspapers to dump today so that was 10 more items. And I found about 5 pieces of garbage in the bedroom to throw away (tags, nails, and a worn out hairband). I also spent about 25 minutes in there putting away laundry (from last week) and decluttering some items that belonged elsewhere in the house so that improved the house.
Up to 65 items so far.
That’s awesome!
I really thought I would be doing this with you. I bought the program, but I haven’t done a lick of it yet. I’ve been busy and out of the house, but I could keep adding excuses I guess. Even though I have said this is the year of decluttering, I can’t seem to get myself going. It’s hard too when you have to declutter for your whole family because they won’t do it.
Do you ever have giveaway remorse? As in do you ever give something away and then later need it and wish you hadn’t given it away? Just curious.
Sarah, I had to chuckle when I read your question about giveaway remorse. Several years ago, I went through some of my kids’ stuff and donated several items for a charity garage sale that was being held at the place where I was working at the time. My donation included my son’s ping ping paddles, as I figured he never used them anymore. That very evening, my son called from college and asked me to send him his ping pong paddles, as he and some of his new friends had started playing ping pong. So I had to go to work the next day and rescue the paddles from the garage sale!
Sarah, This is a great question and one that I think most people worry about. I know I have thought that before. I LOVE to declutter and I’ve only had giveaway remorse once. I sold a small space heater at a garage sale and later when I changed jobs I really wished that I had it because my classroom stayed so cold. One thing that helps is that I try very hard not to give away things that might be important to other people without asking. If something is deemed “important” but continues to be left out, misused, etc. then I get to decide myself because it is obviously not really cared for.
I also think to myself…..how much would it cost me to replace this if I did actually need it one day in the future? I usually determine that it is more trouble to keep storing it/having it in my way than it would be to replace it IF that day ever comes.
Thank you for the funny story, Annie. 🙂
Monica, thank you for your thoughts. I agree with what you have said. I have a hard time decluttering myself even though I am happy when it is done. But dealing with my husbands things and kids things is the real problem. My husband really holds on to things. He has tubs of things he hasn’t look at in years. I asked him to go through a few of them and he did. I was shocked because I thought he got rid of a good amount, but then I found the stuff in the attic. 🙂 He put a tub full of t-shirts in the attic (not sentimental ones)! I guess to sit there for another 15 years. 🙂 But again, it is not just him. I homeschool and have way too much curriculum that I am afraid to give away because I might us it someday. 🙂 I think I need to find a friend to keep me accountable for getting rid of stuff. Blessings to you both.
Sarah, I do occasionally have giveaway remorse but generally it is a good thing that I continue the purge. It is really hard for people like myself who “want to be prepared for anything” but live in a generally uncluttered home (to the naked eye). I am not a person who can have a “clutter free home” completely (it isn’t a large home) but most of my stuff is neatly behind closet doors, cabinets, etc. however every area is full (small closets, no walk ins). It is a process that I continue to work on, purging unused things, but it is never fun though. I do like it when it’s done until the next time it’s needed. My Mom keeps me somewhat accountable helping me with the purge/yard sales, etc. Maybe look into finding a friend to help. It is a battle that I fight, you are not alone. Good luck!
Man, when I started decluttering, I had lots of giveaway remorse. One of the first things was a King Tut book from a tour we took. Years ago. Had we ever looked at it again? No. When I took it off the shelf, I almost gagged at the dust. Cleaned it up and donated it to an at-work book sale. *That very night* my husband went to find it to show it to our son. Are you kidding me???? Went in early to work to retrieve. Unfortunately, someone had taken it from the pile of donated books — didn’t even let it get into the book sale. I couldn’t find a copy anywhere. Nowadays, they have them at Half Price Books and some of the thrift stores.
Then, I found this round metal thing, a bit heavy for its size. Didn’t know what it was so I tossed it. A few weeks later I realized I tossed the attachment hub knob to my Kitchenaid. The strange thing is, it didn’t have the Kitchenaid name on it but it was old.
Tossed out all the National Geographics and my husband wasn’t happy. That is one time -NO REGRETS. And anytime we get renewal notices for it or any other magazine, out it goes.
Gave away my Pfaff 1475 sewing machine to a friend whose daughter was learning to sew. A year later, I borrowed it because my new one was in the shop. I am a fanatic about my machines, always clean and oiled. This one came back all rusty and dirty. I couldn’t even get it to work. Terribly disappointed.
As I have been decluttering though, I have been losing those feeling of regret and feel freer (boy, that looks odd) and lighter. Sometimes I have to stop and work through the angst of it all, but it is getting easier.
Oh yeah, another story. When I first got married and moved into my husband’s house, one of the first things I did was to clean out his kitchen cupboard/pantry. I’d been dating him through a few of his moves and knew that he’d had some cake and brownie mixes for years. So, I tossed them. Boy, did I get in trouble. He later apologized (I invaded his turf) but I dug them out of the garbage and put them back. Then, I’d buy a box of whatever mix I wanted to dump, make it, and toss the old one. Took a few weeks but mission accomplished. Of course he never learned that old cake mixes do go bad.
It’s funny you say he never learned old cake mixes go bad. It’s hard to convince my husband things go bad too. 🙂 But really it hit me because I want to instill the habit of not amassing clutter in my kids. I know it is a work in progress and will take time. I just know how clutter and stuff stresses me out. I want them to be free of the stuff too. And not develop a “love of stuff”, which I think is hard when you are a kid.
I hear you. I’ve gone through three decluttering session via my mom (twice) and my husband’s grandmother. And they didn’t keep much. So I am struck with fear that I will die, leaving my kids to deal with this. It’s a lot of work and they don’t deserve it. The other thing is, in a few years (should I still be alive!) I would like to move to a smaller house on the water somewhere. I’m picturing margaritas on the patio watching the sunset. There is no way I could do it with all the stuff I have. I’m a terrible craft hoarder. I am finally recovering from my clutter blindness.
Sarah, it is so hard to get started, but I encourage you to take the plunge. It’s rather addicting once you get going. And there may be things that you’ll wish you’d kept, but just think about how those items will bless someone else. Good luck!
I managed 64 things. I really didn’t think I had that much! I din’t quite get my closet finished or go through jewelry box. Most of it was some more paper stuff, clothing, small misc. items, extra wrapping paper from Christmas, and a few small baskets that really just become clutter magnets. That brings me to 264 for two days. Woot! I’m reading “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” right now too.
That’s awesome!!
52 items today, out of our bedroom. And, I am able to sell some things on Ebay, to bring in a little extra income. It’s crazy how you don’t think you have clutter, and bam…..there it is.
I got 47 things out. I still have room for more. Most of these were things that just didn’t belong in my room – books, kids stuff, odd sock bin, christmas wrapping, etc. So it all got put away. There were some paper which got recycled .
Total: 147
It’s always lurking around somewhere. 😉
Today I organized my bedroom closet and dresser drawers (quite a mess!), and I was able to get rid of 13 items. I didn’t reach the goal of 25 items, but I’ll bet I can make up for that when I work on other rooms.
Doesn’t it feel good?!
40 items today. 248 total. Thankful for the encouragement!
Woohoo!!!
I do have a question on how you declutter with a spouse who won’t go through his stuff. I have tried the hangers one way and by a certain time, he (I) would go through them and try to sort them. I have tried to be supportive and understanding….but seriously, I have a stack of dress pants that he has been going to go through for almost 9 months. You cant really declutter if you have a constant state of clutter. I have even set time to go through them (not when football is on) with him and still nothing. Any ideas?
LaRie,
I agree with you about having a spouse who doesn’t want to go through anything, anytime, sports or not. The only area of purge that is off limits to me with my husband is his “work” pants. So I tell him that he must try them on (size the main reason we get rid of)…I suggest to my husband that he can try his pants on “while watching the game” so he will do it (but doesn’t like it). I do tell him to get rid of any that he doesn’t like (even if they fit) but generally unless there’s a hole or they look worn, I let him keep what fits. Everything else he will allow me to go through and get rid of if I choose to (special items are excluded, like his Dolphins gear and his suits) because he hates to take the time. I hope that you can find a way to get him to participate in the process. Perhaps a romantic bribe might help? 🙂 Good Luck!
Maybe you can explain to him how you feel it’s important to pass things along that aren’t being use to someone who can use them. And tell him that the donations are tax-deductible. 😉
Went through my boys room and got rid of 18 picture books, 10 items of clothing and a few paper items in my hallways. Nice to see how every thing is looking uncluttered and neat. Started on the 1st so they are just a few areas in the house to tackle.
Little by little you’ll probably end up with more to kick to the curb than you ever guessed you would!
You really inspired me this week. In fact me and my sister tackled my daughters play room and closet. We were rude since we threw all her stuffed dolls and other toys in black garbage bags so she will not notice whats inside. I then chucked everything out for collection.
I think that moms at one point in time they should do this and throw away all childish toys in garbage. Nowadays children are more interested in other stuff.
Even my friend she is planning to do the same, since she remember her mom doing this to her
I don’t usually let things pile up in our bedroom, and I’ve been decluttering lately anyway, so I wasn’t sure that I could come up with 25 things. But there were a few things in there that we had hidden away when we had a Christmas party that I hadn’t put back where they belong, so I took care of that. Then I tackled my jewelry box. Oh, my! I hadn’t gone through my earrings since I got my ears pierced nearly 25 years ago, and I was able to get rid of a bunch along with some other cheap, ugly things I had held onto for too long. All together, I got rid of 46 things from my bedroom. Hooray! (Now I’m not scared to open my jewelry box, and I can actually wear some of my necklaces since they’re not all tangled up anymore.)
My total so far is 171 things!
Woohoo!! Way to go!!
Donate – 12 pairs of costume jewelry earrings, 3 costume jewelry necklaces, 1 toddler dress, 2 samples of diaper rash cream
toss- 1 broken toy
recycled 3 empty play doh containers
Woohoo!