It’s Day #3 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge! Today, we were supposed to clean off the kitchen countertops.
I’m sort of a Clean Countertop Fanatic, so I broke the rules and went through some of my kitchen cupboards instead. And I came up with 30 random items to get rid of — including lids, tea I don’t like, a few mugs that I never use, and some spices.
Today’s total: 30 things decluttered
Total for the entire challenge: 138 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!
So I have gotten a little bit behind since last week but have some time to catch up today. While my counters didn’t have a lot, I cleaned a few things out of kitchen drawers and went through serving spoons, etc. Have no idea why I had so many! A few coffee cups, misc. silverware, kitchen mitts, etc. and ended up with 22 things for this challenge – making it a total of #286 so far!
I didn’t throw much of anything away, but I did put about 10-15 items that had been sitting on my counters in their proper place.
My kids were at grandma and grandpa’s on New Years Eve. My husband and I went through our kids toys and got rid of three boxes full of toys. I took a bag to my son’s daycare for the younger kids room. I took two boxes to Once Upon a Child and they only bought about 10 items (insert 🙁 here). I haven’t decided if I’m going to donate the rest of those boxes to Goodwill for the tax deduction or my son’s daycare for the little ones. They’re sitting in the back of my van at the moment.
It felt so good to get rid of some things…even though what we added over the holidays made it seem as though nothing went away.
That’s so great that you’re able to let go of things that can often become sentimental. Keep going!
Was the challenge for day 3 only 30 items or was it just to clean the kitchen countertops? Thanks!
Just to clean the countertops. I don’t think there was a specific amount — unless I missed it.
Thanks! This is really inspiring me to declutter our house. My husband was so happy to see that I was easily able to get rid of 25 things from our bedroom yesterday.
Yay! I’m so glad!!
We have been working to get rid of anything that doesn’t bring us joy. As an example yesterday I showed my daughter that since I’m not very good at knitting every time I look at my collection of yarn and needles it makes me feel a bit sad so they are being donated. There are lot’s of other things I am good at that make me happy I will gladly leave the knitting to someone else. It felt FANTASTIC to let them go!
What a great approach!! It’s so true that we shouldn’t hang onto the things that make us feel sad or inferior. What a great example you’re setting for your daughter.
Didn’t have much to de-clutter from the kitchen counters. We don’t have a lot of counter space, but I did clear a few of my hubby’s things that he drops on the counter when he gets home from work. I think I threw away 4 items off the counter. I love this de-cluttering challenge, and I love reading the comments from the readers. It’s like we have a family on here….it’s funny how I now recognize some of the readers who comment often, I feel like I know them:) Reading the comments, and what you post, Crystal, helps keep me accountable when I start one of your challenges.
I had somewhere around 50 items today. I cleaned the counter then emptied out my kitchen drawers and cabinets. Though, my counter isn’t fully cleaned off because I got distracted with cleaning out the drawers. 🙂
Hey, at least you’re getting rid of things, right? 🙂
I also keep a donate box at all times. I have always really enjoyed organizing and purging stuff. I will say, though, that I don’t have the time for it like I used and having kids sure makes it hard to keep up with it as well. One thing that does help, is that I rarely go shopping-so I don’t buy very many things.
It’s definitely much easier if you don’t bring the things into your house in the first place!
Monday I boxed up 55 VHS tapes to get donated. I also had a bag of clothes, sheets and misc items waiting to be put in the car and dropped off. Since the bag had been sitting here for a week, I didn’t count the number of items in it.
Tuesday I was at the kids school almost all day, so nothing got purged.
Today I made up for it though. I cleaned out part of my bathroom and threw out or set aside (for a local non-profit) over 300 things. I’m not sure if I should be proud or mortified! From toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, expired medications, combining containers, old make-up, hair bands & clips, hotel shampoos, conditioners, lotions and the like.
Then I started going through old magazines and word search puzzle books to recycle or donate.
That’s so awesome that you’re getting so much useful stuff cleaned out and donated!
Eek gads, you are getting rid of Tony’s?! You are a crazy lady! just kidding, but that is a staple at our house. It sits on the dining room table
My countertops are always clean as well. So I went back to my closet today and got rid of 32 more items! My total so far is 285! Wow!
Woo hoo!!!
My kitchen countertops were cluttered.
I threw away a box (and put the remaining can from it in the cupboards), threw away some plastic garbage (from my husbands cleaning), hung up a plastic bag, put away the groceries my husband had picked up this morning (thank goodness they were not refrigerator dependent), tossed the used coffee filter in the coffee maker from the morning, and threw away 5 pieces of junk mail we received and 3 receipts I’d entered into our daily tracker already that were sitting there.
16 more items totals 81 so far.
I’m not putting up big numbers but I’m making steady progress.
Slow and steady wins!! Keep it going!
I also just went through my kitchen pantry and got rid of random stuff. But like others mentioned–you got rid of creole seasoning? It’s so great on everything lol. But of course if you don’t use it don’t keep it!
Tony C’s is awesome! Was it expired?
My countertops were clean but I went to one of my hardest to rid of clutter -my bookshelf. Got 9 books to donate and sent 3 clothing items and a pair of boots across the street to a family of 3 boys. Brings my 3 day total to 147, mostly paper that I was able to crumble and use to start a fire in the fireplace tonight.
Books are always the hardest to get rid of! I hope you have much success with decluttering and also lots of fun!
I keep a bag in my closet at all times. If I try something on and don’t like it for any reason at all, it goes in the bag. I’m so much happier with what I have left!
I take the bag to Goodwill when its full. 🙂
That’s a great way to keep that clutter from building up!
I started doing that too Lisa!
Awe, that’s one of my favorite Celestial teas. 😀
I haven’t decluttered anything else since this weekend, but I’ll get back at it this coming weekend.
I got rid of lots on Saturday though.
Eeek! You’re getting rid of Tony’s! I grew up in Louisiana and doing that would be just short of a sin 😉 We used Tony Chachere’s on EVERYTHING. It’s still a must have staple in our house!
I’m from South Arkansas! That’s considered a staple here. Salt, Pepper, and Tony C’s!!!
That was my reaction y’all! I thought, oh no, she’s giving Tony Chacheres the boot! I’m a Louisiana girl and you will always find Tony C’s in my pantry.
What part of Louisiana? I grew up in West Carroll Parish. Live in Tennessee now. Always like meeting Louisiana folks 🙂
Hi Allison! Born and raised in New Orleans, but got married and moved to Slidell (St. Tammany Parish). Grew up water skiing, fishing, crabbing, crawfishing, anything and everything on the water. As a kid, I actually lived on a real island that had a 9 mile road that ran through it connected to land by a bridge on each end. Most people built their fishing camps on this island, but my family lived there year round. People don’t think of New Orleans as having an island! I think Tennessee would be a beautiful place to live. That is where my husband and I honeymooned!
I love New Orleans! It’s so amazing how South Lousiana is soooooo very different from North Louisiana. I grew up on a cotton farm, running barefoot every summer and playing in the fresh picked cotton. I miss it so much!
I’d like to chat some more but don’t want to crowd this post with off the subject stuff. Find me on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/allison.corley.5
Mississippi here. I gasped at the Tony’s in the bag, too 🙂
With Mardi Gras less than a month out, I could think of a dozen things to do with Tony’s today!
30 items today, 278 total.
Only 8 more items gone, but my counters were thoroughly cleaned and the one pile in the corner is gone again.
Blogged here: http://atmulberryhill.blogspot.com/2016/01/decluttering-day-3-and-few-side-dishes.html
Loving this! Just the motivation I needed!
I’m going to share your link on my Clutter Free Facebook page!
I’m curious about what you do with all of the stuff you are decluttering. Will you just throw that bag of stuff away? I have a hard time throwing away things that are perfectly good, just not good for me (like the tea you didn’t like.) That creates a clutter problem though while I try to figure out what to do with the stuff that can’t go to Goodwill. Thanks!
We are donating everything unless it is trash or expired food.
Where do you donate items to? I would guess food goes to the local food pantry, but what about clothes, toys, stuffed animals, and the like?
It depends on the item — sometimes I share them with a friend or family I know who could use them, sometimes we donate them to a food pantry or other similar type of place, sometimes we just drop things off at the thrift store.
I skipped this one too because our kitchen is so small there’s really no junk drawer or room for clutter on the counters. So far though I have also gotten rid of 138 items, I large portion of that was paper trash. I was surprised since I have an on going Goodwill donation box and and constantly cleaning out and purging.
Woohoo! Way to go!
Donate: 13 clothing items of mine (tried them on… too large… I’ve lost weight), 3 new toddler jeans (giving to a family from my kids’ school)
Into trade bag: 1 ball yarn, 3 pattern booklets (take these to supply exchange room at artisan shop)
Trash: Used up water color painting book
Way to go!!
Isn’t it so much fun to donate clothes because they’re too big instead of too small? This is the first year I’ve been able to do that and it feels awesome.
Yes, but my weight loss was due to very unfortunate stress, which is not a method I’d recommend!
Pass me the Tony Chacheres 🙂
😉
Agree! We use Tony Cs on everything that needs a bit of kick!
It hurts to see the Tony Chacheres get thrown away! 🙂
This sounds like fun… I’m going to join you and try to clear out 500 items of ‘treasures’ (ahem…) from my home this month.
Like you, I don’t have clutter on my countertops but I know I can find plenty to make up for it in the pantry. It’s really an ongoing battle.