throw out 50 things :: items 26 - 31

Thank you all for your kind comments and encouragement from yesterday's post. I hope I didn't mislead you into thinking that we're miserably depressed about not making our May 31 deadline. As badly as we didn't want to pay another month of rent, in making that decision, a lot of burden has been lifted from our shoulders. We're a busy bunch, but we're a smiling bunch.

And in the meantime, I have continued to declutter and get rid of unloved and unuseful things around the house.

Item #26
Universal remote brought from previous house.
-- Goodwill

Item #27
Stacking system (always falling over, and not space efficient)
-- Goodwill

Item #28
Kid's shoes (notice the odd number?!)
-- 3 shoes went into the trash,
-- green pair was given to 4's friend

Item #29
Stack of magazines
-- Recycled

Item #30
Plastic sorting containers (I had good educational intentions for these, but never followed through)
-- Recycled

Item #31
More items from my closet
-- Goodwill








31 items out, 19 to go.
I've gotta admit -- I'm wondering what else I'm going to 'throw out.' God knows I haven't gone through each and every drawer, cupboard, and closet in this house. And God knows that we still have 'excess' coming out our nose, so I guess I'll just keep plugging away.

How about you? Done any purging or decluttering lately? You know you wanna!
You can read more about the Throw Out 50 Things Challenge here.

throw out 50 things :: items 21 - 25

Last week, 7 was looking for a notebook. A very specific notebook. I told him that I would keep an eye out for it, but if we cleaned his room, we would probably find it.

In fact, I continued, if we started to *pack up* his room, we might really find it. Lo and behold, 7 was all over that. He immediately wanted to start boxing up his belongings (the things he doesn't use or need currently) and get them ready for the move.

I jumped at the chance, and 7's room is now full of boxes. Can you tell how badly our little family just wants to be in our new home already?!

Anyhow, I managed to 'throw out' a few things from 7's room; my gosh, that kid is a hoarder...

Item #21
Cleaned out extras from the costume box (never get worn)
-- goodwill

Item #22
Empty boxes (from 7's room)
-- recycled

Item #23
Miscellaneous stuff (not loved, used, or needed anymore)
-- goodwill

Item #24
Clothing from my closet (the tip of the iceberg)
--goodwill

Item #25
Random trash from 7's room
-- trash







I'm eager to really go through my own things. However, I need a day with uninterrupted time: no drop offs & pick ups, no baseball, no gymnastics, no meal-preparing or laundry, no refereeing arguments between 4 and 7...

I'm sure I'd get rid of a whole lotta stuff. Until then, it will continue to be a little at a time...

open letter to ReStore

Dear ReStore,

I'm breaking up with you. Well, to be honest, we were never really going steady.

I respect what you stand for, and that's why I found you so attractive in the first place. I admire your desire to reuse building materials so that less ends up in the landfills. Even more so, I admire that all of your proceeds go towards funding the construction of Habitat for Humanity homes for low-income families. For those reasons, I will always speak highly of you.

Unfortunately, we can no longer continue to entertain the notion that you and I will ever be a couple.

From our first date, I realized that you are much too picky. Have you ever heard of the saying "Beggars can't be choosers"? It's a good one.

Listen. I understand why you can't come and pick up my donations. Fine. I'm happy to do it. But then you have to get all uppity about which items you'll accept. What? You think you're too good for me my items? Is that it? But the last straw is your unavailability. You will only accept donations on certain days during certain times. You're simply too high maintenance for me.

So listen. I may as well be honest and tell you that I'm seeing someone else. His name is Craig Slist. He treats me well, and he's way less opinionated. He will take just about anything, and he even comes to my house to pick up my stuff. So far, he's helped me get rid of a bunch of bricks, a slew of appliances, a door, a hot water heater, and more.

I wish you well, ReStore. But it's just not gonna happen for us.

Warmly,
Karen

throw out 50 things :: items 17 - 20

Item #17
Garden urns from previous house (used to stage the house)
-- going on Craigslist

Item #18
Shower holder thing
-- in the trash

Item #19
Pile of blankets and quilts
-- going in the Airstream

Item #20
A jacket and a collection of hats (rarely worn)
-- all going to the Airstream





You will notice that the last two 'things' aren't really being thrown out or given away or sold. They are going to the Airstream.

I have been gathering information and compiling a list of things that we will *need* to outfit the Airstream for future camping trips. (Blankets and hats are among the things that are needed.)

Don't worry -- I am not going to start 'dumping' things in the Airstream. I want that Airstream to be as 'streamlined' as our future home. However, I'm all for using items that we already have, since it seems that we already have buy several items.



Have you gotten rid of any things this week?

***You can read more about the Throw Out 50 Things Challenge here.***

throw out 50 things :: items 11 - 16

I made some progress with the 50 Thing Challenge this week.

Item #11
Decor from when I used to stage homes. This was the last stuff I used to stage my own home.
-- saving for garage sale

Item #12
A whole lotta chick lit
-- planning on trading it in at the used bookstore

Item #13
John's old clothing
-- donated to Goodwill

Item #14
John's collection of what??!
-- recycled

Item #15
John's old socks
-- donated to Goodwill

Item #16
Bag full of 4's old clothing
-- donated to Goodwill







How about you? Have you managed to get rid of a few things this week?

organization :: mental roadblocks

Yesterday was Friday, and I was supposed to post my progress on Throwing Out 50 Things. However, John had just gotten home from being out of town for a week, and I wasn't interested in spending my time on the computer. I'm sure you understand.

I'd like to say that I got rid of SO much stuff this week, but that's not true. What I can tell you is that I made a ton of progress in organizing and "mentally" preparing to move. That definitely is true.

While John was gone, I cleared some shelves in the garage and packed and moved a few boxes to the SLO house.

 I also hit a bunch of roadblocks. Mental roadblocks.

What do you do with things that you don't use, but it was a gift from a friend or family member? Do you get rid of it? What if you really, really don't use it? Like, ever?




I really want to know: What do YOU do with these items?


***UPDATE: I just stumbled upon this fabulous post at Design Build Love. In the article, she summarizes 25 tips for decluttering, originally from Better Homes & Gardens. For anyone in my predicament, it's a must-read.

throw out 50 things :: items 7 - 10

I'll be brutally honest: Going through boxes and cupboards in hoarder's heaven the garage, stresses me out. There are so many things that we don't use --that I want to get rid of-- but I'm worried we might need it or want it down the road.

I didn't find many items to get rid of this week, but I think that's due to my frazzled state of mind. Thank you, by the way, for all your encouraging words in the comments section.

Item #7
sheepskin for a stroller
-- gave to my mom (for future grandkids)

Item #8
Bag of random stuff
--dropped off at thrift shop

Item #9
Forgotten Halloween candy
--if they don't remember it, they don't need it!

Item #10
armrests from 4's carseat
--threw in trash









That wraps it up for this week. However, during this next week, I'm going to start gathering things for a (future) garage sale.

Feel free to join the Throw Out 50 Things Challenge. Leave a note in the comments section, and tell me what you got rid of... or link to your post!

throw out 50 things :: items 1 - 6

The challenge is on. Oh, it's on, Baby. It's on like Donkey Kong.
Too much? Okay.

Item #1
Maternity Clothing
--lent it to my sister

Item #2
(2) car seats that 4 has outgrown
--gave one to my sister
--will try Craigslist or Goodwill with the 2nd one

Item #3
stack of origami paper
--gave it to 4's teacher

Item #4
Old clothing that no longer fits (mostly kid sizes)
--going to local thrift

Item #5
Giant coloring book
--going to local thrift

Item #6
Face painting book
--going to local thrift










That's all the loot I have for today's post. You can read more about the 50 Thing Challenge here. Please feel free to join the challenge, and use the comments section to tell me what you got rid of this week. Every Friday, I'll be posting my progress.

the 50 thing challenge

Yesterday I posted about my messy garage and my plan to move it in an organized fashion. I also hinted that I have a little plan to help me declutter a bunch of stuff.

So here it is. Here's the big plan:

I read this book last year, when we were getting our house ready to go on the market. To summarize it in the shortest way possible, the goal is to get rid of 50 things. Duh.

However, one "thing" is not the same as one "item." For example, a stack of magazines is one thing. A collection of tupperware containers is one item. Get it?

And the goal is to get rid of fifty things.

There's nothing I like more than a good challenge. It is going to be a lot harder this time around because I already decluttered a bunch of stuff during the last move.

But first, I feel like I have to be clear about a couple of things:

1. I am going to avoid throwing out items, if it can be avoided. If it's at all possible, I will donate the items or sell them. I'd rather not add anymore items to the landfill.
2. I'm not throwing out stuff, just to throw out stuff. If it's something that we really use or enjoy, we'll keep it. I think that we all own items that we no longer use or love, and moving is a great time to weed through the junk.

Every Friday evening, I'll post the items that I was able to purge. The plan is to get to 50 before we move which, by the way, is in 76 days or sooner.

Anyone else up for the challenge? Misery loves company. It's going to be fun!

don't judge me

We are taking advantage of the slow pace of renovations. I'm not complaining, I'm just finding the silver lining.

The main reason we have taken the time to prep the garage is because we are going to start moving things in there. If you promise not to judge me, I'm going to show a photo of our current garage situation.

This is the garage of the current house that we are renting. It ain't pretty.

I have several excuses reasons why it is in such dissaray, but I'm not going to bore you with them. It is what it is.

It is what it is, but now we have the time to remedy the situation.


Here is our pristine garage with freshly painted floors.

So here's the plan: Slowly and methodicaly, box by box, we are going to move the contents of the messy garage to the garage in the blue house. In the process, we will be going through each and every item and deciding if it's worth keeping.

We already went through this process, when we packed up and sold our house in the Bay Area. And let me tell you, we got rid of a lot of stuff.

I'm sure there are still a few things to get rid of. But don't worry, we're not getting rid of everything. But the things that we're keeping can definitely be more organized in a better fashion. Who am I kidding? Anything will be better than this!

So I have a little incentive plan. I won't mention any names, but I know someone who gives herself gold stars for accomplishing tasks. And just like her, I like a little incentive.

I'll be back tomorrow to explain.

Now, be honest: How clean is your garage?