Day 53/100

At last count (so long ago!) I was ahead, but now I've fallen way behind. Here's what has left the house since the last update.

Sold the following through a FB selling group:
4 baggies of eyelets
3 embossing folders
1 adhesive pack
1 washi tape
3 packs of embellishments
1 8x8 paper pad

5 6x6 paper pads (yay!)
1 tote bag
1 stamp

Gave away:
1 skirt (so happy with this one, my coworker LOVED it)
3 magazines
2 bags of candy (donated to the office candy bowl)

So that's 21 more items gone for a total of 34. Got some catching up to do, sigh.

Day 10/100

Just one more thing gone. I went through the backyard and picked up all the old, broken plant markers and plastic pots I've been saving just in case I decide to start seedlings (ha!) and tossed them.

So the count is 13 things gone in 10 days. I need to step up my game, otherwise, I see myself getting behind soon.

But the bad thing is, I went to two estate sales today. I figured it was the second (or third) day of the sale so there shouldn't be anything left, right? Nope, I still managed to spend $8 and bring home 4 books (one will be gifted), a few new scarves (which will also be gifted), and several knickknacks. I think I need to bring back the one-in-one out policy....

Day 5/100

I'm starting out strong on my destashing.

1 skort. I loaned it to a friend and she liked it so much, I gave it to her.

1 meat tenderizer. I think I used it twice, but had trouble giving it away because it costs so much. It was easier giving it to a friend.

5 magazines. These went to the donation box at work. The magazines are taken to a local hospital. The magazines had been sitting around for a few months and I needed this challenge to finally get them out of the house.

5 baggies of fiber/ribbon. These are part of my craft destash sale. There were probably over 100 pieces of yarn and ribbon in those baggies, but I think counting them individually would be cheating.

12 things gone in 5 days. Woo hoo! I'm ahead of the count!

Let's try again, 100 things

Since the beginning of the year, I've attempted to destash my crafting supplies. I've been semi-active on a few Facebook buy/sell groups and have gotten rid of quite a bit even if it doesn't look like it. But with all the travel I've been doing (going home almost every month), it seems like I'm never going to make progress. I come back from a trip, barely unpack, barely clean, and then start all over again. It doesn't help that we've been down an employee at work since January. Travel is slowing down (I don't have anything planned for a few months) so I'll be around to get some work done.

So it is time to step up the game. Once again, I'm going to try to get rid of 100 things in 100 days. I'm starting this challenge tomorrow so in case you want to join me, I'm giving you a tiny bit of advanced notice.

100 days from tomorrow is Saturday, November 7th. I didn't plan it that way, but I'm happy that my challenge ends on a weekend, just in case I need that last day to make a trip to Goodwill.

The big cleanup

Back in June, I started another decluttering challenge. I made some good progress, but then got sidetracked. Excuses, excuses, I hear you saying. But I have a doozy of an excuse. For the past two months, I've been helping a relative clean out her garage. Ever watched "Hoarders?" This could have been an episode. (Actually, I've never seen the show since we don't have cable, but I've heard enough to think that the garage qualifies.)

The first goal was to clean a path to the back so that we could remove a moldy rug. As the weeks (yes, weeks), went on, the goal was expanded to include throwing out enough stuff so that she could park her new car in the garage. So for weeks now, sometimes a few weekends in a row, sometimes skipping a week or two, we (Mr. Fxt-it and I) would show up at her house with our gloves, masks, rakes, scrapper, and heavy duty garbage bags. Yep, it was bad.

It was (and is) traumatic for all of us. She couldn't bear to throw anything away. I had to sneak stuff into garbage bags and tie them shut to discourage her from looking inside. Every weekend, we'd fill three garbage cans, the big ones (95 gallons) that you roll out to the curb for the trucks to pick up. We'd fill her recycle can and garbage can, and then fill the back of our car with more garbage bags to bring home enough to fill our garbage can. Lather, rinse, repeat. We had to stop the latter after a while because the car stank so bad in the short drive home, it was unbearable (a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea).

Every visit, it seemed like two steps forward, one step back. I'd think that we had cleared out a spot, only to find it filled the next visit. Perhaps there was a little landslide, perhaps she did more shopping, perhaps my memory was based in hope rather than reality.

Finally, Mr. Fix-it was able to cut most of the rug out (there is still a bit underneath a four-foot tall pile that we haven't been able to remove) and the car is inside. I'm not sure if and when we'll be back. I'd like to continue to help, as exhausting as it is. I'm pretty sure any open spots in the garage are slowly being filled with stuff. :(

100 things challenge, day 28

I'm 28 days into my decluttering challenge and I'm barely keeping up. Here's the latest batch to leave the house:

1 drying hanger. It was 20+ years old and the plastic was starting to break down. I bought a replacement from Ikea, but I didn't like it as much so I kept the first one around for a few weeks. I finally came to terms with tossing it when I realized the clips on the new hanger were so much sturdier.

1 bag of paper (should have been two, but I'm behind on my tossing).

1 mini album

1 6x6 pad. Slowly, I'm selling off some of my stash.

1 book. Big deal, one book you say? I was going to give it to my coworker, because I thought he'd like it and it sat on my bookshelf for 20 years or so. I told him I didn't know that much about it so we did a quick Google search and it turns out it is out of print and somewhat rare. Guess I should have done that before offering it to him. So he gave it back to me and I put it on ebay. Sold it for for a decent amount. Not as much as I'd like, but hey, it is out of the house and I've got a few more pennies in my pocket.

1 Polaroid film pack. I gave that to my coworker as a consolation prize. He's into old film.

3 card kits. I debated whether or not to count this, but decided to since one purpose of the swap is to use up our respective stashes, I'm counting it. At least I'm not counting every piece of paper or ribbon.

4 goodies from the "for Susan" bag. Actually, I was in such a hurry to mail the kits yesterday, that I didn't check the bag; I just gathered a couple of goodies I knew I had on hand, plus a couple more I picked up at a scrapbook garage sale (hmmm, maybe those last two items don't count? Naw, they went out so I'm going to count them.

1 reusable shopping bag. Took a relative grocery shopping and I gave her one of my reusable bags to use (and keep).

I'm a tiny bit ahead with 30 things gone. Yay!

16/100

My first update to my personal challenge. Here's what's I've gotten rid of in the past week:

5 batches of fabric (3 large pieces, several yards each; 1 UFO [unfinished object]; 1 batch of scraps). A local art center put out a call for fabric. Even though I have boxes of unused fabric, this was all I could bear to get rid of on short notice.
1 bag of polyfill. I gave that to a local art center along with the fabric. One of the children's activities they have is making "stuffies."
1 large box of envelopes. Got it from a friend of a printer. He didn't realize the envelopes were so old, the envelope edges were brittle. The art center does mixed media so I thought maybe they could use the paper for something creative.
1 reusable shopping bag. I had to carry the fabric over in something and since we have waaay too many reusable bags, I was happy to get rid of one.
1 shopping bag of paper (paper you ask?). This might not seem like a lot, but when the newspapers pile up like this, getting rid of a bagful is progress.

1 plastic pot. I liked it because it was shallow, but that was a problem too because I'd have to water it more often. Finally, the sun took its toll and I reluctantly tossed it.
1 snail trap. It never worked anyway.
2 magazines.
3 packs of buttons. I'm trying to sell off some of my scrapbook stash. If only I could manage the one-in-one-out system with scrapbook stuff that I have with clothes and books. It doesn't help that the LSS that I frequent just reopened with a new store owner this weekend so I had to go in to support her.

Progress!

100 things

June, almost half way though the year. Time for a reboot and time to get serious about toss stuff out again. I've been doing pretty well on the clothes front with one in, one out, but not so well in other areas. I've discovered a new love of dresses, jackets, and exercise clothes (not that I'm exercising that much). And there are ever growing piles of paper and scrapbook supplies...can you say addicted? So, I've decided that another round of my 100 things challenge is needed. Basically, the goal is to get rid of 100 things in 100 days. Hopefully, by September 8th, there will be more room in the house. Anyone want to join me?

100 things challenge, day 100 update

Sorry about the lack of updates. These long work days are taking a lot out of me. I just want to veg in front of the TV, even the computer takes too much effort. But, I have good news to report.

We sold four items on ebay (for less than we hoped, but at least they sold) so that's a few more pennies our pocket. And this challenge forced us to make a donation trip. Otherwise, the boxes of to-be-donated stuff would still be sitting in the garage. That trip got 27 items out of the house. Actually, it was more than 27 since I counted the box of office supplies as one and the box of Christmas decorations as one.

office supplies, Christmas decorations, clothes, kitchen stuff = 27 items
ebay (3 mugs, cookie press) = 4 items

total gone 80/100

Eh, a little short of 100 (since I didn't count every little item). And you still can't tell we got rid of stuff. Maybe I'll hit 100 at the next challenge. Ever the optimist, lol. I hope you'll join me when I start the next challenge. I might be more motivated if you play along.

100 things challenge, day 49 update

I made a small dent in my scrapbook stash at the scrapbook trash to treasures sale. It was at a different store than the previous ones I participated in and there was a lot less traffic. I don't know if that was because of the store or the economy. At the previous sales, the sellers were mobbed. At this one, the buyers just trickled in. After subtracting what I bought (oops!) and paying for the table, I barely made a profit. Not really worth the day (okay, half day) I spent doing this. I was disappointed, but if I think about this being the third time I did this and I didn't add much to the "sell" pile, it wasn't too bad. The good part is more stuff is gone.

I have no idea how many things I got rid of, but I'll guess 40 items. A couple were bigger items (album, ink pad holder), but the majority were smaller items (embellishments for 25 cents, paper 8/$1). At least I'm ahead of the challenge count.

Got more things listed on Craigslist, but no bites. I heard someone on a money talk show saying this was a bad time to sell anything because lots of people are trying sell off their own stuff and lots of people don't have money after spending it at Christmas.

scrapbook stuff

total gone 63/100

Gone in 60...

minutes. Mr. Awesome (I mean Mr. Fix-it) listed an old steel tub on craigslist and received three emails/phone calls in five minutes. I guess people want old metal to sell for scrap. Mr. Fix-it told the first caller he'd drag it out to the curb and for the caller to just come by whenever. The caller said "not too close to the curb" because he was afraid that someone else would come by and steal it! As Mr. Fix-it was cleaning out the garage, he found some old steel shelves and gave those to the guy also. I didn't know that metal recycling was such big business, though Mr. Fix-it's dad used to make regular trips to the metal buyers, just small household stuff.

old shelving
old tub
2 file folders of paperwork
pile of magazines

total gone 23/100

We're pretty far behind since this is day 44 of the challenge. On the plus side, Mr. Fix-it is totally on board with this and listed several more things on craigslist, just no bites yet.

100 things challenge, round 2

You may remember my recent 100 things challenge. I didn't get rid of as much as I hoped, but I am still happy with the results. So I'm starting it again. I was going to wait till next month (only four more days from now), but since we got rid of two big things today, I thought I'd start the challenge again.

To recap, get rid of 100 things in 100 days. Starting now, ending Tuesday, March 6, 2012. One thing a day, or 10 things every week or so. Remember, there's only one rule. To count, it has to out of the house. It can't be in the donate box, it can't be in the Craig's List/ebay box. With the end of the year coming soon, you may want to considering donating for tax purposes. I recommend not waiting until the last minute since donation sites get pretty crowded the last week of the year.

Here's what we got rid of today (okay, what Mr. Fix-it got rid of, gotta give credit where credit is due):

1 clay extruder
1 clay rolling pin

total gone 2/100

100 things challenge, last day

It is day 100 of my 100 things challenge. I got rid of a few more things:

1 pile of gift boxes that were too far gone to use again
1 stack (about 1.5 inches) of scrapbook paper (you should be really proud of this one)
3 things from my gift closet (I gave them to my sister so if you know her, they may be on their way to you)

Yesterday, day 99, I had big plans to put together a pile of stuff to take to Goodwill. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain most of the day after grocery shopping this morning, we stayed in the rest of the day (it was raining so hard, we skipped the Starbucks BOGO, and you know how I love a Starbucks discount).

The total gone is far short of my 100 items goal, but I'm still happy with my challenge. There's less stuff in the house and a little more money in my pocket (not as much as I'd like).

What I learned:

• I don't miss any of the clothes I got rid off.
• Even though it is a lot easier to see what's in my closet, I still have trouble deciding what to wear.
  
• You can't tell that we've gotten rid of books and magazines. I think that means we still need to work on that.

I'll be starting this challenge again soon. Hopefully, Mr. Fix-it will have some time to list some things on Craig's List (I believe this is called delegating, lol). I think I need to challenge myself to include weekly updates. Or maybe every other week. Or maybe every ten things. Look for another 100 things challenge before the end of the year.

100 things challenge, day 87 update

I'm a bit behind. Here's what we've gotten rid of recently. Some of it was given to people I know; the majority was donated.

2 piles of magazines
3 nightgowns
3 shirts
1 small bag of toiletries
5 pairs of shoes
1 purse
2 boxes of kitchen stuff
3 books
2 jeans
2 sweaters
1 vacuum
3 vases
2 box of office supplies
2 picture frames
1 GPS
1 bathroom scale
1 vaporizor
1 briefcase
1 box of dishes
2 boxes of paperwork

total gone 61/100

The last item (paperwork) might be considered a bit of a cheat, but getting rid of two boxes of "to be shredded" stuff is a huge accomplishment in my book. That's two filing drawers of stuff (or would be if we actually got around to filing stuff, lol). A local company hired a shredding company as a community goodwill gesture and you could bring five boxes. It was hard enough to get two boxes together; we try to shred stuff on a regular basis.

I don't think I'm going to meet my deadline; finding 40 more things to get rid of in less than two weeks is definitely going to be a challenge.

100 things update

It is day 2 of my 100 things challenge and we're off to a great start. Yesterday, we dropped off two boxes of magazines and 12 books at the library donation box. If I wanted to make it easy on myself, I'd count the dozens of magazines individually, but I'll be good and count each box as one item.

I also tossed two cardboard boxes. Now, you might think that is cheating, but the truth is, it is a very practical tossing. Practical, because that means I can't fill the boxes up with stuff that "I'll put away later." Practical, because that means I actually put away the stuff that was in the boxes.

Mr. Fix-it listed a couple things on Craigslist and they went fast! The rabbit hutch sold yesterday and an old bike sold today. Mr. Fix-it (and I) are thrilled to have a few more bucks in his pocket.

Gone:
2 boxes of magazines
12 books
2 cardboard boxes
1 rabbit hutch :(
1 bike

total gone: 18/100