Last Friday, I challenged myself to declutter 15 items per day for 15 days in preparation for our yard sale. So far, I am doing pretty well! The last several days have been spent deep cleaning and organizing my bedroom. I have accomplished everything on my semi-annual cleaning list in our master bedroom, except for touching up the paint. I need to try to have the store match the paint. I had bought Martha Stewart paint from KMart many years ago, and they no longer have it.
I don't have pictures of everything, but here is an update on how I have done so far!
Day 1: Friday (15+ items)
Trash
- a pair of broken glasses
- 5 pairs of underwear (seriously need to go through this drawer more often)
Yard Sale/Donate
- robe
- massage gloves and massage socks
- shorts
I also had a bunch of items I used when I was nursing my daughter that never got put away with the rest of the maternity clothes.
- washable nursing pads (large stack)
- nursing bras (probably around 8)
- 2 nursing tanks
- nursing gown
Day 2 and 3: Saturday and Sunday (we were out of town on Saturday) (38 items)
Yard Sale/Donate
- 24 VHS tapes
- VHS/DVD stand
- back massager
- tank top
- 5 t-shirts
- sweater
I also had about 4 clothing items that will be saved to repurpose since they have holes or the stitching is coming apart and are no longer wearable.
Day 4: Monday (24 items)
Trash (Trust me. The pictures make these items look ok-ish, but they were not!)
- 3 pairs of shoes
- 3 t-shirts
- belt
- pair of shorts
Yard Sale/Donate
- 5 pairs of shoes
- hanging shoe organizer
- 4 small jewelry boxes
- 4 hats
- 2 pairs of sunglasses
Day 5: Tuesday (16 items)
Yard Sale/Donate
- 3 pants
- 5 long sleeve shirts
- 5 shirts/tanks
- 1 pajama set
- 2 swimsuits
This brings my grand total so far to over 93 items! And this was just in five days! I have a cleared out beautiful space in my bedroom again, all the drawers close and I only have clothes in my room that actually fit. So, no more trying the same things on over and over just to put them back on the hanger. :)
I also allowed myself a bag of clothes that "might" fit if I lose about 10 pounds. I have been starting to work out and eat better, so this is completely do-able! However, I am putting a deadline on it. If I haven't lost those 10 pounds by the end of summer, then that bag of clothes is going to be donated.
One of my biggest challenges is that I try to be fairly "green" and I don't like throwing things out if I can 'maybe' use it for something else. If you are like me, try to look objectively at your items. If you truly will do something with your old/outdated/broken items, then by all means keep them. Just have a designated spot in your home for them. And if not, I give you permission to throw them out. No one else wants your stinky shoes, hole-y t-shirts, or broken sunglasses. I promise!
How are you doing on your decluttering? I would love for you to post your progress here in the comments or on my
Facebook page!
Labels: Declutter Challenge, Organization
