Skip to main content

Decluttering challenge for my summer: getting rid of clutter once a day


Now that I am off for the summer, I am going to be putting more effort into my decluttering. 

My decluttering journey began two years ago, and it has definitely has changed my life for the better. I know you're probably I should be done by now with all that time. I sometimes think the same for myself! But I am on to the very last bit which is the hardest for me to give away: the excess of my daughters' old clothes and toys. I am also in a constant state of monitoring the amount of clutter that comes into and out of my home. 

I've been doing pretty well by keeping my decluttering on track, but I KNOW I can do more. I have decided to start a challenge for myself for this summer, which is to declutter at least one item a day. At the minimum I'm going to give this challenge a month, but if I can continue to August, then I'm going to go for it! Here are a few items that I got rid of today:

I discovered that I had about five copies of this one particular article.


I was taking a look at my toddler's bookshelf, knowing there were some things I could get rid of there. I have a really hard time giving away most books and reading materials. I am an English teacher and a lover of reading. I always think to myself, What if I want to read this later? Or What if the girls want to read this when they're older? These items are my, "What if?" items that I'm still trying to persuade myself to get rid of because too often, "What if?" becomes, "Never". I have been able to convince myself (with some books) I am never going to open them again and they need to go. The other books are like friends that I don't want to let go, and I've allowed myself to keep the ones I really love. 

I was determined to begin this challenge today and to get rid of something from that shelf, from my, "What if?" stash (the remainder of this stash is on our shelf in the loft). I found some Highlights magazines that I had a hard time letting go last time I decluttered that area. Today I was able to toss one into recycling, along with this article that I had multiple copies of. 

It's not a lot, but it's a start. I have no idea what I'll be decluttering tomorrow, but I am determined to get rid of at least one piece of clutter a day! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Makeup Declutter-Why It's Important to Take Pictures!

I'm sure everyone else who is decluttering has already been doing this, but I wish I would have taken before and after pictures of my progress! Sometimes I feel like decluttering is like losing weight; sometimes you can't see your progress and it can become discouraging. I've been decluttering and minimizing for a year now, and some days I feel like my house looks the same. But I know that I have come a long way! I wish I would've taken a photo of our crazy then office with all of the papers that were hoarded in that room. It's now my baby's room and is quite clear. I would love to compare the two though! I was feeling like I could minimize my makeup some more, because it still feels like too much. So I tried to remind myself that I've come a long way. I still had my containers that used to hold my makeup, so I put the two I emptied out next to my makeup bag. I could see that I did clear out a lot of makeup! It's reassuring to see, but I plan on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

We own our car! Paid it off three years early!

Last May, when we lined up all of our debt, we had about $18,000 left to pay on our car. This was our largest debt, aside from the house, that we needed to pay off. Now, a year and a half later, we have finally paid our car off! I submitted the payment  from a different bank account with the payoff amount, but since it took a few days to process, 11 cents in interest was added. I am proud to say that I transferred that 11 cents from my checking on that account and paid the car off today!  I have learned from this car experience to NEVER buy new again! I didn't know that car value drops as soon as you leave the lot. Also, we paid so much in interest the last four years, we definitely overpaid for this car than we needed to. Lesson learned!  We only have one more debt left, my teen's braces with the remaining cost of $700, and then we will only have a mortgage payment! 
Post a Comment
Read more

Decluttering-Getting Rid of Facebook

I have a month left of maternity leave. To say that I'm overwhelmed is an understatement. I've spent the last year decluttering my house. I recently realized that I need to declutter my social media as well. I don't have a Twitter or Instagram. I only recently got a Snap Chat. I joined a decluttering group about a month ago. At first it was very helpful. I was glad to find other people who were on the same journey as I. I noticed a few shared blogs of their journeys. I thought that was a fantastic idea and shared three posts of my own. It was then announced that posting your own blog wouldn't be allowed. I panicked. I felt like I was in trouble, that I did something wrong. I am in a state right now where I am struggling postpartum so what some may have seen as not a big deal, was a big deal to me. I apologized for sharing my blog, trying to explain that my own posts would be too long so that's why I shared it. But I continued to panic, and with fight or flight, I...
1 comment
Read more