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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! 

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