100 in 100...{complete!}

and so, it is finished!  at least for the last 100 days of 2011.

we have officially rid ourselves of {over} 100 items.  and it was actually easy and liberating.  the last 17 items consisted of...

corkscrew, christmas wreath, 7 items of clothing, 2 pillows, television, bag of clothing, doll crib, computer monitor and keyboard, and dressing table...

ta-da!

what i have learned from 100 in 100...
* i am now more conscientious of what i bring into our home...i find myself replacing item for item and really thinking about whether or not i need something.
* i don't need half the stuff i think i do...
* there is a sense of relief when you toss items and have less to worry about, less to clean, and space to breathe...
* i find real worth in the things i DO have, because they serve a purpose (or two or three, now that i am living with less)...
* i realize the capacity i have to bless people with things that i have, or with the time/money that i have now that i live with less...

so, what's next?
i've been thinking about doing the 30 day clothing fast again, to see if i can weed more out of my closet.  i've also thought about going on a spending fast, trying to only buy what we absolutely have to have.  that would be a challenge, since we *really* need mcdonald's french fries about once a week it seems.  one thing for sure, i will continue to rid my home of items in 2012!

any thoughts on what i could do next?

day 47...{getting closer}...

1 pair of boots...gone.
7 scarves...gone.

ttd...83!

day 64...{inspired}...

after typing yesterday's post, i decided to clean out the arts/crafts/school supplies...and ended with tossing out 10 more items!

75 and counting...

where i'm at {65 days to go}...

item 51...

item 52...

53...

54...

55...(counting these frames as one item)

56...

57 and 58...

59, 60, 61, 62, 63...(aren't you glad i can count?)

"item" 64...

item 65...(sadly failed attempt at new exercise)

so...that leaves me with 64 days and 35 items still left to lose!  an item every other day...i can do this!

a ton on 91...

let's see...

12 items from the shed, tossed in garbage can
16 books, all looking for new homes on facebook (coach sal got rid of quite a few, too)
a pile of cds
a few dvds

i'm going to call it 30 items...

ttd...50 items...half way there...



1 on 96...

one large suitcase...sold.

ttd...20 and counting!

9 on 98...

today i rid myself of...
6 more articles of clothing
2 tote bags
1 pile of 11 necklaces (if i count each one, i'd be to 100 by next week...so i will challenge myself)

and today, two of the three children joined in!  jacob was serious and handed me a box of 50 items.  he will get paid slowly but surely.  and mary elizabeth rid herself of 26 items and a ton of trash.  she kept remarking about how *clean* her room looked...and we aren't finished yet!

* as we threw away all the trash in mary elizabeth's room, it reminded me about how important it is to keep paper out of your house.  i actually stand in the garage by the trash can and recycling bin and go through the mail each day before i walk in the house.  easy.

ttd...19 items and counting...how's it going for you?

10 on day 100...

tonight i rid myself of....
* 7 articles of clothing
* 3 purses
in all of about 30 seconds.

i literally thought quick and grabbed out items that i have not worn all summer.  if i didn't wear it this summer, chances are i won't wear it a year from now.

here are some other ideas for purging clothing that i have tried...
* project 333...i wore 30 items of clothing for 30 days back in january.  it really worked!  it not only helped me rid my closet of unworn clothing (i must have cleaned out about 30+ items, which is really embarassing to admit), it helped me to determine what colors i like and wear (and now i only buy items in that color scheme, so most everything in my closet coordinates).
* put everything on white hangers.  as you wash and wear, use a colored hanger.  then after a month or two you can see what you are not wearing.  or, you can flip the hanger backwards as you wear items- then purge items on hangers facing inward (does that make sense??)
* wear items of clothing only once during a two week period and then set aside.  at the end of the two weeks, see what's still in the closet and purge (because you have already worn and set aside your favorite 14 outfits/articles of clothing).

what have you tried to help you purge?  or to NOT add more to your closet?

losing 100 in 100...

as we are constantly purging and organizing our stuff, coach sal and i have always laughed and said that we are going to write a book one day titled stuff will kill you. (we also want to write a book titled rock paper scissors saved our marriage....but that's a topic for another day.) we both love systems, and everything we own tends to fit into some sort of a system- if not, then it tends to get on our nerves and we do something about it.

so, lately i have been doing a lot of reading about simple living/minimualism and have been inspired by how a lot of people are living with very little.  and living with very little stress.  which is extremely appealing to me.  (check out tiny houses if you want to be *really* inspired!)

100 in 100 is going to be the loss of 100 items in 100 days.  and it will begin on thursday, which means it will end on december 31st, just in time to start 2012 with less stuff.  Which also means less to put away; less to clean; less to worry about; less to store; less decisions to make; less stress!  and to be honest, i went through my kitchen a few weeks ago and purged, and i also have empty shelves.  it is freeing.

i am also going to get two of my three children involved by paying them a dollar for each item they lose (the third child said no way, not doing it...i'll clean out his stuff when he leaves for college next year :o).

and the goal is 100 items over 100 days, not an item a day.  so we will keep track as we go, with a goal in mind!  and i'm going to give items to friends; donate items; and possibly sell items as well.

here are the items that i am purging first...
* clothes
* purses
* shoes
* jewelry/accessories
* scrapbook supplies
* dvds
* cds
* art/craft/school supplies
* paperwork/files

thoughts for my list?  thoughts for my idea?  wanna join me?