The Minimalism Game - 30 Days to Less Stuff! [Sept. 14 - Oct. 13, 2015]

[ShadowLion]

I'd like to join and can get caught up with 15 things tomorrow.

 

Welcome, jmk! You are on the roster.

[jmk]

It surprised me a little bit at first, but I expect there will be more such discoveries. It is sort of like an archeological dig, going back through layers of life experiences represented by material objects.

 

 

 

I sympathize. The things I have the hardest time with are gifts from friends and family, and things that remind me fondly of trips/experiences/etc. I haven't gotten to the bedroom or the study yet and I will confess to some dread about that. It will be hard, even though I have been practicing in the easiest room I could think of first.

 

I find clothing, jewelry, gifts with sentimental attachments, etc. tough to deal with, never mind that they don't fit, don't look good, I never wear them and never will, etc. I've got a bunch of clothes of my dad's - sweat suits and things that I could wear but don't - that sit in my closet when someone else could get a lot of good out of them. I have them because my mom gave them to me...because she couldn't just give them to Goodwill. And, I haven't been able to, either. I expect that I will get to those things in another week or so. I may do the pantry/kitchen first just for more practice, though.

When my grandma died, we cleaned her attic out and find so much stuff she saved just in case. If it had been given away twenty years earlier would have been a huge blessing to people, but ended up being so outdated or old, it became worthless and garbage. Thinking about that has helped me part with things.

[ShadowLion]

When my grandma died, we cleaned her attic out and find so much stuff she saved just in case. If it had been given away twenty years earlier would have been a huge blessing to people, but ended up being so outdated or old, it became worthless and garbage. Thinking about that has helped me part with things.

 

That's a really good insight. I think I just have to do like darkfoxx was talking about and let the past go. My dad would much rather someone who needed those clothes was using them.

[Yraen]

Five books for today. More doubles from the same lot.

[darkfoxx]

Today's 15:

 

 

Waterless dog shampoo - useful for a dog that *doesn't* require only a shammy to clean

4 more eyeshadows I'm not into

A bookmark I purchased at one of those book fairs held in Elementary school

Burt's bees lip balm pot I've never opened

Kiehl's pot of lotion I don't really like

Mini mascara that's over a year old

Cream eyeshadow that's weird

Some random lotion I got somewhere as part of a gift set

A scrunchie - because I have so much hair

A random topper to a dropper I had consciously chosen at least twice to not get rid of during previous cleans

Yet another sample

And a makeup bag I'm no longer using

[rowan]

Yesterday (internet in my apartment is spotty these days, so yay day-late post!) I got rid of a skirt that is very unflattering and kind of stupid, and three old workout shirts from college that really need to go away now.  

 

ALSO.  A miracle is in the works.

 

My roommate, who has not cleaned her room AT ALL since last summer (I am not even joking about this), has told me that this next friday she will be calling her parent's maid to come over and clean the entire apartment, INCLUDING HER ROOM!  Now generally speaking I am very uncomfortable with the idea of her bringing in help to clean our tiny apartment, because we should REALLY be able to do this ourselves and also it's weird to benefit from it without paying for it and also I somehow take it as a blow to my housekeeping pride, but I CAN DEAL WITH THAT in this instance because HER ROOM WILL BE CLEANED!

 

There are shopping bags from two years ago, never unpacked!  Mountains of half-empty pill bottles, used up tissue boxes, dirty laundry that has not seen the light of day since 2014, dust and plastic bags from CVS and dust and IT SHALL BE BROUGHT FORTH TO BE EXORCISED!  

 

THE WHITE WHALE.  IT IS WITHIN MY SIGHT.  I only mourn that I shall not be the one to plunge my harpoon in it's cluttered, crusted, unfathomable heart...

[Kilo]

Items

1. An autographed cd from a band I saw in concert

2. a shark tooth necklace that I will never wear

3. some odd little brush thing for a razor

4. a money card to a laundry mat where I used to live

5.some cumpled up post it notes that have traveled with me for the last year.

[BlackTezca]

Welp, more make up from the useless make up drawer.  It's getting more and more empty though, which means I'll need to start looking at other places that I know could be freed up a bit.  Maybe under neath my skin now.  I know there are some lotions and soaps I don't use in there!

[naarasleijona]

Danger! Danger!  It's tempting to second guess yourself if you are pulling things from  pile that you have decided to already get rid of.

 

For example, as I was pulling stuff from my stash this morning,  I started thinking to myself "Oh, yeah! I really  like this one, it's cute!"

 

UUUUUUGGGHHHH!  I've already decided to get rid of it, so I stopped thinking anything (thank you meditation practice), put the stuff in a bag and threw it in the trunk of my car.

 

I've included Saturday and Sunday stuff, because I don't know if I'll be able to get to Goodwill or not this weekend.....

 

Result for today.

1. In the trash - an old laundry basket liner that is so gross I wouldn't put dirty clothes in it

2 & 3.  2 pairs of shoes - one pair never worn! 

4. A neck tie

5. Alphabet stickers

 

For Saturday:

1-6. 6 night gowns

 

For Sunday

1&2 two more night gowns

3. a cutting board

4. a wash board

5. a skirt

6. a pillow case

7. a shirt (again left over from the 40's retro phase).

 

 

 

 

[skinNbones]

Yesterday : someold shoes and detritus from the toolbox .

Today : Two old posters an old charger and bits of old razors (!?)

I see green herbs !

[Jakkals]

5

[ShadowLion]

I'm almost there with the bathroom and adjacent hall closet. I'll probably have some cleaning left over into early next week as the weekend is packed full, but the last few bits of clutter in that part of the house should be be gone tomorrow!

 

All drawers and their dividers and containers, plus counters, shelves, sink and mirror have been cleaned. What's left: shower, toilet, light fixture, and moulding. Soon, I will not only have a decluttered bathroom, but a sparkling clean one, too!

 

150/900

[Jett]

Just read this interesting little story about a family that lives in the same town as me: http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/17/familys-shopping-list-year-nothing/72364866/

 

They didn't buy anything except for the standard consumables (food, hygiene products, etc) for one whole year. No clothes, no books, no birthday presents (instead, they did things like go to the zoo or sports games).

[Rurik Harrgath]

Five more magazines added to recycling.

[Heidi]

Does it count that I turned a bunch of balls of yarn into sweaters?

[Merrin]

I haven't been popping in regularly, so here's a big update.

 

1: old phone.

2: pairs shoes, one completely unworn, the other tattered.

3: two desktop monitors, old measuring mat.

4: scarf, wristbands, two hats.

 

5: old towels

6: skirt, dress, 4 sweaters.

[skinNbones]

Well we got rid of a broken pushchair and the missus did a bag of stuff from the garage , so I'll call that 6.

I see green herbs !

[Jakkals]

6

[darkfoxx]

Today's 15: nail polishes!

Sent on dragon wing

[BlackTezca]

Got rid of  a hair product I haven't used in two years, old perfumes, old lotion and more random make up things.  6 items for day 6.

[Dusk]

Got rid of 15 things today, which puts me at [99/903]: some headbands, more lotion that I never wear, gross stretched-out hair ties, and some other things I can't really remember chapstick I never use and a few random knick-knacks on my dresser that I never look at. TRASH HAHAHAHAHA it feels really satisfying throwing things away. Tomorrow I'm gonna have to run my stuff out to the trash can, and to the Goodwill. Yay! I'm excited to get it out of my life.

[Yraen]

It's six for today right? So six. Through out an old notebook that was filled with useless stuff(I read it through twice to be sure), four things of hair stuff that I got as gifts, and some more stuff I picked up on a trip(I can't for the life of me remember how to spell that word).

[jmk]

Here's day 1-6. I did it all Friday but we went out of town yesterday so I couldn't post. I think I am all caught up. I may end up having more per day as needed because I can't leave an area I start cleaning out undone until the next day.

[darkfoxx]

Today's 15

Dog shampoo - we can just use soap to clean the dachshund

Fancy-ass non-sulphur red shampoo -- I haven't used shampoo in over a year. I don't need to keep a bottle 'just in case' someone needs it.

Face scrub I haven't touched since I moved here.

Foot scrub I maybe looked at once.

A foot brush I haven't thought about in years.

A holder from our new toothbrush heads I was planning on keeping 'just in case' and because it's a nice holder.

5 more nail polishes.

Ancient powder compact.

Eyeshadow duo in shades I don't like.

Face soap - also haven't used that in over a year.

The bath poufy that's been stained pink from hard water and I'm totally afraid to touch.

Sent on dragon wing

[Kilo]

Missed yesterday, so got rid of 13 things today, mostly from the bathroom.