Day 47: More Books & Games

Today's Toss:
2 art sets
1 set of dominoes
1 book
1 soccer ball
1 container of Silly Putty
1 blue block
2 packages of pencils (16 pencils!)
1 sudoku puzzle book
2 journals
1 ceramic bell
1 cardigan sweater
4 shoes
=18 items

Day 46: Children's Books

I never thought I'd get rid of any of my children's books...especially if they are in good working order.  For years I tried to build up my classroom library and believe that the more books kids have to choose from, the better.

As I clean out the clutter in my house, and realize that more is not always better, I have to apply that same concept to our children's books.  We have no shortage of books in this house, and there are some that no one has ever read nor shows any interest in.  Some of them were even given especially to one of my children, you know, signed on the inside cover with the person it's from.  I have always felt it was wrong to give something like that away.

But when I found out that the MMCenter has children's books on it's Wish List, I decided that some of our books should go there.  We just have so many, and it is heartbreaking to me that some kids may not have their own books to read.  Knowing that someone else needs and wants them makes it easier to part with our books.

So, into the MMCenter donate box (which is growing quite large by now, I will actually need to take it all in soon!)

Today's Toss:
25 children's books
1 audio book CD

Day 45: What to Do With Binders?

So, in throwing out a lot of old papers, I am left with piles of 3 ring binders.  What do I do with these?  4 of them I gave to a neighbor who said that her husband could use them.  Apparently Staples will take your old binders and give you a $2 credit towards a new binder.  But what if I don't want to buy any more binders?  I guess Staples will take your old ones anyway, maybe they'd give a $2 discount towards another item??

It seems they should be recycled (versus thrown into the regular trash), since they are coated with plastic and I even found this website that says they have a green method for recycling them, but you have to pay your own shipping to send your binders to them.

I wonder if some non-profit organization would benefit from having them.

I'm still not sure.  I am open to any suggestions.

Today's Toss:
To my neighbor:
4 binders

To somewhere else: (Staples? Non-profit?)
6 binders
1 box of plastic page protectors
2 plastic upright magazine holders

=13 total items

Day 43-44: Old Meds

Cleaning out our medicine box gave me 24 things to toss!

I wasn't totally sure the proper way to dispose of all the meds. 

 I ended up flushing the pills down the toilet.

The old cough syrups/liquids I just poured into the trash.

Most of the other stuff went into the trash.

I put some of the plastic cups & dispensers into the recycling bin.

Nice!  More room for new meds!

Day 39-42: Baby Clothes

Today was a good day.  I got rid of some piles of things that I've been saving up.  Like, they actually left my house.  Baby clothes and other baby related items.  Hopefully all going to a good home.  I like that they are going to be used instead of trashed.

To the MM Center:
17 baby boy onesies, sleepers

To my friends:
1 baby name book
1 crib sheet
2 blankets
21 clothes

=42 total items

I'm going to count these items towards 4 days...

Day 38: More books

I'm continuing my purge and re-organization of my desk & bookshelves.  It's amazing to me how many things I've held onto in the thoughts that I will re-read it, or that I might need to refer to someday.  Especially old Bible study guides that I've written in.  If I haven't gone back and read through my notes by now, I don't think I ever will.  In fact, I am hard-pressed even to remember what specific things I learned in those studies.  Not that I didn't learn anything, but I think I will benefit more from going to the Bible and looking up new references when I'm studying a certain topic.  So, most of those went into the recycling bin.

I'm also learning that books that I decided to keep a week ago, I am re-considering as I put things back onto my shelves.  It's a bit of a process:  a book might be a "maybe" at one point, but as I think through it some more, I realize that I really don't need to hold onto it after all and then it can happily go into the "Donate" box.

Today's Toss:
Recycling Bin-
6 old bible studies

MCC Book Sale box-
15 books

Trash
1 silly band
1 plastic heart
1 photo book
2 binder envelopes

=26 total items

Day 37: Total So Far

Just because I've been wanting to have a running total, I thought I'd count up all the things that I've tossed so far.  Obviously this doesn't include everything (I do pitch random things that I either forget or don't bother to document..they seem too trash-like to count).  So it is a minimum, an "at least" to go on.

As of today, February 18, we have 429 less things in our house!  Not bad, eh?

Now, I realize the above statistic is not completely accurate either, because while I am purging, we also continue to add things to our house almost every day.  Not at the same rate of ten things a day (thankfully!) but some days I think that maybe I should count how many things we add into our house, and work on limiting THAT number.  And this new habit is changing the way I shop and think about the things I purchase, but new things do come into our house on a regular basis.  Even if I don't buy them, gifts are given to us, etc.

But again, let's celebrate:  429 things in 37 days.  It's funny that I originally thought this would be a month-long experiment.  Now I realize I can easily keep this up for a whole year, if not longer! (if I don't drive my whole family crazy in the process...)

kc

Day 37: Clean-Up Day

Well, at least some of us are cleaning up.  It's a no school day for my son & while my kids are in the bathroom, playing in the sink, I am continuing to work on my bookshelves/desk area and reorganizing away.  Along the way, I'm finding plenty to toss.  My goal is to be done tossing my ten things by the time my husband comes home from work.  It is just much easier and doesn't take time away from our family in the evening if it is done!

Today's Toss:
into trash-1 toy train,1 toy airplane
into recycling bin- 1 journal
MCC Book Sale-9 books

Total for the day:  12 things

Day 36: More Random

I hate it when I wait until the end of the day to do this.  I randomly just go through different rooms and find things to toss.  We have 3 kids sleeping in our 3 bedrooms, so I can't really purge in any of those rooms after they go to bed.  So, mostly my closet (again) was the source for today's tosses.

Today's Toss:
1 box of tea
1 torn maternity shirt
1 sock
1 "Baby's Sleeping" door sign
4 shoes
2 tank tops

=10 things!

Day 35: Donating to a Good Cause

Last week I was thinking about where else in town I could take donations, besides Goodwill.  I don't have any reason not to like Goodwill, and I really need to research what they do more closely, but I wanted some other options too.

I knew that there is an organization in our town that helps women and children get out of abusive home environments and rebuild their lives.  When I went to their website, I found that they have a wish list of items that they are in need of.  Most of them were specific household items, women's and children's clothing, and baby items.  I was encouraged, since I am in the process of purging baby things (even though we have a 3 month old, there are several items that I know we won't be using, and it's time to find them a new home...ie. boy's blankets or clothing).

Today I finished my first bag of items to take to the drop-off center.  I hope I can get there sometime next week.  Sometimes the timing of purging and when I can actually deliver them don't line up, and I have random boxes scattered through our house to take to different places.

Here's Today's Toss:
7 baby blankets
2 packages of pull-ups
7 newborn clothing items
1 foam baby bath insert
= 17 items to donate to the Marjaree Mason Center

Day 34: Kid's Memorabilia

What do you do with your kids' stuff?  I'm trying to figure out the simplest way to manage the clutter that comes along with children's memories.  Right now I am trying out using a 12x12" box with lid for their important papers, etc.  My goal is to purge through the more ineffective boxes and bags I have things stashed away in, and to reduce the volume of stuff (especially for my son who is almost 6!)

 Today's Toss:
1 folder of hospital papers from our 3 month old's birth
9 other random photos, papers, memorabilia from old keepsake boxes

Which brings up a question.  Should I count each piece of paper separately?  That seems kind of silly.  I'm kind of going back and forth.  Technically each thing is countable.  I could count it.  Most days I try to go for a bigger count, like a "folder" of paper, or a "stack" of paper.  I'm not going to try and be too technical about it.  Especially when it comes to memories of my pregnancies, deliveries and my kids' baby days.  *sigh*  I want to stay focused and be able to save a few important things which my children may want to have someday.  Am I saving it for them, or for me?  Where do I go for guidelines on this kind of stuff?
I'll continue this monologue later.

Day 33: My Past Life

I used to be a teacher.  Like, a professional one, not just a mom teaching her kids things at home.  In fact, teaching was a major big part of my life for 13 years.  I spent way too many hours working in the classroom and at home researching, creating and preparing lessons and activities for my students.  I worked with all levels of students, but spent a lot of time parked in the upper elementary grades.

I knew that when I finally had children that I wanted to try being a stay-at-home mom.  Most of my teaching materials went into storage in our garage and a few boxes found their way into closets inside.  I haven't tackled anything in the garage yet (I'm sure I will get there, if I keep tossing) but just the few things inside are presenting a challenge for me to purge.

The world is changing quickly, and already I have to laugh at all the hard copies of things I own.  I'm sure that teachers nowadays own way fewer file folders.  I have a LOT.  Of course, in purging them, I know I should just throw them straight into the recycling bin, and not even look inside.  But I can't.  I am compelled to look, and to reminisce on this former period of my life.  It seems like forever ago.  There is a part of me that misses it.

So for now, I am limiting myself to one file folder box that has file folders in it with different seasonal/thematic activities.  Stuff that I could actually see myself using with my own children at home. (Poor kids, it's hard to take the teacher out of the mom).  Here it is.

Today's Toss:
9 file folders full of school activities
1 rubber glove
1 plastic carrot kitchen toy (smashed in)

Day 32: Sometimes it Gets Worse Before...

...it's gets better.

Our desk & bookshelves are in a state of disarray as I pull things out,
reorganize what we decide to keep and choose which piles to add the "tosses" to

Today's Toss:
Into Recycling Bin:
9 File Folders

From Kids' Dress Up Box:
13 random crowns, headbands, hats, etc.
that are broken or no longer wearable
(some into trash, some recycled,
depending on material)





MCC Book Sale Box:

2 books

Hey, the first box is full!  I think there's close to 50 books in it...I've started a second box now.

Grand Total Tosses for the Day:
24 things

Days 29-31

Life got kind of busy these past couple of days, so today I'm purging 30 things in an attempt to "catch up."  It's 9:45pm, so we'll see if I make it...

Trash:
1 aquarium rock
3 old toothbrushes
1 Hawaii sticker
3 photographs

Recycling Bin:
1 Real Simple magazine
1 PT Board Exam guide
1 Pile of PT notes
2 completed Bible study guides
3 marriage notebooks
1 Marriott book
2 journals
1 file folder of magazine pictures

MCC Book Sale Box:
1 box set of parenting tapes
7 books

Goodwill Bag:
2 professional binder/notepads

phew!  I definitely need to keep up with 10 each day, because scrounging up 30 things late at night is kind of a pain.  Thanks, honey, for helping me out.  It's now 10:25, and I'm signing out!

Day 28: More Bookshelf Purging

I'm back to working on my bookshelves today.  Things are going into either the MCC Book Sale donate box or the recycling bin.

Today's Toss:

Into recycling bin:
1 study guide
1 binder & contents
1 folder of old Hawaii brochures
1 confession of faith leaflet
1 gardening magazine

Into book donation box:
5 other books

whoo-hoo, every day, a little more...slowly getting closer to less clutter.  My bookshelves are looking pretty messy right now.  Less books for sure, but at some point I need to spend time organizing the ones  I do decide to keep.  One day at a time.

Day 27: Returning Things

Today I got to give back 6 of my 10 items for the day.  This is another nice way to make our load lighter.  Returning borrowed items that have been taking up space in our house for way too long.  It's nice because I don't have to really make a decision about whether to trash, recycle or donate.  It's easy:  give it back to the rightful owner and let THEM make the decision. (ha-ha)

Today's toss:
3 books
1 DVD
2 pieces of tupperware
= returned to my mom

2 socks-trash
2 devotional journals-recycled

kc

Day 26: Break From Books

Random tossing around the house today, just part of general clean-up in the kids' room and closets.

Today's Toss:
2 mini rubber duckies
6 stampers from the dollar store
2 baby onesies

= 10 things!

Day 25: More Books and $$$$

40 books so far!

I added another 10 books to my donate box, which is great, but what I'm really excited about today is the money I made by returning something to the store which has sat in the bottom of a closet for over a year!  Purging can actually pay out something more than peace of mind.

It was a kitchen appliance that was given to us as a Christmas present last year.  Of course, I've struggled with guilt over getting rid of it without even using it.  But after a year, I figured it really needed to go.  I was embarrassed to take it back to the store, in case they'd know how long it'd been.  And I didn't even have a receipt.  I wasn't even sure where the gift had been purchased from, but I'd seen it recently in Costco, so I decided to take a risk.

Fortunately, Costco ROCKS in the returns department.  I took it in, and thankfully, as it was brand new in box, never been opened, they gave me cash back!  Cash!  I was expecting store credit at best.  Not that my motivation for purging is making money, but it feels good to get a little payback.

Today's Toss:
10 more books
1 unused kitchen appliance, returned to store
= 11 items, on their way to a new home!

Day 23 & 24: More Books

I've added 18 more books to my box to donate to the MCC Sale.  I've gotta have my dust mitt handy, because there is a WHOLE lotta dust being stirred up from my bookshelves.  It is so interesting to go through my books and to purge.  To think about which ones I've saved, and to remember where I was at when I read particular books.  Some books I've written in, and some are fairly personal, like devotionals or Bible study reflections, so it's not like I'm going to give them away for someone else to use.  And it's also not like I'm actually going back through them to re-read or remember what I wrote and learned.  So, what to do with them?

Some I think I'll still save, especially ones that seem to capture an important time in my life or when I learned important things about God and myself.  But some, I am going to throw in the recycling bin. Two books over the past two days fit in that category.

Two days of tossing:
18 books for the MCC Sale
2 books into recycling

=20 books out of my house!

Day 22: Let the Book Purging Begin...

I have a lot of books.  A lot of books, that sadly, I'm not reading.  I still read, just not those books.  I don't know why I've saved them.  Some were important to me at one point in my life, and they cause me to remember where I was at, who I was becoming in my younger adult years.  Now they just take up space on my bookshelf and collect dust.  Time for them to go.

Check out that dust...

The first 10 books

Thankfully, there is a great place for me to donate my books.  The West Coast MCC Sale is held every year, and they sell used books.  All of the proceeds from the MCC Sale goes to worldwide relief projects that MCC is involved with.  It's an organization we support, so I feel good about my books going there, and hopeful that they might be sold.

Today's Toss:
10 dusty books
= going to the MCC Sale box

This oughta keep me busy for several days!

Day 21: More clothes

Anytime I'm out of ideas where to purge, I just head for my closet.  There are so many clothes in there, outdated, ill-fitting, etc.  So today I tossed ten articles of clothing.

Yesterday's and todays toss

Today's Toss:
1 "I finished the half marathon" sweatshirt
1 quasi-maternity top
3 sweaters that are a decade old
1 denim skirt (also a decade old)
1 scarf (probably 20 years old)
2 children's books
1 Dr. Suess clock, a freebie acquired through something I signed up for

= all in the donate box

Day 20: Scrapbooking Magazines

I'm continuing on the magazine purge...found lots in my scrapbooking file box.  Yikes!  One even dated back to 2003.  Seriously, it is kind of sad to realize that this whole hobby of scrapbooking (you know, with paper) is on it's way to being obsolete as well.  I spent a lot of fun hours with friends scrapping in the early-mid aughts (is that what you call 2001-2006?).  I put a ton of energy into my scrapbooks, and yes, I still have them & will NOT be purging those anytime soon.  My kids will probably have to do that for me when I'm dead and gone.

Anyway, my point being, that most of my scrapbooking/photo documenting of our family is done digitally now.  Even my poor third child will not have a baby book done in traditional scrapbooking style.  So, I really don't need the magazines and how-to books anymore.  (sniff, sniff)

Today's Toss:
15 scrapbooking/paper crafting magazines
= into the recycling bin!