In October, I cleared out...
...an art print I no longer like, 4 pairs of tights that had seen better days, 6 empty picture frames that I no longer need, 2 recipe books I don't cook from, 2 kids books that didn't make my "most beloved kids books I've decided to keep" list, an old jumper and cardigan that were getting very tatty, a vintage board game I bought to frame but never got round to doing so, an apron I bought for craft fairs that I no longer need, a stamp album I barely used as a kid, a bag I bought online that I loved in the photos but not when I actually came to use it, a formal dress I've worn once in 10 years and was never going to wear again because I never go to really formal things and even if I did my style has changed a lot in 10 years, a red belt I never wear, an old scarf that had gone horribly bobbly, an old hot water bottle that was well past its "replace by" date, a short sleeved cardigan that was gorgeous but which I never wore because I like cardigans with long sleeves, a trinket dish I no longer use, a vintage spoon that was just sitting in a drawer, a whole box full of old manuals and cables for printers, cameras and computers I no longer own, a pack of blank cassette tapes I'll never use, an empty jewellery box, 7 bits of jewellery I never wear, and an unwanted plant pot.
In November, I cleared out...
...a silk scarf I haven't worn since I was at University and really into wearing scarved with natty little jackets, a DVD I don't want to re-watch, a broken camera, 12 audiobooks I don't want to listen to again, 9 now-empty storage boxes, a bag with a damaged strap, a stained t-shirt, a pack of paper napkins I'm not going to use, a craft book I'd reviewed but didn't want to keep, a broken belt, 2 paper fans I don't need (I had 3 of these, for all those paper fan emergencies, I guess?) 3 old rolls of wallpaper I'd been keeping for crafting and never used, 2 huge shopping bags I don't need now I'm not taking huge piles of parcels to the Post Office any more, 9 books I don't want to re-read, a big bag of packing peanuts I thought would be useful but which I've never used, a stack of old mix-tapes I never listen to, a set of notecards I don't really like, 2 of my least-favourite teatowels from my vast stash, a vintage bedspread that was pretty but impractical, and an old textbook from a course at Uni which I'm never going to need to refer to.
And in December, I cleared out...
... another old Uni coursebook that I no longer need, some empty file folders, a mini stapler that I never use, a giant novelty paperclip, 15 empty picture frames I don't need, 2 DVDs I'm not going to rewatch, 9 unwanted Christmas ornaments, another craft book I've reviewed but didn't want to keep, 2 badges I never wear, 3 packs of Christmas cards that were so big they needed large letter stamps (not so great now I'm posting all my cards instead of hand delivering them to neighbours), 2 packs of pressed flowers I never used for crafting, some blank photocards leftover from a pack I bought years ago for sending my graduation photo to some relatives & have never needed since, a bookmark I don't use, another art print I no longer like, a spare Folksy ruler (lovely, but I don't need 2 of them!), 14 more non-beloved kids books, a box of old floppy disks, an unused stamp collecting kit from my childhood, a pack of plastic "crystals" I never used for crafting, a stack of old back-up CDs, a pack of themed wrapping paper that I'm never going to use and my old copy of Anna Karenina which I'm never going to reread.
Aaah, it feels so good to have cleared out all this stuff!
I have to admit that at the moment I feel a little "stuck" with this project, and am really not sure if I can possibly clear out another 6 months worth of things... but then I felt a bit like that at the end of 3 months, too, and look at those long lists of things I've since found I no longer needed/wanted! I am going to try and keep at it, and just see how it goes.
11 comments:
This is such a great idea, I might have to try and do thins kind of thing (although maybe not for a whole year!) Good luck with the remaining 6 monhts!
Thanks Rosie! I've also done an "100 Things" decluttering challenge in the past, which felt just as great but was less hard work than the Less 365. Maybe you could try one thing a day for a month, or pick a target number like 50 or 100?
It is just so easy to end up with things you no longer need / use / like / have space for / etc but which you don't really notice until you take the time to look. I continue to be amazed at how much stuff I'm finding to clear out, and by how great it feels to be freeing up space for the things I do actually love and use :)
What a brilliant idea. I love challenges that hang around a while. I think they are good tests of endurance and patience. I am definitely going to give this a whirl. Today is the 14th January. I need to go and find 14 things to get rid of to get on track. keep up the good work.
Slizzy Greensleeves - Endurance and patience, totally! I love "a small bit a day" challenges, they're easy to fit into your everyday schedule but add up to something impressive over the year.
Best of luck with your decluttering! You might be interested in my post about how I completed my last Less 365 Project - http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/less-365.html
This sounds really good, you've done very well so far! Your list of things you've thrown away shows how much junk we do collect unintentionally over the years! I might encourage my boyfriend to do this with me, maybe getting rid of something every other day may seem more achievable!
And what did you do with all these things?AriadnefromGreece!
Thanks Amy! Working on this with your boyfriend sounds like a great idea x
Ariadne - some things were given to friends and family who wanted them, some went to charity shops and some went to recycling banks or (as a last resort) in the bin :)
I easily part with clothes I haven't worn for more than two years but not with craft supplies :) We're organizing some working space in the garage with my husband and I think I'm going to "lose" a lot of things on the way to their new place :)
Oh yes, craft supplies can be very hard to part from! :)
That's a ruddy good clear-out! I'm quite good at decluttering, just less good at tidying. You have inspired me to finally post off the box of DVDs I've been meaning to sell to Music Magpie for ages and ages!
Yay! :)
Tidying is a whole other matter... luckily though the more decluttering I do I'm finding it easier to keep my stuff tidy as there's less of it and more space to put everything!
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