Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

thats really exciting ShangriLewis....
i think God encourages us when we make a brave move, in faith..

the timing's encouraging too! :)

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

Wow Heather. I am totally inspired and looked over at my globe and put it in the give it away box :O

We have decluttered everything except our attic this year (not ready on the attic as it is almost all kids clothes and don't know if our family is complete yet). Even so, I am trying HARD to continuously simplify. Looking at things with a serious eye and tossing it if its more stressful to have than to keep. It's really hard to get started but so liberating once you get going.

I was stressed out one weekend and on sunday night, I threw away a box of junk from the kitchen and just got so cheerful. DH was like :hunh "when did that happen that it's so amazing for you to toss stuff?"

I just shrugged cuz it just *happened.* It started off overwhelming, moved to gratifying when we saw improvement, then became fun, now its so liberating and freeing.

Thanks for updating Heather, it puts "wind" in my sails :hug

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I have gotten rid of SOOOO much stuff today! We have a new puppy with an extra large crate (who will grow into a very large dog!) now and also just got DD a new twin sized bed from her toddler sized bed, AND replaced a 25 year old tv that finally died so I wanted to get rid of enough extra stuff to make up for the new stuff that came in... Well I'm getting rid of that much and then some! Here's a list:

outdoor table, tool bench, and plastic bike the kids don't play with anymore
crib, 2 crib mattresses, toddler bed, and all bedding for both of them
a few good sized crib/wall toys (which we NEVER used and they have just been sitting around :doh
a bed rail
potty seat
quilt rack
2 large wall pictures and 2 wall hangings
old twin sized boxspring
clothes DD#3 has outgrown that aren't "nice enough" to pass on to friends :shifty
a large boxful of toys that are falling apart/kids don't play with/cheapie kids meal toys
all the little cheap plastic toys that were littering the yard that are in bad shape that puppy can chew up (and there were too many for the kids to care about playing with them anyways!
little tikes turtle sandbox that hasn't had sand in it for about a year :giggle (the kids empty it all out with their diggers so it lasts all of about 3 days when it has fresh sand in it :rolleyes2 We can play with sand at the beach from now on :yes :giggle)

:rockon Ahhhh!!! I feel so much lighter!!!


Now how do I get rid of the dead 25 year old TV? I know goodwill won't take it and my garbage service won't either. And I don't think I can give it away....hmmm

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I got rid of 2 bags of playfood :) Freecycled 'em :) I'm selling old books on Amazon.com - I'm trying to get enough $$$ to buy wooden dollhouse furniture for the boys Christmas. :tu

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I got rid of a bag of movies and clothes and have another bag ready to go to the thrift store :)

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

Junkyard/scrap metal recycling will sometimes have an appliance section

A repair shop *might* take it

Our town does a spring clean and fall clean day in which they will pick up that sort of thing if you buy a ticket in advance good for one appliance or furniture item and as much other junk as you want.

Once my dd got into size 6 or so, I started getting rid of everything aside from infant clothes...even if I got preg with another girl, I would have been saving 5+ years worth of clothes before the next dd fit into them. We don't have that kind of space, so I decided to keep only enough baby items to get started. If and when we have another dd, we can go back to yard sales. Meanwhile, we've had two boys...so she'll be at least 8 now before that possibility of another...at that point I'd be paying for a storage unit to fit the hand-me-downs, and the elastic would be dying of old age. So, just a thought if you run out of attic space...I started with the biggest clothes and worked my way down as I got more comfortable with the idea of purging. I even managed to barter a boxful for a new mei tai for ds. :rockon

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

No problem!

I have about 6 boxes that are not unpacked. Yesterday I thought about dumping them. But, I do have one in my closet that my dh calls the hope chest. It's all that stuff I can't let go of. Wedding things, a few baby things. I don't think that's bad though.

I've got about 3 boxes of art/craft supplies for the boys that I cannot unpack because there is no place for them. I do think I'll have to get a storage area in the kitchen for that. I was hoping to find something I can put my dh microwave on (yes it's his) that will hold the art supplies and fit in my kitchen.

As for a TV have your tried freecycle/craigslist? We got rid of a ton of "junk" by putting a note on craigslist that there was free stuff on the "curb" (no actual curb where we used to live). I was surprised. Freecycle always surprises me. Just be truthful and set it free :giggle

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

No I haven't tried that :think. I thought since it wasn't working (well, it's *barely* working- it still will turn on but is fuzzy on about half the screen and getting worse fast :giggle) no one would want it. But hey, it's worth a try!

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

Thanks for the suggestion to use CL- I actually had a couple of people ask about the TV and it got picked up a couple days after I listed the ad :hunh :rockon I just got rid of a bunch more things and listed a couple of things again on CL that Goodwill wouldn't take. I made $80 on stuff that Goodwill wouldn't even TAKE! :giggle Craigslist is AWESOME! :rockon :woohoo I've bought a lot of things on there before (it's GREAT for furniture) but haven't sold much till now.

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I put some largish things out to the trash and the curb fairy picked them all up before the trash men came out this morning. I also took 4 bags of toys/clothes out to goodwill before they closed today.

I'm half tempted to take All the plastic toys and donate them with all the recalls made from toys lately. I am in the process of going to all natural unpainted toys and montessori activities. I haven't done that just yet, but I will as I get more natural things to replace them.

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

Heather--that is SO encouraging!

God has been telling me for some time now that he won't be "moving us on" until we have decluttered the garage. Now, where we are moving on *to* is beyond me. I don't know if it's a physical move or a spiritual move or a ministry move or what--but I know it's waiting for us :shifty But it wasn't told to me in a threatening way--just factual. And we are going to be tackling the garage as soon as it cools off again and won't make us sick to be out there all weekend :shifty

So August's goal is to finish the bathroom and paint the bed and bathrooms--and then tackle the garage, and then finish the kitchen :D

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

Watch out Crystal :giggle

I realized through all of this that God starts his plans earlier than I thought and with stuff that doesn't seem connected till much later.

I had to learn to let go of things, so I could really see this new life with my eyes wide open.

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

This is SO true Heather!
Well I am ready for this thread now. It's got to be baby steps for me and it will have to become a 'lifestyle' thing. I don't have any huge chunks of time where I can just sweep through the house and viola! at the end of a weekend be done. I wish! You ladies here are inspiring me in that way, because it seems like everyone is doing it a bit at a time.
I was really discouraged once by listening to a speaker speak about home organization and how she got rid of her family for a week and when they got back, it was a whole new house complete with printed labels everywhere and all.
I can't and won't kick my fam. out of the house for week.

Anyhoo, here is where I have started: I cleaned out and reorganized one downstairs closet and my personal closet (I actually like going in there now :cool). I am in the middle of the laundry room. What started yesterday as a good cleaning turned into painting and fixing improper venting on the dryer and basically a total overhaul of a very small space. :giggle
I should have taken before pics, maybe I will take after pics. You know, I'm really excited even though it's just the laundry room. I spend a lot of time in there and it will be so much nicer now!

Next week I am going to hire a handy man (dh not so handy) to install dimmer switches and install a light kit I have had for years and have not yet installed (!), and install a carbon dioxide detector that I have also had for years and not installed. Little things that have been around so long, but I somehow think I will have such a weight lifted when they are taken care of.

I am currently trying to declutter/reorganize one thing every day. Even if it's just a drawer or one shelf.

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I had a little list where I put the next thing I wanted to do. That way I could work on that one small area for awhile. I didn't have time to do the whole house. Just a desk or a drawer or a closet. If I thought of something I would write it down and not look at it till I was finished with the thing I was working on.

It does feel good to get those things done and I was surprised I didn't have to do it all in one day.

I'm still trying to get stuff done around here. This house is built so differently. BUT, it's built correctly :giggle There is no wasted space and strange crannies.

Re: Simplify your life challenge.
 

I am desperate to simplify and declutter but I get so attached to material things that I know I can live without, but I can't let go. I am trying something new.

I am going to pack up things I don't need and seal them into boxes and label with a general description of what they are. 0-12 months toys, 2T toddler clothes-summer, etc. Books, kitchen etc. It will be boxes that you can't see through and they will stay sealed. I am dating them too and when 6 months passes if I can't remember what's in there and I haven't missed it I am taking it straight to charity. Or, being labelled, will give appropriate things to people who need them, such as if anyone has kids. If I don't KNOW what's in the box, I CAN'T miss it.