An idea for a 'simplify your life' challenge

[Maurice]

Just to gauge interest here -

What if we started a challenge for people to rid themselves of one item a day for an entire year?

We'd have a thread where every day people could post a description or even a picture of what they are getting rid of. 'Getting rid' of it could include posting it on ebay or freecycle or putting it in a bag in the garage destined for Goodwill.

It would have to be non-trivial items, obviously not throwing away a toothpick a day for example. Maybe we could say it has to weigh a pound or be bigger than a box of tissues, or something.

For those without the time or inclination to do something once a day, you could choose 7 items once a week and post about it.


Would a group project like this be of interest to anyone?

 

[DangerMouse]

Definitely, I have been cleaning up in preparation of our moving sometime in the next few months. I can't believe how much I have enjoyed putting these things to one side to either donate/pass to friends/list on Craigslist.

To be committed to getting rid of 365 items out of my house would give me a project to get my teeth into as at day 1 it would be relatively easy, by day 365 choices would be tougher.

 

[FIREd]

I think it's a great idea, but I'm not sure I can find 365 non-trivial items to discard over the next year.

 

[Midpack]

I'll play, but I got rid of about 50 non-trivial items last year (eBay). At Christmas I gave away about 50 ornaments one day, and I've given away about 35 books in the past few weeks. De-cluttering is liberating!

The most important things in life aren't things...

 

[NW-Bound]

It is tough for us to throw things away. Our junk has been migrating slowly from our city home to the boonies home. We are DOOMED, I keep reminding my wife. We cannot overcome our ingrained and now irrational frugality. Oh, we are DOOMED!

 

[Maurice]

Here's another thought -

Maybe someone gets, say, 10 days credit if they get rid of an recurring expense. Say someone decides to quit buying that latte after lunch. Or they start packing their lunch instead of buying it. Or they carpool one day a week, thus getting rid of a commute's worth of gas. Or they cancel call waiting. Whatever it may be.

I don't want to complicate it too much, but reducing an expense seems to me to be worth more than just reducing an item.

 

[NW-Bound]

... but reducing an expense seems to me to be worth more than just reducing an item.

What expenses? Now, you are talking.

But the existing "stuff" representing past expenses, we can keep. Right?

 

[VaCollector]

....and for those of us who simply cannot overcome the urge to collect....errrr....acquire new things..... maybe we could post them here and simply GIVE them to each other!!??

 

[steve88]

I wonder if it will work with a hoarder?

 

[stevenst]

This is a fun idea. I could probably get by through September on the simple 'one book a day' plan.
Steve

 

[unclemick]

I wonder if it will work with a hoarder?

Katrina. Watched on CNN from Memphis - didn't break a sweat. Now when I finally got back - three piling stumps, the base of a Hamilton Beach Blender and one side of a Sears cast iron Ben Franklin fireplace.

I have no great desire to declutter - but I am amazed how much 'stuff' one can accumulate in just four years.

heh heh heh - still get a tad jumpy once in a while cause the local tornado siren is 1/4 mile away.

 

[GoodSense]

I'll play! I probably have 50 apparel/accessory items just lying around I can get rid of without much digging.

 

[RoccoPacco]

Sounds Like fun! I'm in!

 

[CuppaJoe]

I refrained from buying a couple of items today because I realized I can re-purpose existing items, one of which was not busy at the moment anyway. I have a new hobby I'm organizing and have purchased enough supplies for about six months, I think.

 

[audreyh1]

I would have won the contest in 2005 as we got rid of a boat, a house, and probably 70% of our belongings.

As a consequence, I just don't have that much to get rid of anymore even 5 years later. Living in a motorhome enforces a certain level of discipline. We could probably eliminate another 5 to 10% if we really knuckled down, but it's not enough to make it a priority at the moment.

When we move into the new house we are having built now, I imagine we will winnow any extra stuff that really doesn't work in the new place.

Whatever - we'll be in the cheering section for you guys!!!!!

Audrey

 

[flyfishnevada]

I thought going through our books would be tough, but we found so many that we just couldn't figure out why we bought them. We are giving away more than we are keeping. The ones we kept are important to us, but we assumed there would be more in that category. Makes me wonder what else we have lying around that we assume is important to us and really isn't.

 

[CRABBY JERRY]

new house

I would have won the contest in 2005 as we got rid of a boat, a house, and probably 70% of our belongings.

As a consequence, I just don't have that much to get rid of anymore even 5 years later. Living in a motorhome enforces a certain level of discipline. We could probably eliminate another 5 to 10% if we really knuckled down, but it's not enough to make it a priority at the moment.

When we move into the new house we are having built now, I imagine we will winnow any extra stuff that really doesn't work in the new place.

Whatever - we'll be in the cheering section for you guys!!!!!

Audrey

Audrey, Are you selling the MH and coming off the road? I wrote to you a while ago when the wife and I downsized to a condo. We also have a Monaco and wanted to be able to leave home once both kids got situated in college, and not worry about the house.This thread is ironic as I walked thru my shop and just thought the other day, if I could just get rid of a little at a time.. We had no choice with the house, as we had a buyer that needed to be in pretty quick and we didn't want to risk the sale by not accomodating them. Where are you building and Best of Luck. Sorry to hijack the thread also,

 

[Onward]

I'm sorry. I could not get rid of my stuff because my life would become meaningless.

 

[xyz]

We have been doing this for several months. We have a long way to go. I have several friends who have started doing this too. It feels good to donate the useful things which we will never use, but others can use. On the other side, this has caused us to think very carefully about every purchase we make to assure it is something we need and will use.

 

[Walt34]

The move to WV was enlightening for both of us when we realized that although we had made an effort to get rid of anything we hadn't used for a year we still ended up bringing several boxes of stuff that we ended up throwing out when we were setting up the new house.

A couple of months ago we began making an effort to get rid of one item a week. So I suppose we're a bit ahead of the curve on this one.

 

[Ronstar]

I'm in - but its going to to be tough to get at least one item every day

 

[rescueme]

Here's another thought -

Maybe someone gets, say, 10 days credit if they get rid of an recurring expense. Say someone decides to quit buying that latte after lunch. Or they start packing their lunch instead of buying it. Or they carpool one day a week, thus getting rid of a commute's worth of gas. Or they cancel call waiting. Whatever it may be.

I did all those things simply by retiring ...

 

[audreyh1]

Audrey, Are you selling the MH and coming off the road? I wrote to you a while ago when the wife and I downsized to a condo. We also have a Monaco and wanted to be able to leave home once both kids got situated in college, and not worry about the house.This thread is ironic as I walked thru my shop and just thought the other day, if I could just get rid of a little at a time.. We had no choice with the house, as we had a buyer that needed to be in pretty quick and we didn't want to risk the sale by not accomodating them. Where are you building and Best of Luck. Sorry to hijack the thread also,

No, I am in the process complicating my life by building a house but also keeping the motorhome and staying on the road at least half of the year. In fact, half the house is for the RV to live in. It is a winter home, so to speak, and located in the lower Rio Grande Valley (southern tip of Texas).

So, within a couple of years I expect we'll have at least twice the stuff! But that's only because we got rid of so very much five years ago.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

We have been doing this for several months. We have a long way to go. I have several friends who have started doing this too. It feels good to donate the useful things which we will never use, but others can use. On the other side, this has caused us to think very carefully about every purchase we make to assure it is something we need and will use.

Yes - a huge benefit is how it really changes your point of view when contemplating new purchases. It's really easy to recall one of many moments when you looked at that thing that you finally pulled out of the lower corner of a closet where it has been for 10 years and think "What was I thinking! What a waste! Why didn't I get rid of this years ago!?!". Kind of makes you hesitant to accumulate more.

But living without the clutter - even when it is hidden away, you still kind of know it's there! - is just so nice and freeing.

Audrey

 

[ziggy29]

We did a lot of that when we moved to a much smaller house. We started giving a bunch of stuff away, selling some better stuff on Craigslist, and held a "housecooling" party when we were moving where guests had to take items away with them at the end.