Piles o' Stuff

February's focus was on simplification. The goal was simple: to reduce the amount of stuff in the house. If you read my last post (long, long ago), you'll know that I began participating in a minimalist challenge on February 1. Get rid of one item on the first, two items on the second, etc. In the beginning, I wasn't sure how far into the month I'd make it (I guessed two weeks, max), but I found that it actually got easier rather than harder as the month went on. It was only around Day 24 that I started having to stretch a little.

My friend Melissa and I texted each other daily to share the pictures of our piles o' stuff. It was incredible watching how the piles grew as it got later in the month. What surprised me was how  fun it was, though. In fact, I decided a few days ago that it was cheating to do this challenge in February rather than in a 31-day month, so I extended my personal goal to 31 days. Below are the results in pictures.

What I want to share about this process:

1. My husband and son were actively involved. They willingly let go of items when I asked and made few objections to my choices. I am grateful for their support of my craziness and proud of their efforts. Jonathan is even selling some of his mint-condition game consoles, which is not something I ever expected to happen.
2. If you see items that you gave me in these piles, please don't be offended. While some of the items I selected for removal were actual trash (see the piles of magazine pages I'd torn out over the years and the detritus from the bathroom closet), many of the items were useful, loved and/or valuable. It doesn't mean I didn't appreciate your gift. One of the most challenging aspects of this task was to separate my practical side from my sentimental side. 
3. All of these items were disposed of in some way or another. We trashed, recycled, donated, gifted or sold all of them. You'll probably see a ton of this stuff in Joey's thrift store in the upcoming months, and I am excited to get some money back for our efforts. 
4. The most fascinating thing about this process to me has been that it's completely changed my thinking process when it comes to what I buy. On February 2, I chose two colanders as my daily items. A few days ago, after using a salad spinner for the first time, I realized I couldn't live without owning one (seriously, y'all, that thing was crazy cool and useful!!). After buying my own salad spinner, I got rid of a third colander, because the basket of the spinner will serve the same purpose. In the past month, I haven't bought very much at all, which has been surprisingly easy. But with every item I've purchased, I've thought carefully about what I no longer needed as a result. Shopping seems to negate all of our February efforts.
5. Books take up a lot of space. Everyone in this house loves books. These two things cause some conflict in the battle to get rid of stuff. Getting rid of books was HARD. I'm proud of myself for doing it, and I am proud of Jonathan for doing the same.
6. Our house still feels like home. It doesn't feel empty. It just feels less cluttered.
7. It was amazing to me that I could completely clear out an area and be 100% sure that I still needed or wanted whatever was left, but two days later, I'd find three more things that could go.
8. I highly recommend that everyone I know try this. It's fun, thought-provoking, satisfying, and freeing. One of the things that I didn't get rid of in February is a marble plaque I've had for ages. It is engraved with a quotation from Spurgeon … "It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy it that makes happiness." I think this is my new mantra.
9. 4DX principles of focus are right. I didn't focus at all on health in February, because I was focused on stuff. March will be the month of health!
10. 31 days = 496 items from the house. I did day 24 twice in error, so that's 520. Many of my items were sets of things. One book of CDs counted for one item but was actually 300+ CDs. A set of 12 cookie presses counted as one item. Hundreds of magazine pages counted as one trash stack. Altogether, I'd estimate well over 1,000 individual items are gone. The results for February made me happy.
11. Nothing to do with this challenge, but I wanted to point out that I've made it more than three months without shopping for clothes, purses or shoes. Woot!

The journey has been great. Enjoy the pictures!