DAY ONE of my "toss 10 item a day mission"!

Recently I have decided to totally rid myself of all the extra stuff in my life, some of which I have carried around with me for almost 40 years! 

It started a few months ago when I went crazy getting rid of extra furniture. A lot was placed outside on the sidewalk to be taken by anyone who wanted it, and bigger items were donated to my son's adult program for them to redo and sell as arty pieces of furniture to help raise money. Pieces I had kept for years, thinking that "someday" I would redo them. Some tables I put on the sidewalk I had when my kids were born in the early 80's. A few months later I heard about a family who had no furniture at all and I wished I had held on to all that stuff a bit longer to give to them, but luckily I had a few things still left that I was able gift them with. 

 I felt so great as rooms began to empty out! Not only were the rooms ...well...roomier...but also neater, and so much easier to keep that way. 

Along with the lighter, airier spaces I also began to feel lighter inside as all the weight of too many possessions began to be lifted from me. I began to feel almost a sense of freedom.

So, I began tossing things here and there. A broken lamp I was thinking of fixing, a toy that no longer worked that used to be one of my kid's that I was saving for my grandson, about 20 winter hats that nobody ever wore. 

Never with a plan in mind just as I felt like it, and always with a lot of internal struggle. I have a lot of things for a reason after all. While I am not a hoarder, I tend to hang on to things, which is pretty obvious I guess from what I've said already. Each thing that has been gotten rid of has been bagged and unbagged until it finally makes it out of the house. I actually put one table on the sidewalk about 5 times before somebody took it before I could bring it back in again! 

 Until I stumbled across this site http://www.365lessthings.com/ One thing a day? I could do that surely, with no problem too. Plus she gives you mini missions, such as, take 10 minutes a day and declutter a specific item or space which she posts. One day was wall items, another entertainment items. 

 Now, like I said, I have a LOT of stuff, and I want most of it GONE within the next two years, if not sooner. So I decided to go one step further and get rid of at least 10 things a day for 365 days. I am sticking with the 10 min idea and choosing one specific type of item, just more of them. 

 Today is DAY ONE of my 365 day plan. This is what I packed up to send off to Salvation Army today. A box of old wall wreaths and plaques and such. Many I have had since my late teens (I am 58 now!) and aren't that important to me, I don't even notice them anymore really and when I do, it is usually because of all the dust on them! So time to let them go. Besides, I'd much rather see my own photographs or artwork on the walls :-) In this box, are 10 items that hang on the wall, and under those are about 30 old VHS tapes and in a separate bag are three large old lampshades. When my daughter comes tomorrow I plan on sticking this box right into her car so she can drop it off when she leaves. And I have already taped it up to make sure that NOTHING gets taken OUT of it before then..LOL

If you're interested in ridding your life of a bunch of stuff you don't need I highly suggest checking out the site I posted. She has a lot of great ideas and not only that, but she has done it herself so she knows what it's like and what you (and me!) will be going through as we fight our way out from beneath piles of unused, unneeded stuff.I CAN do this and am already looking forward to a much simpler life.

Won't you join me?