My focus for this month is to do a daily count of how many items come into the house and how many things go out. I’m counting things I donate and large things I throw out or recycle. I’m not counting stuff like school papers and junk mail and smaller garbage.
Emma came home from school yesterday and asked if we could clean her room. Teaching her how to tidy and organize is always at the back of my head, but it’s not something I’ve explicitly done yet. One of the tough things about keeping her stuff neat is the sheer amount of little tiny things which have no real purpose but seem to get all over the place. Things from goody bags, parts of toys, stocking stuffers, Pez dispensers, magic markers. I wish I had a dollar for every magic marker I found, two dollars for the ones without caps. Or maybe the ones without caps should be worth less?
Multiple this by 30 to get the number of these little things all over my house.
I put her in charge of gathering all her stuffed animals, including her ridiculous assortment of Beanie Boos, which are small stuffed animals which would be cute if not for their large, creepy bug eyes. She loves them, and one day she will find this blog and see what I wrote, and commence therapy.
Creepier than the Elf on the Shelf.
I dealt with the rest of her stuffed animals, which were the main focus of yesterday’s purge. She surprised me a bit by what she was willing to part with. Several times I had to stop myself from asking, “Are you sure?” or reminding her that ____ gave her that item. It was tough, but I’ve gotten tired of doing these same tasks over and over. When we were done, I’d filled a bag with 19 stuffed animals, and put 4 items of clothing which no longer fit into another bag.
Off to new homes.
Today I worked in the morning and spent the afternoon in the school library. When I got home I decided to go through my make-up. I used to love make-up, but I no longer want to put the time into using it. I finally accepted that I’m never going to bother with lip-liner and I should never, ever wear bright green eyeliner. So I tossed about 8 items today and most of them were old so I should have tossed them a while ago.
I haven’t been in any stores the last couple days, so my totals are:
Thursday: Stuff in- 0, stuff out- 23
Today: Stuff in- 0, stuff out- 8
We’re doing some fun family things tomorrow which will be my first opportunity to really bring things into the house. I plan to keep trying to get rid of things over the weekend and am wondering if I should set a goal.
TGIF!
Good job! I sometimes find myself trying to keep toys and things that my daughter says she is done with as well. Resist the temptation to a get stuff when you are out with your family. Just have fun! Try to remember that everything you bring in you will have to find a place for. That really helps me to manage the clutter monster.
I really like you idea of keeping count on items in/out. In fact, you have motivated me to start this today.
Thanks for all of your great blogs.
I was so excited when I found a thrift store that took stuffed animals. And they pick-up!
As for make-up, I’ve got this box that’s dusty. . . . I should just toss the whole thing without looking. Maybe when I get home.
I have a hard time getting rid of things from my children because I “remember when.”
I give stuffed animals, in like-new condition, to the local fire department. They hand them out on the ambulance when kids are scared. When my kids were a lot smaller, we’d go for a tour of the fire engines at the same time. It made the trip exciting to them.
I think it’s great that you’re getting your kids involved in purging things. It’s important for them to learn these skills too.
It’s so great to be following your progress – well done and keep going! 🙂
I’m the same with make-up. I can’t apply it very well and use very little – foundation and mascara are it for me.