Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Join Me!

The You Are What You Keep Challenge started for me 20 days ago, and I am averaging 10 items per day. If I keep at this pace, I will be able to make it to my goal!

This weekend is my first garage sale... and I can't wait!

But you know, I want to know who else has decided to take part in the challenge! Please post about this challenge on your blog, and then link back here using the inlinkz button below! This way, I can meet you and we can all motivate each other!

Can't wait to meet you! :o)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Does this count?

I have been getting a lot of questions from friends and family members asking me "Does this count as an item?" or "Would you count this as 1 or as 2?" or even "What if I put it in the garage sale, then decided I want it back, then decide to trash it? Is that 1 or 2?"

People make me giggle sometimes.

But ultimately, here's my answer: You make the rules!

I am not the Organizational Wizard that dictates what you are doing is right or wrong or silly or wonderful. But I can tell you that any steps you are taking towards being more organized is a great thing that will create a calmness in your life that you may not have been able to appreciate before.

So... stepping off my soapbox and into my kitchen... I had to tackle my fridge yesterday. I brought home 4 (!!) gallons of milk and had nowhere to put it. Add that to the fact that I was bringing home a CSA basket of produce this morning, and I knew I was in trouble.

Now, I don't think a lot of things *should* count... but I think that anything that has been hanging around for much longer than it's intended stay that is now gone counts! So... I threw away an empty milk jug (doesn't count) and 1 practically full carton of  (way) expired orange juice (counts!).

Here we go!

Trashed:
21. Old mustard with busted top (it had been replaced... but not thrown out).
22. Pepto Bismol... expiration 9/2009
23-26. Four bottles of assorted salad dressings, all expiring in early 2009.
27-29. 3 cartons of eggs... "Best by 2/2010"
30. Orange Juice ("diet" and gross... expired 3/2010)
31. Ruby Red Grapefruit juice... expired 12/2009
32. Mint simple syrup... who knows how long that was in there.

Not a lot... but something nonetheless!

Now I am headed to do a project that was suggested by Justin Klosky over at O.C.D Experience! He gave a suggestion on how to tackle your worst clutter... and my room is staring me right in the eyes! :gulp:

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Outgrown

Tubs of clothes have been sitting in closets and in my laundry room... filled with clothing that has been outgrown. And this is not going to be a problem that ends anytime soon as these boys are doing nothing but growing!

Here is what we got...

65-126. Onesies. This is a mix of short sleeved, long sleeved, and rompers! And yes... there were 62 of those!
127-139. Pajamas
140-146. Sleepers/sleepsacks/swaddlers. These are all practically new as neither of my kids liked to be swaddled in them.
146-162. Pants... sweat pants, lounge pants, and tiny jeans and corduroys!
162-165. Shorts
165-173. Outfits on hangers... these are all mostly multiple-pieced outfits that were pulled together months ago for the savvy sale.
174-182. Bibs/clothes... all clean... but not being used here!

And we broke 200 total items! Woot!

Garage Sale #1 is Scheduled!

I have a feeling there will be several garage sales around here before the end of the year... but I need to get started now and then just keep the momentum going.

Our garage sale is scheduled for July 2-3. My parents may actually be out of town at the time, so the Friday part is up in the air... but it will definetly be the Saturday. My hubs will watch the boys and I will be outside getting rid of my former clutter!

Don't worry... I will let you know the address of the sale before the big day so you can swing on by to pick up anything that you might be needing! Although, if my button is now on your blog, you better think twice!! :oP

I have a few hours left before bedtime hits this house.. so I gotta go clean up and get the little guy to bed (my older son stayed at his Mimi and Opa's tonight) and then I'll update with the clothing numbers!!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Baby Gear... Baby Gear!

Adding more things to the garage sale...

56. Exersaucer
57. 6-in-1 Evenflo carrier
58. Bjorn carrier
59. Bouncer
60. Changing Table with pad and cover
61. Toddler Bed with Mattress
62. Fisher Price Sound & Lights monitor
63. Baby Tub w/ newborn sling
64. Table toy with rings

These items were going to be saved for the Savvy Sale... but since it's in September and not within the 60 days, I am just going to sell them at my own garage sale. :o)

And now I need to go sort the clothes that have all made it into the "Get-Rid-Of" pile!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Suggestions for Getting Started

If you are wondering how I am doing this and how you could get started, here are a few little tips I'm using now... I will add more tips as I go and "perfect" my skill... if we even want to call it that.

1) I keep a small notebook with me. It helps me write down what is headed over to where... and allows me to come back to post later. I have a big problem that every time I sit down at my computer to "check something", I sit here for hours and do nothing. And I don't have time to waste.

2) If I forget to track major trash... I count solid trash bags. If I am in the middle of a closet and I forget what everything is that I threw away, a full bag (packed) will count as 10 items.

3) Do it as you go. Don't say that you are only going to work on one area today... only going to tackle one spot... unless that REALLY works for you. I'd never be able to complete this project this way as my boys would want to be in that area as I am working... making it darn near impossible for me. Instead, I get things into their respective piles while I am doing my everyday life. This is where that small notebook becomes incredibly helpful.

4) Don't think. The longer you hold something and wonder about it's use, the more likely it is to stay... and become clutter. When you have something in your hand, make a gut decision as to its fate. And don't worry... nobody will ever know that you decided that the kitsch your aunt gifted you for Christmas ended up in the Goodwill pile.

5) Don't worry about if you will "need it". Odds are, if you are questioning whether it should stay or go, it's not something that you need. If you haven't used/touched/needed it in the last 2 years, you probably never will. And if you end up needing to repurchase 30 items because they were needed out of the 2010 that you trashed... you are still ahead in my book!

Thanks for joining me! I am planning on posting an in-depth photo "before/after" soon... with my life now and my life on 1/1/2011... clutter-free! Join me!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Cleaning out my dresser

It was laundry day here.. um... 3 days ago? My dining room table was covered with clean, folded clothes ready to go into their homes... but unfortunately, my dresser was packed to the gills. And to be completely honest, I have no idea with what... I hadn't opened a drawer in months!

So... that was my mini project today... and it was a quick one as we are super busy today!! But when I counted everything up... I was giggling as the numbers worked out like this. And I can't lie... I HAD to find a (2) of something to make the list complete!

To Sell:
28-55. Clothes from dresser:
- (7) flannel pajama bottoms... a "necessity" in Arizona for sure... ::insert sarcasm::
- (6) tank tops... old, stretched, stained
- (5) tee's... also old, mostly marketing...
- (4) long sleeve shirts that no longer were as beautiful as the day I bought them.
- (3) pairs of jeans that I am too skinny for now! YES!
- (2) pairs of hospital socks... still in packages
- (1) trapeze dress from Old Navy. Purchased in 2007. Still has the tags on it.

And although I still have a ton of clothes to go through... I am just going to tell you that if you are planning on doing this to your hubs clothes... getting rid of HIS prized tees or just-right shorts can be detrimental to your marriage... just sayin.

Friday, June 11, 2010

6.11.2010

During bath time, I did a little more deep cleaning and rummaging in the guest bathroom.

For the trash:
13. Empty bottle of bubble bath
14. Chewed up rubber duck
15. Old toothbrush... supposedly for cleaning... haha...
16. Wand for scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaner... stopped buying refills.
17-20. Magazines... over 3 years old.

For the Garage Sale:
27. Spa tower thing... with soaps

6.11.2010

Today I cleaned out my laundry room a bit, and did some general pick up.

This stuff all headed outside for the garage sale:
1. Silk Plant
2-3. Free black diaper bags I got from the hospital
4-5. Light fixtures from the boys rooms
6-7. Boxes of Finish Dishwasher soap... it etches my dishes.
8. Broken Hamper
9. Floppy Seat grocery cart cover, used 3 times.
10. Spiral photobook/frame thing
11-12. Silk plants
13. Blue blanket that sheds too much- brand new... still in the packaging/bag.
14-20. Assorted candles
21. Brand new box of wet swiffer sheets... I don't have a swiffer anymore.
22-23. Brand new curtain panels. Never got around to using them. Bought 3 years ago.
24. Shower curtain
25. Shower curtain liner
26. Box of the curtain rings... pretty nice ones! Might see if my sister wants them.


And this headed to the trash:
1-2. Flat Rate shipping boxes
3. A box of expired granola bars (tasted awful!)
4. Damaged fabric
5. Old MaryKay briefcase
6. Box from a wreath
7. Empty laundry detergent container
8. 1/2 Empty laundry detergent that didn't work.
9. A diaper box full of odd/ends... all garbage.
10. Empty bottle of Spray n' Wash
11. Old 1/2 eaten frisbee that was obviously hidden from the dog
12. Box of dried swiffer sheets.

Getting Started... a few ground rules...

So I am jumping right in... which is good because I am already 1/2 way done with the year... and I have done NOTHING YET!

Not a big deal... I will get it done... and I am glad you are here to follow along with the progress!

Here are the ground rules:

1. I won't count individual pieces of garbage (gum wrappers, bottle caps, etc) but I will count stacks of junk mail, anything that requires an empty hand to grab (bottles, newspapers, cans, etc).

2. Anything put into the "Sale" category might be moved into the "garage sale" pile in the garage. While I hate piles... I am determined to have at least 1 garage sale every 3 months. My HOA only allows 2 a year at my home... so I will be taking advantage of the Savvy Sale (consignment sale for children's items) in September and hopefully will add another sale at a family members home.

3. This is going "Clean Sweep" style. So if it doesn't sale at the yard sale, it goes off to charity. No ands/ifs/buts!

4. The items that stay must be in clean usable shape. I won't keep things that require major work to fix. This is not the time for new projects.

5. If any item is moved to Sell and a sale doesn't happen within 60 days, they are moved to donate. If they aren't picked up within 14 days, they get trashed.

Ok... let's get started!