throw out 50 things

because it became more of a chore than I can take on. I think it’s a good concept, but my decluttering is more ecclectic than focused on one area. Maybe that’s one reason I’m not as successful as I wish I were, but the goal is no longer useful to me. And so I’m going to throw it out.

I have a plan and a deadline of February 28, 2011, to weed my personal library. I’ve got to get my SO on board too because he has his piles of books too.

I have four cupboards with “special” dishware (plates, glasses, platters, cups, etc.) that I have collected over the years. My new way of thinking (“If I moved to Gulfport, Florida, would I spend the money, time and energy to haul this with me?”) helped me to declutter quite a few very nice things that I do not want any longer. Some remind me of my former marriage, some are never used, some aren’t my style any longer, and some I cannot figure out why in the heck I put them in the special dishware cupboard! Anyway I have a stack of plates, a platter, a bunch of cups, and still have three more cupboards to go through. I plan to sell them at a local consignment shop. I wonder if Craigslist would be better. I have no experience with this, so right now I’m going to wrap and pack them and put them in storage until I know how to dispose of them. I realize that since I haven’t completed by decluttering, I can’t really claim this yet. I’ll edit my entry when I finish.

This winter break I went through all my shoes and got rid of 5 pairs. I thought I would get rid of more, but I wear them. Still I have enough shoes and boots to last a while. So I’m happy, plus I have room to see everything now and it is not a jumbled up mess. I also vacuumed the closet floor so it’s clean in there. Feels good.

I went through all my socks the week after Christmas, and ended up getting rid of one pair. The rest I use. Earlier this year I got rid of worn out socks.

This weekend I went through all my recipe books, and got rid of six. I still have too many because they don’t all fit on the shelf. Maybe I’ll address it for #51.

This weekend I went through my loose recipes, threw out a lot, and saved some. Tonight I’ll finish cutting the savers into size to fit into my recipe box.