I have been tempted to add a new goal that takes this one a bit further, but the more I think about it the more that this goal includes it, really. I DO want to ‘minimize existing clutter and excess possessions’ .... in order to accomplish creating a living space that is focused towards life interests/work … not sure if that makes much sense, but to be specific, my future career, writing/reading, and that sort.. so there’s plenty of excess stuff around here that is not lending itself to my life interest/goals, and there’s further motivation for that stuff to go.

That’s why I still think it’s all in this goal, it’s just a bit more shape & focus to the getting rid of things and minimalism I’m looking forward to. 3 months ago

Spent scattered time, maybe totaling 20 or 30 minutes, going through mail and old papers and clearing up my desk. Found a bag of a few shirts and such I’ve been meaning to donate, and added a pair of pants to that… baby steps, little by little, going forward. 3 months ago

Visual reminder, daily, 5 minutes. 3 months ago

helping G with the yard sale at her dad’s house was a wake-up call for me. the fact that her dad was gone and she and i had to sort through every piece of paper, every trinket, every do-dad, every personal piece of information, every picture, piece of furniture and highly personal articles for him made me know for certain that when i either die or have to be put in a home somewhere i never want some stranger having to do this for me. i want to pare things down and get rid of the clutter. it’s absurd for 2 people to have so much stuff. 5 months ago

I’m so on it. The more I look into minimalism (at least, ‘pop’ minimalism, I guess, I dunno) the more attractive it becomes. Both the de-cluttering part, and the shedding possessions part. I’ve noticed when things are more tidy that it makes a big difference to my state of mind.. so this goal is tied into making my home a sanctuary, except I consider that one going a step over this one… aiming high aren’t I. 5 months ago

Getting rid of 3 large tote bags of books. I’m taking them to the used book store and what isn’t taken, I’ll take to a goodwill store as a donation.

In addition, I was able to trade 15 books through paperbackswap.com. My bookshelves looked spottily bare, which is good. Now on to the dvd collection . . . 9 months ago

I made another sweep of the old basement/office area and ebayed a bunch of stuff. Found a telescope that I picked up a while back from a yard sale which I’m likely to not use that I’m sending to my step-dad. Sending some banks that make animal sounds (frog that ribbits, cow that moo’s) when you drop coins in them to his girlfriend (she’s blind and has been looking for something like these). Located some like-new cat items (plush cat bed, cat gym stuff) that my cat disregarded – she prefers bubble wrap – to a co-worker who has a new kitten.

I also went through the closet and sending clothes to my grandma in California. Until I talked to her, I hadn’t realized she hadn’t had any new/different clothes in her wardrobe in years and what she does have is getting a bit threadbare. Although we aren’t the same size, I had quite a few tops that would fit her. I also went to the local thrift store where I found some really nice sweats for her to try on to see what her size is now; also picked up a pair of sweats new with tags for her to try from an ebay seller.

The stuff I’m sending added up to a bunch of items but luckily I found a nice big box to send it all to her to save on shipping once I get paid (I live in NC and it’s going to CA). She’s home bound most of the time, but I’m also going to send a bit of money to her so when she is able to go out with her nurse during the week, she can pick out a few items of clothing she likes.

I still have a bunch of items to sort through, but I’m making progress. 10 months ago

This year I have resolved to get rid of as much of my junk as possible. Every month I make sure there’s a day that I devote to sorting through and throwing out or recycling my stuff. It takes discipline but it’s worth it! 13 months ago

For the first time in a while (probably since I’ve moved) I can see my desk. The whole desk top! Even the top of the printer!

I started cleaning a few days ago and about 9 bags of junk/garbage thrown out since then with an additional 2 large tote bags filled with saved items for the local thrift store (thrift store is for an animal shelter). I also got rid of a few items by giving them to co-workers, such as my extra fisheye camera (paint chipped but in excellent condition!) and old digital camera. Most of my note cards, stationary, ink pens, postcards, magazines, and other paper products are now gone. No more hoarding.

Sentimental items are staying. If no use for them, they are going to be packed in storage, but I won’t get rid of them.

The whole basement area that stores most of my stuff, including books and movies, now looks much nicer, open, and clean. I really like it and hope that I have the good sense to keep it that way. 13 months ago

A crude intervention took place yesterday morning between my boyfriend and his father. Too much stuff, too much clutter = messy and lots of dust. So, in response, I got rid of a massive amount of items. Items that could be of value went into a pile for goodwill. The rest in the trash. Six bags of trash, 1 1/2 bags for goodwill. The place looked so much nicer and organized immediately. Today, after work, I look forward to sprucing up the place with massive cleaning. I still have more stuff to be rid of but can wait until the next trash collection comes in.

I kept holding off on getting rid of items because I was convinced they might be worth something on ebay, but reality set in when I didn’t do well with my first batch on ebay. The buyers tend to be very picky and bitchy, too. For instance, one person claimed to have never received an item and filed a claim against me on paypal. Thankfully, I had a tracking number proving the item was delivered. What a mess!

All in all, I feel lighter by being rid of so many tangible items in my life. I had so many “collections” going on that I was continuing to spend money to add to the collections. Now that these collections are done/vanished, I feel less internal pressure to spend money on items that have no practical use. 14 months ago

Sold so far – Need to mail:
- Blue Fisheye Camera
- Sony digital camera
- FL charm bracelet
- England Soccer/Futbol scarf
- World on Wheels cards – 1952
- Postcards featuring cats

Next up – Ebay other items
- Mostly postcards that need to be sorted out and have pics taken
- Note cards need to be gotten rid of
- Kliban cat pop-up cards
- Some jewelry / charms
- Postcard albums and photo albums (panoramic)
- Remaining World on Wheels cars
- Diecast cars of Gian’s

Books and movies need to be sent over to either Amazon or over to the used bookstore to be traded. 14 months ago

I’ve finally stopped procrastinating and started putting items up for ebay. What isn’t sold will end up at Goodwill. I’m also getting rid of the majority of my postcards since I’m tired of looking at them and shifting them around. I really want a minimalist living space and to do that I really have to let go. 14 months ago

If I’m in the right mood as I unpack, I could continue to get rid of more stuff. I guess when I can walk through my house and see only things that are necessary and loved, then I will be done. So not there yet! 16 months ago

I think I’ve finally minimized my “stuff” to a point where I’m happy to mark this goal complete. Everything fits in my apartment, everything has a place to be put away and it isn’t in my face. The apartment is easier to keep clean, as well as keep tidy. I can still have half a dozen hobbies easily, because they’re not competing with each other for space, or competing with my mental fatigue over the endless “stuff” for time. It’s much easier and lighter weight to live when your house doesn’t sap your energy just being present.

It’s honestly taken me almost 10 years to get to this point but I think I’ve completely switched mindsets. 16 months ago

so I got had to go through everything! I gave things away, sold things, had a tag sale, gave more things away, threw things away, and yesterday, my last bags of clothing and boxes of books and toys were taken away. I offered things on “Freecycle,” and that was a good experience because I know people could really use the stuff. Now I have to unpack, and as I do that, I will go through things again and get rid of more stuff. It feels good! 16 months ago

this has been a process. every time i throw things out, it seems as if i haven’t cleared any clutter at all. tomorrow is my birthday and i never work on my bday. usually i am home, sad about turning 25 (again, and it has been well over a decade being 25) but this year I will break that tradition. i will wake up happy and get out the house and do things. then when i do go back home, i will be energized and i will get to crackin on clearing things out. i am one person who lives alone with a kid every other week. i really don’t need all the things i have. i watched a movie from back in the old days where folks would pack their belongs and it all fit in one damn suitcase. that’s how i want to roll. i did roll that way before i got married and married a fool who loved to go to the damn mall every weekend. so i got into shopping. lord mercy. 17 months ago

I have a wall of boxes in my new room that need to move to a storage container behind the house I’m living in now…. I have boxes in my old room that need to go to the family storage unit…. I have empty boxes that need to go get recycled….!!! It irks me to be so close to finished but not quite done…. 20 months ago

So, I moved this weekend and am not QUITE done but I’ve made huge progress. I have to take a car load of my family’s stuff to the storage unit they have and then take the last of my items to my new place. I’ve taken about 2 loads of donation items and have another box and a vacuum to take. I’ve made a lot of trash runs so hopefully that’s all of that. Once all of that is done I need to go through what I brought to my new place and take out what I want over the next two months and put the rest into my aunt and uncle’s storage container. I’m hoping to pack slightly larger boxes for the container and maybe that will help my move out of their place in a couple of months.

Regardless, I can almost cross this goal off! 20 months ago