Relieving ourselves of a thing a day, every day

End of year counts…

( sort of… )

( and some meta-y stuff. )

PS: I'm totally in for the 2010 version. With the moving cross-country thing happening, decluttering will be happening for sure and I'd like a second try at the whole, within the structure thing. :D

Or has someone already started a 2010 comm and I didn't notice? I slacked off a good deal this year but would like to start again.

unclutter_2010 exists, who wants to mod it?

Last post of the year.

In:
1 bundle tie silk
5 pcs fabric
2 pcs craft felt
8 spools thread
1 ink pad
1 stack poster paper
1 stack cardstock
8 tins
1 cat carrier
1 headset and charger
1 set spice jars
1 calendar
1 magnet
1 ChicoBag
1 net washing bag for bras
1 rechargeable battery pack for a cordless screwdriver (and then the screwdriver turned out to be dead anyway O_o ... and we'll have to buy a new one... feh)
1 lipstick
1 eyeshadow
4 tops (3 long sleeve T shirts and one short sleeve... my wardrobe of l-s shirts is mighty thin right now, and it's cold)
1 corduroy jacket


Out:
2 tubs body butter (one gone off and tossed, one given away)
1 cat carrier "borrowed" by the woman who adopted our fosterling, but that's okay, it was too small anyway
3 books
1 sample tube foot cream, hanging around for months and finally used up
1 dead headset and charger (damn you, Motorola, for no longer making headsets that don't require sticking a thing in your ear canal... ow)
1 manual for same, found days later and discarded separately
3 pieces fleece fabric turned into 8 hats and sent to bereaved families in Fort Hood, Texas
1 pair panties
1 handful buttons (the kind with a pin... Brits would say badges :)
2 strings jingle bells
2 sweaters
4 t-shirts
1 lone rubber glove
1 torn plastic three-ring binder
1 dead emergency light
1 dead cordless screwdriver
1 wrecked padded mailer
2 bags of papers into recycling
1 bag full of papers into the shredder bin
1 eyeshadow
1 lipstick
1 bottle expired saline
1 more half boxes comics, discarded later than the first half box


In: 42
Out: 33
Net out: -9
Total for the year: 511

Not bad, especially considering that I had bags and boxes of stuff that I only counted as one item each. The apartment is still a mess in parts, and we still kind of have too much stuff, but overall I'm counting this year a success with respect to decluttering. I'm happy that other people want to keep going with this, as it's been helpful in keeping going even in the face of discouragement.

In but not counted: one niece or nephew (sex to be learned at birth). My sister-in-law is about six weeks along now, hungry all the time, and starting to feel a bit of morning sickness. There will be baby craft projects, oh yes. Muahahahaha. Though I did tell them, when they announced that they want to be surprised with respect to the baby's sex, "I hate you. How am I supposed to know what color to make the receiving blankets?" They cracked up.

BABY, BLEEEEE. :D

Happy New Year, everyone!
 

Might as well restart a couple of days early.

out: 
2 gingerbread houses
1 slightly broken nutcracker
all the christmas cardboard packaging

2009 is nearly over, and while I didn't exactly throw out one item every day, I did manage to get rid of more than 365 over the course of the year.

This includes two bags of trash and three for the charity shop just this past weekend. I finally gave up hope of making adequate progress on my own and hired a professional to assist me.

Sadly, I still have too much stuff! I'm going to have to keep at it in 2010.

Previously: 428 things out.
New total: 478 things out.

I got a lot out of my attempt at decluttering an item a day in 2009, (even though I fell off the bandwagon partway through) and would love to try again.

mockduck are you modding another decluttering comm for 2010?

Are other folks interested in trying again?

In:
1 pair awesome gorgeous riding boots to be used for semidressy occasions in cold weather
1 wool blanket
1 knitted (crocheted?) throw
1 glass cake stand
1 silver-and-cut-glass tiered cake stand ($7 at Goodwill, muahaha... the tea party shall be mine, oh yes)
1 brooch
3 boxes chocolates (oh, students, my butt does not need to be bigger, but ILU anyway)
2 strands jingle bells (Student: "For your cats!" Me: "..." [She has obviously never had a cat, because mine ran in terror] ... will have to decide what to do with these)
ETA: 1 miniature rosebush, forgot about that
ETA2: 2 nice-quality watercolor brushes, forgot about those too... but see below

Out:
3 BOXES e-waste, YEAAAAAAAAH
2 binders
1 dead printer duplexer, 1 dead and very heavy printer to follow
1 magazine excavated from down the back of the spare room bed
2 dead file boxes
1 book
1 half box comic books, with probably more to come, yays
1 blouse
1 fleece blanket
ETA2: 3 rocks that used to be art gum erasers


In: 14
Out: 16
Net out: 2
Running total: 520

The numbers don't look all that impressive, but really: three BOXES of e-waste. That's a lot of ancient cables, dead converters, obsolete geek junk, and other assorted crap that is no longer in my home. Victory shall be mine! *does dance*

Now if only I could figure out what my younger cat did with his favorite toy...


ETA: Oh yes, almost forgot: ON VACATION UNTIL JANUARY, SQUEE.
 

In:
1 rotary cutter
1 craft punch
1 pack folded cards
2 packs envelopes
1 pack letter-sized paper
3 sheets art paper
1 ink pad
1 hair clip


Out:
2 pairs jeans
1 bra
2 sheets art paper (cut out, pasted into envelopes as liners)


In: 11
Out: 5
Net out: -6
Running total: 518
 

Not itemizing, for the arms, they do suck. Ow.

In: 33
Out: 37
Net out: 4
Running total: 524

I have so many craft projects I want to doooooo *sob* *thud*

 

Well. That was expensive.

We're getting together emergency supplies. Man, that gets pricey fast. Also I replaced some makeup and bought some clothes. And some fabric and crafting stuff to make fleece blankets and hats for soldiers.


In:
10 items makeup, including a bunch of "free" with purchase things that I promptly packed up for a friend
2 pairs wool socks
4 bundles athletic socks
2 bras
2 pairs underwear
1 dress to be refashioned into a much more flattering top
1 sweater
2 t-shirts
3 pairs trousers (my jeans are getting too disreputable to be worn for teaching)
1 gym bag which will become my go-bag
1 tube antibiotic ointment which completes an update of our first aid kid
1 biiig piece polar fleece for blankets
3 fabric remnants
1 skein yarn
1 sewing pattern
1 sewing magazine
2 spools ribbon
2 packets embellishments
1 big button
1 bundle felt (to cushion...)
1 set porcelain bread plates
1 set porcelain salad plates
2 teacups


Out:
2 pairs worn-out cashmere socks into scrap bag
2 sample pots moisturizer that didn't work out
2 mascaras
1 makeup brush set
2 lip glosses
1 lipstick
1 sample-sized toothpaste into charity box
1 freebie toothbrush from the dentist's, into charity box
1 handful expired single-dose meds packets from the first aid kit
1 jacket
1 pair trousers
1 button added to a hat and therefore no longer clutter ^_^
1 quilt pattern
1 handful old address labels
2 teacups
2 plates
3 wineglasses


In: 48
Out: 27
Net out: -21
Running total: 520

Oopsie, tomorrow is another day, &c.

Better.

So we've had one bad outlet and one marginal in the living room, going on a while now like years. I finally got myself in gear and called in the electrician (landlord's dime, woo). Net results: two healthy outlets, better load balancing (really you shouldn't run two UPSes off the same outlet, ahem), and a metric butt-ton of papers from my bookshelf thrown into the recycling bin. Hey, if you're going to have to move furniture anyway, you might as well clean while you're at it.

Also I've rearranged some of my craft supplies; the ultimate plan is to move all my crafting activities into the spare room so that we can, you know, actually eat at our dinner table. (Ahem.) But that's going to necessitate 1. getting rid of the twin bed in there, 2. getting a large mold spot fixed and I really really hope our landlord doesn't charge us for it, 3. clearing out yet more crap from that room (do we really need to keep his first clock radio? Really?), 4. getting a bookcase in which to store my bins of fabric and supplies, and 5. cleaning the hell out of the room, because the dust in there is beyond belief.

But apart from that, my apartment desperately barely needs any work! *thud* Still, I have made massive amounts of progress in the last few weeks. It actually feels like the end is kinda sorta in sight. This makes me very happy.


In:
1 matryoshka doll, a gift from a student ♥
1 datebook
2 books
1 chapbook
1 packet mini envelopes
3 ATCs

Out:
15 easy-reader books, given to my mom for her local Project Read
16 books
1 box diskettes
1 dead pen
1 camera case
1 large stack glued-shut envelopes *sigh*
1 binder
1 plastic folder
40 !! (est.) more items from the spare room
1 boxful papers
2 drinking glasses
1 bud vase
8 assorted craft items
2 scraps linen turned into an embroidered pouch and sent as a swap item
1 lace shrug
1 turtleneck shirt
2 cardigans
1 brooch
1 pendant
2 tubes concealer

In: 9
Out: 99
Net out: 90
Running total: 541

( Ins and outs )

Total for the year: 119 in, 525 out, 406 net out. I've passed my 365 things. Whoo!

My husband got really sick a couple of weeks ago (like, hospital sick). They never did figure out what was wrong, aside from the vexingly vague "unknown viral infection" diagnosis, but it's sure thrown off my stride this month, even though he's all better now. So I'm summarizing, not itemizing.

In: 51
Out: 42
Net out: -9
Running total: 451
 

Days 1-100: 100 things out, plus 46 "one in one out".
Days 101-200: 74 things out, plus 32 "one in one out" and 11 additional "in" compensated for on days 201-210.
Days 201-250: 34 things out, plus 10 "one in one out".
Days 251-260: 4 things out, plus 2 "one in one out" and 2 "in" not yet compensated for.
Days 261-270: 1 "one in one out", plus 11 "in" not yet compensated for.
Days 271-280: 1 "in" not yet compensated for.
Days 281-290: 1 "one in one out".

Days 291-297: Nothing in, nothing out.
Day 298: 3 books in (bought by rjw1), 1 old laptop box plus about half a dozen manuals and other bits and pieces out. The laptop box was much more than the total volume of the books, plus there were more than three individual bits and pieces, but the bits and pieces were previously stored inside the laptop box, so overall I'm counting this as evens.

Running total (day 298): 212 things out, plus 106 "one in one out" and 14 "in" not yet compensated for.

In
1 school cap - OldBloke's when he was a child, sent by his sister
5 photos - of OB as a child
1 space hopper
1 Kiddiezoom camera
1 'awesome transformer'
1 hoodie
1 Lego game (the last five items YoungBloke's birthday presents)
1 DVD
1 puzzle book

Out
3 Kinder pods
1 slinky
1 ball
1 car
1 pull-along toy
1 socket cover
4 handfuls pruck
2 boxes
2 books
1 mini blackboard
1 car activity unit
1 plastic tool set
2 jars gold paint
1 bag castor cups
1 set instructions for a long-dead tv
1 bag window locks
1 set instructions for indoor swing
1 tape head cleaner
1 bottle fluid for same
1 bag drawer catches
1 picture frame
2 dead candles
2 toys

In: 13
Out: 33
Net: 20
Running total: 978

Days 1-100: 100 things out, plus 46 "one in one out".
Days 101-200: 74 things out, plus 32 "one in one out" and 11 additional "in" compensated for on days 201-210.
Days 201-250: 34 things out, plus 10 "one in one out".
Days 251-260: 4 things out, plus 2 "one in one out" and 2 "in" not yet compensated for.
Days 261-270: 1 "one in one out", plus 11 "in" not yet compensated for.
Days 271-280: 1 "in" not yet compensated for.

Days 281-286: Nothing in, nothing out.
Day 287: 1 new laptop in (replacement for old laptop which is probably dead but hasn't been chucked out yet as we're not 100% certain it can't be revived).
Day 288: Batch of scanning (I thought I'd done it all, but some tidying-up revealed more). The pile I got rid of was around the same volume as the laptop, and I've recycled the laptop packaging, so this can count as compensation for the laptop.
Days 289-290: Nothing in, nothing out.

Decluttering has gone a little by the wayside recently. Hopefully I can catch up a bit by giving some stuff to my choir's book sale next month, and the bring-and-buy sale in December.

Running total (day 290): 212 things out, plus 103 "one in one out" and 14 "in" not yet compensated for.

In
1 packet of Gogos

Uncounted: 1 case of flu; 1 box of tamiflu; 1 case of not-very-well-but-not-yet-flu.

Out
1 blender with spice grinder attachment.
1 pair boots
4 Dungeons and Dragons books
3 Dungeons and Dragons boxes

In: 1
Out: 9
Running total: 958

I had a long list of stuff mostly out, and lost it, so the first few lines in and out are reconstructed from memory. I know there was more out, possibly one or two more in but this is all I can remember. Everything else is from a tidy-up today, with my son agreeing on toys to get rid of prior to his birthday!

In
Ben 10 Toy
Ben 10 colouring book
Ben 10 puzzle
2 rubber bugs
1 mask
3 books
1 Kinder toy
1 Bakugan battle brawler

Out
Charity
1 puzzle
3 jigsaws
1 England deeley bopper
1 box fairy stickers
1 rattle
1 dress
1 hat
1 emergency services station with pilot, helicopter and fire engine
5 cloth books
1 socket cover

bin
8 balloons
4 bags of pruck
2 broken cars
3 sheets of stickers
1 assorted unmatched playing cards
1 small pile paper/drawings
1 doctor's kit
19 Kinder toy pods
1 broken food storage lid
1 broken foot pump
2 completed activity books
23 toys
2 slinkies
1 mask
3 football toys
1 remote control for a lullaby mobile we got rid of three years ago
3 sweetie boxes
1 ball
1 toy bag
1 bracelet
1 bionicle box
1 cork

In: 11
Out: 81
Net: 70
Running total: 949

Oops. :)

In:
1 tape runner for paper crafting
1 eyelet setter for same
1 miniature hammer, ditto
2 packets decorative snaps
1 bookbinding kit
1 roll book tape

Out:
Zip, nada, zilch. Weekend's coming, though; I'll figure it out.


In: 7
Out: 0
Net out: -7
Running total: 460

Oh, also in but not counted: one nasty burn on my arm. Note to self: if you need to reach around behind the waffle iron, shut the damn lid first. It's kind of interesting watching what burned skin does, in a nasty gross kind of way. :/

 

In:
- 4 Magazines
- 7 Books
- 5 Sheets stickers
- 18 Movies (In my defense, they were on sale. And I have to get DVDs of all my old Disney movies eventually, anyway)
- 1 Apples to Apples game
- 1 Small figurine
- 1 Journal
- 1 Bracelet
- 1 Pot lotion
- 2 Pairs sparkly rainbow toe socks
- 1 Bookmark

Out:
- 16 pieces clothing in good condition to charity
- 5 pieces of Denmark cosplay, neatly stored
- 1 Magazine finally given to friend
- 2 Books
- 2 Dead nail polishes
- 1 Stuffed Bear
- Bag, diffuser, 2 Stickers, card to a friend (5)

Bag for Mum:
- 1 Sheet stickers
- 16 VHS movies replaced with DVDs
- 11 Magazines to sis (I have so many magazines!!!)
- 2 Cards
- 2 Child's toys
- 2 Hats

Bag for Dad:
- 1 Card
- 1 Book

In: 38
Out: 68
Oct Total: 30/31
Year Total: 622/730