2010 in 2010 Decluttering Challenge!!!

[tonyarn]

Welcome to the 2010 in 2010 decluttering challenge!!! What is 2010 in 2010, you ask? We are going to rid our houses of 2010 bits of clutter. Sound overwhelming? It's just under 40 items per week. Make this work for you...you can do 2010 items, 2010 bags, 2010 boxes, 2010 pounds of clutter, 2010 minutes...really it's what YOU need it to be. Just list your goals in this thread, we'll post some mini challenges along the way, and we'll cheer one another on as we post our progress or lack of it...LOL! As I said, make it work for you...you could count pieces of paper or piles of paper, individual items or boxes of items. Don't forget to post your progress along the way. You can do it!!!

[tonyarn]

OK, I'll start. My goal is my garage. We lived in a 3 bedroom, full unfinished basement, enclosed front porch, detached 2 stall garage house for 4 years, and collected a lot of things while we were there. Just under 1.5 years ago, we put EVERYTHING into storage and moved in with my parents. After 3 months there, we rented a small 2 bedroom apartment, but only had the absolute necessities there with us. Last month, we moved into a 3 bedroom, full finished basement, attached 2 stall garage house. We have now unloaded the whole storage shed into the garage and are slowly picking thru boxes, rediscovering things we'd forgotten we had. DH says we didn't move out of the storage shed, we just moved it over here. I have 2.5 times more living area here than I had in the apartment, and I'm kinda liking the sparseness of the furnishings as I can clean really quickly everyday. So...I don't want to bring all this STUFF (something that undermines family fun) into my new home. Obviously I will still hang onto some of it, but I know I can get rid of 2010 things! I have been listing lots of stuff for sale and for free on Craigslist.

I also need help in the paper department...who doesn't?!?! I feel like I have so much paper laying around...newspapers, coupons, mail, magazines, etc. Does anyone have any great ideas for controlling this stuff?

[DebK1013]

ok, I have a few areas in my house that need attention.

1. Attic - need to decrap. Kids school papers. Bins needed to be gone through. Just general stuff.
2. Stockpile Closet: Re-organize. Use up stuff.
3. Bathroom cabinet: Re-organize. Use up stuff.
4. Paperwork: Get more organized. Everything gets paid on time since the bills are filed in accordian folder but just seems like there is always papers around.

Before you throw away something of use, always check with co-workers to see if they can use it. I actually sent that email today giving them the heads up decrapping was coming up!

[stacyloucks]

I'm committing to 2012 minutes, because I want the clutter gone and what remains to be organized and "everything has a place and everything in it's place." Thanks for a great challenge!

2012 minutes to go...

[kremsh]

I'll start too!

First my room has become the catch-all for all paper, coupons, magazines I swear I'm going to read after I look for coupons, crap on my dressers, desk and in the closet. I keep saying I'm going to take the magazines and resell them at Half Price Book but never take the time. I need to clean and reorganize the closet and get rid of the clothes that don't fit so the ones that do will fit in there.

Second is the garage...I've got so much stuff in there! Boxes I moved from my mother's house when I packed it all up in 2000 when she got sick and I moved her out. They went from her house to my house to my new house when I moved in 2001. Boxes of stuff from my DD's house when she moved from a house to an apartment last year. Not to mention all my boxes and odds and ends furniture and things we've collected over the years. There's also a pile of laundry that never gets done, my washer/dryer are in there so baskets of clothes, linens, and blankets wind up sitting in there. Now DS has his car in there because he wrecked it and doesn't have the heart to look at it in the driveway so he shoved a bunch of stuff aside to make room for it. It's too cold now to do a complete cleaning of it, but I think I can start with going through and washing the laundry stuff and donate most of it. We have plenty in the house, we've just accumulated too much and wouldn't miss it anyway. Then come spring I can get in there and have a garage sale. I hate doing garage sales and it would be just me running it so I'll need lots of encouragement in that department!

Last, just general get rid of the clutter in the house and either find a permanent home for it or throw away or donate it.

2010 is going to be a good year!

[Zwella Ingrid]

There are areas around my whole house that can use it, so I am going to set a goal of getting rid of at least 39 items per week, or 156 items per month. 39 X 52 weeks in the year should put me at 2028 for the year, with the option to leave off those extra 18 items in any given month to end up with the even 2010. I want to give myself some leeway to either do the 39 per week or the 156 per month. This is insane! It will really be a miracle if I can do this! I really want to though, so we shall see. That would be 5 or 6 items have to go each day, so that doesn't sound so impossible. That is, if my math is right. (Not my strong suit!)

[kval07]

Okay, I'm going to join in. I could hit 2010 items if I just cleaned off my desk. Which leads me to my first challenge: my desk. My computer desk is full of coupon carnage. I've always wanted to start a thread on here where people can post pictures of their couponing area. My desk is forever a mess of coupons and bills. If I need to do anything, I pull out the keyboard slider, push the keyboard back and work on that space. I'm a hot mess.

1. Come up with better organization for my desk. Look in to getting an L-shaped desk. (for free or cheap! ) One side for computer/desk stuff, the other side for coupons only. I really do need a coupon only area.

2. Clean out my storage unit by the end of January, February at the latest. I've been pissing away what started out as $75/mo, to what is now $89 a month. I put everything in storage before my deployment to Iraq, and I've been home over 2 years now. So three years of storing stuff I can clearly live without...you do the math. What I do bring home will go to the basement.

3. Work on the basement in my townhouse. Its a wreck. I had it all neat and organized when we moved in and then DF trashed it looking for army crap. I need to make room for what will be coming over from my storage unit. I also need to get pallets down there since we have leakage issues.

4. Clean up all the random junk that has just invaded my house. Crap on the dresser, crap on the dvd/bookshelf when you walk in the door. Crap on the hutch in the kitchen. Crap on the lamp table in the living room. Crap everywhere!!

I think getting rid of 2010 things is totally doable. And I hope to make some money by getting rid of some of the good stuff! I look forward to the ideas you ladies have.

[jenrose]

Hmmmm.....I think I will follow your guys progress and when chime in as time goes on. I don't have a set goal in mind right now but maybe you all will give me inspiration. I have been on decluttering mode for a while now but all I seem to be doing is collecting stuff that I don't want anymore and piling it in a corner. I need it gone!

I did take an old unusable computer in for recycling today so maybe that is my starting point. I can't wait to see what you all do and please post pictures of any completed areas.

Good luck everyone.

[Maismom]

I'd go with 2010 items as well.

Let's see... 2010 items divided by 365 days is 5.5 items per day. I think I can find 5 or 6 items laying around the house every day to throw away or donate.

My DD is having a garage sale for her student body Chicago trip fund raising, and I will give her stuff from my stockpile or items I don't use. This should clean up my cabinets and closet.

I also need to go through my desk. I have so much stuff in my desk drawers it's not even funny. Time to declutter!

[thorrocks1]

I am so in on this challenge .. honestly it won't be much of a challenge because I have so much crap in this small house of mine. Mind you we only have 3, yes 3 closets in our home so we are very creative with where we hide our crap.

Area I want to target:

1. boys bedroom .. I have already gone thru their clothes but their closets are overflowing w/ stuff .. its embarrassing.

2. Kitchen cabinets & drawers .. I have 2 corner cabinets that tend to be catchalls

3. Basement .. we got the boys a pingpong table for Christmas .. DH did an awesome job making room down there for the table but I have a ton of stuff to go threw .. when my parents downsized I took so much stuff .. a lot of it I need to put on flebay or clist .. this will definitely motivate me.

4. attic ..

5. our bedroom .. again catchall for everything .. I have wanted to repaint our room for years .. maybe this will be the year!

I am really excited to do this .. it will be great to see the progress everyone makes.

I guess I am in for 2010 items ..