How are you doing in the 365 Items in 365 Days Declutter Challenge? It's the 156th day of the year today so if you started in January, your target is to have purged 156 items by now. But don't worry about that if you've just started. Just jump in! It's always a good time to declutter :)
Today I'll be sharing what I've decluttered since my last update in March. By doing these monthly updates I hope to give you ideas of things you can purge from your home!
Entry
Awhile back I showed you pictures of my entry area and some of the changes I was making to organize it a little more. Do you remember the yucky brass switch plates on the light switches in our hallway? Well we finally got around to replacing them. We updated the whole switch and several outlets in the hallway and powder room to the newer style. We'll gradually work our way through all the switches and outlets in our home. And since we're updating, we won't need the old fashioned switches, outlets, or cover plates. So they're gone!
That's 3 switches, 2 outlets, 3 cover plates, and all the associated hardware.
While I was digging around in our "Home" bin in our storage room for all the new outlets, switches, and cover plates that we bought on sale awhile ago but never installed, I also found 3 extra styrofoam draft stoppers that are for the old style outlets so we won't need them. I also came across 2 CD racks that were from a desk that we gave away awhile ago. I guess I'd kept them here in case we decided to put them back on, but then forgot we had them when I gave away the desk. So they're gone now!
Master Bedroom
I did a little decluttering in our master bedroom, especially the closet. I had a lot of extra space bags, jumbo Ziplock bags, and other clear storage bags. Since my sister-in-law and her fiance just bought a new home and are merging all their belongings together, I thought they may want them to store some of their off season clothing or extra linens. I also purged enough of my clothing over the last year or so that I no longer need the hanging sweater organizer in my closet so I gave that to them as well.
All totaled I purged 1 hanging sweater organizer, 2 blanket storage bags, 1 jumbo Ziploc bag, 9 space bags, and 3 Pack Mate bags.
My hubby also decluttered a few things from our closet, including 2 pairs of boots, 1 dress pants, and 1 pair of socks.
I decluttered a few decor items from our master bedroom as well as a few other places in our home like the entry and the living room. These are all small decorations and I'm finding more and more that the smaller things feel more cluttery to me than they used to. I'm slowly purging them from our home. This makes 8 more items decluttered.
I went through our master bedroom linens and we had more sheets than we needed so I purged 2 top sheets and 1 set of sheets (a gift but we never used it and it doesn't really match our room or taste). I also purged 1 small blanket, 1 shirt, 1 bottle of lotion, and 1 battery operated light (we had a light installed a few years ago so I'm not sure why we've been holding onto this light all this time!).
I came across 2 under-the-bed storage bags that we haven't used for awhile. I prefer to use bins under the bed instead of these bags because the bags get dusty (yep... I may have a few dust
I decluttered 5 books from the shelves in our master bedroom. Stories That Never Grow Old, Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales, and Grimm's Fairy Tales were books I've had since my childhood but neither of my kids really got into them so I've decided to let them find a new home with someone who will appreciate them more. Kids' Stuff and What To Do With It and Juggling Tasks, Tots, and Time were really helpful to me when I was trying to organize my life when I became a mom, but I don't think I'll read them again.
On our bedroom shelves I also had CD copies of some management training courses I took years ago in my former life. I kept the cases but tossed these 10 CD's as I'm not likely to listen to them again.
Overall that was a pretty good haul from our master bedroom! I didn't even really set out to do a major purge or organizing session in there. I just did a little bit here and a little bit there, usually while I was waiting for my kids to get ready for bed or while they were taking their baths.
Random Decluttering
I cut my hubby's and my son's hair recently and while I was getting out our hair-cutting tools I decluttered 2 old sets that we don't use any more. I had originally held onto them in case our newest one didn't work well, but it's been working fine and I just never went back and purged the old ones.
After Easter I decluttered a few items we didn't need anymore. 1 Easter sticker book and 5 egg holders for dying Easter eggs. I tossed a Happy Meal toy at the same time too.
Our family was invited to an 80's party to celebrate the 40th birthday of a friend of ours and we were each asked to bring a picture of us in the 80's. While we were digging around in my hubby's sentimental bin from his school years, he decided to purge a few things. He let go of 7 old books and magazines.
And just for fun... here are the pictures of us going to the party :)
My daughter and I were going for the neon colours, beads, legwarmers, and funky hair look. Not bad with mainly borrowed or thrown together items. And those are actually my original legwarmers from high school! I've been keeping them in a costume bin in the basement and I'm glad I was able to finally use them after all these years :)
My hubby and son went as Bob and Doug McKenzie. Good ole' Canadian 80's icons :) My kids had a blast watching Strange Brew and checking out Cyndi Lauper videos before the party to get in character!
My Totals
All totaled, that makes 82 items decluttered in the last two months. That's a total of 252 items so far in 2015. And it feels great to be clearing the excess from our home and giving our belongings new life somewhere else!
It is so great to be doing this challenge with all of you and sharing our progress together! I hope my decluttering has inspired you to look around your home with fresh eyes!
In our Facebook group, we've had lots of activity lately! We decluttered by colour in April and went through the 31 Days of Easy Decluttering series together in May. This month we're decluttering our kitchens. Of course you can still declutter whatever you want, but having mini-challenges and games is kind of a fun way to keep motivated and maybe find some things you wouldn't have thought to declutter.
Come join us if you need some motivation and cheering :) The details are always in a tab at the top of the page here on the blog.
So, that's my decluttering journey this month! I'm so glad you're part of the 365 Items in 365 Days Declutter Challenge and I hope this post gives you some ideas of what you can purge next! If you haven't joined yet... jump in!
Are you ready to declutter?!
Summer is a great time to lighten your home! Get your kids involved while they're home from school. Toys, books, games, clothes, and schoolwork are all great things to declutter with your kids!
Remember to tell others about this challenge. They'll thank you for helping them declutter. Feel free to grab this button to spread the news if you're a blogger or have a website.
If you need any decluttering ideas to get you started or keep you going, check out the other posts from the series below... I seem to write about decluttering a lot :) You can also follow my Decluttering/Purging Tips & Ideas board on Pinterest.
What did you declutter this month? Do you have clutter you want to purge during the summer? Do you declutter on a daily basis or in big chunks? Have you joined the 365 in 365 Challenge yet?
Happy
I link up at these great parties - Check them out!
Here are all the posts in the 365 Items in 365 Days series:
