How are you doing in the 365 Items in 365 Days Declutter Challenge? It's the 69th day of the year today so if you started in January, your target is to have purged 69 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 in February. I know, I know... it's March already. But I've been on such a decluttering spree lately that I'm still catching up sharing my progress with you.
By doing these updates I hope to give you ideas of things you can purge from your home and inspire you that it doesn't have to take a long time!
Moving: Great Motivation To Declutter!
We might be moving. Not sure when. It might be soon. Or it might not be for a couple of years. We're looking ahead to where our kids would go to high school and it might involve a move to get them in a specific school zone. But the way the housing market is around here right now, if we find the perfect place, we'll jump on it whenever it comes up. And that would mean having to list our current home fairly quickly.
There's nothing like a potential move to kick you into decluttering mode! We want to get the very best offer on our current home when we sell it, and that means a clutter-free home. I tell ya, when you look at your home through the eyes of a potential buyer, you really see stuff that you don't normally see. If you don't believe me, try taking pictures of your home and see how they compare with the pictures of some homes for sale in your area. Or go to a few open houses and see how little clutter there is in the homes for sale. The less clutter, the more interest in your home, which means higher offers.
So I've been decluttering up a storm lately :) And I'll continue decluttering as much as possible so I'm ready on short notice.
Dining Room
In all the decluttering and organizing I've done in our home over the last 5 years, I've never really decluttered my dining room hutch and buffet. The hutch is full of all our special dishes and glassware and the buffet holds items we mainly use when entertaining. A lot of the items were wedding gifts from nearly 19 years ago. In light of the fact that we may be selling our home and moving, I knew it was time to really look at what was in my hutch and buffet and give it a good decluttering!
Here's what I parted with:
- 5 vases
- 1 glass used as a vase
- 1 glass pitcher
- 1 brass candle holder
- 2 glass candle holders
- 1 set of aroma therapy candles
- 2 boxes of votive candles
- 4 loose votive candles
- 1 package of sticky stars for candles
- 2 heart-shaped serving dishes
- 1 divided glass plate
- 1 decorative glass plate
- 2 plates
- 1 wine topper
I also decluttered our piano bench and the area around the piano (yes the piano is in our dining room) and let go of:
- 5 sheet music songs
- 1 kids' songs book
- 1 runner for the top of the piano
- 1 set of music-themed coasters
- 2 music-themed decor items
Also decluttered from the dining room (not pictured):
- 1 small frame
- 2 decorative wall hangings
- 1 camera (we pretty much use our phones exclusively now)
- 1 vase holder
- 1 plastic tray
- 1 glass veggie tray
- 1 decorative plate
- 1 cheese and cracker platter
- 4 linen napkins
- 1 towel and washcloth set
- 2 sets of cloth napkins
- 2 table cloths
- 1 set of hotplates
- 1 new candle
- 4 partially used candles (tossed)
- 2 bags of decorative stones for vases
- 1 apron
- 1 set of golf-themed swizzle sticks
- 2 floor mats
- 1 curtain rod
- 1 valence
- 1 oil lamp
Living Room
In order for our living room to feel and look less cluttered, I relocated a few items (into places that were freed up from previous decluttering!) and was able to give away some furniture as a result.
- 1 end table (I bought this used about 25 years ago... it's done it's job!)
- 1 table lamp
My Family's Decluttering
My family was busy decluttering again in February! With a possible move, we were able to focus on a few areas together.
With Valentine's Day recently, my kids went through all the Valentine cards we had. They don't give them out to their classmates any more so we pared our collection down and only kept a few for family members. They gave away:
- 5 sheets of Valentines stickers
- 3 sheets of Star Wars cards and stickers
- 6 sheets of princess cards and stickers
- 4 sheets of Cars cards
- 2 sheets of Narnia cards
My daughter also decluttered her activity drawers. She hadn't played with or used many of these items in quite awhile so she was easily able to let go of a lot of it.
Here's what she decluttered:
- 1 Amazing Amanda doll {affiliate link}
- 1 Rubbermaid container
- 1 set of Amazing Amanda doll accessories
- 1 tea party set
- 1 set of princess cups and saucers
- 1 other set of plastic cups and saucers
- 1 container
- 2 Disney Princess paper doll kits
- 1 Disney Princess activity set
- 1 bag of Disney Princess and other tattoos
- 1 Frozen sticker kit
- 10 sticker sheets or sticker pads
- 1 Hello Kitty sticker set
- 1 container full of assorted stickers and sticker sheets (estimate: 100)
Also decluttered from my daughter's activity drawers (not pictured):
- 4 sets of math flash cards
- 1 multiplication book
- 1 multiplication CD
- 1 multiplication activity set
- 1 Colour Wonder paint set
- 19 Colour Wonder markers and paint brushes
- 3 Happy Meal toys
- 3 notebooks
- 5 colouring books
- 1 Sofia the first set of small toys
- 2 paddle ball games
- 1 Crayola story studio
- 2 sticker books
- 5 stencils
- 1 princess box
My daughter decluttered SO much from her activity drawers that they were practically empty! We relocated a few items and then gave away the whole set of drawers :)
- 1 set of plastic drawers
- 1 basket
I love it when we can declutter enough to actually let go of furniture and storage items! My home is feeling lighter :)
My Totals
All totaled, that makes 166 items decluttered in February. And my total for 2017 is 351! I'm almost at 365 items already :)
I can't tell you enough how great this feels to be getting so much out of my home before we sell and move!
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 went through the Decluttering From A To Z series in February. Remember you can declutter whatever you want, whenever 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 for February! 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?!
Spring is on the horizon, which is a great time to lighten your home! It makes it easier to do your spring cleaning when there's less stuff around :)
Remember to tell others about this challenge. They'll thank you for helping them declutter. Feel free to grab this image 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 before spring? Got any tips for decluttering before a move? Have you joined the 365 in 365 Challenge yet?
Happy decluttering!
