Playing the Minimalism Game

[YupIFreakilyHave]

For the month of October I am challenging myself to playing the 30 Day Minimalism Game as described by various people on their YouTube channels including The Minimalists. I prefer Jolita Bartkus' video on this. I know October has 31 days but the last day is for reflecting on how the month went.

How to Play: On the 1st you declutter one thing, on the 2nd you declutter 2 things, on the 3rd three things and so on. By the end of 30th day, 465 items should have been decluttered. Well, that's the aim.

I've been on this decluttering lark for a few years now so it'll be an interesting project. I'll try to update everyday of what was decluttered and maybe a little story of some of the items. I'm doing this online as a way to hold myself to account but I would welcome anyone who would like to join me.

It starts tomorrow. Eek!

Jolita Bartkus' video:

I keep doing that @BeefSupreme . I bought 2 pieces of fabric and totally regretted it. We will learn. .

I haven't felt like doing anything today but I have decluttered over 3000 photos this week. Only because I had insomnia. So satisfying.

I have been following the thread. It's lovely to see all the progress you're making.

@Nordicmom love the bedroom (so calm) and the pooch - so cute in his home 😍 Loving the glass cabinet. I would put linens in there but what are you going to put in there? Your house sounds huge.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats over 10 years old? Is that a record

Hello to everyone else. Keep up the great work.

Hello @YupIFreakilyHave . I had been wondering about you and if you'd minded that we've taken over your thread. It's addictive.

Hi everyone. Amazing work. @BeefSupreme you are storming along. @Nordicmom love your guest room, it looks very calm.

I was ill all last week so I'm very far behind. I have a lot of admin to do today but, true to my procrastinating tendencies, I randomly decided to do a 2 hour crisis clean this morning. It's going well but I'm still unwell and need to pace myself. Admin this afternoon, and catching up on DIY/clearing tomorrow.

138/361 items gone. Plans to remove 2x chairs afoot. Still a long way to go though.

(210-231) books

I need to make a start on big things so the piles of junk actually start looking smaller. I haven’t noticed a difference yet.
Tha attic is the room of doom and it’s full of large toys and large items of kitchen equipment.

Day 13 and 14. Just catching up.

22 hangars. As recommended by the declutterhub podcast I'm just going to use the thin velvet hangers to save space. The wardrobe looks better already. Obviously if I need to buy anymore hangers I will take it off the total.

1 piece of fabric sold on eBay.
1 camera case bought from charity shop too fiddly to use.
3 folders.
27 in total.

I counted day 13 twice so here's day 15.

4 folders.
Plastic sleeves.
Old knitting patterns from dh friends mum. She was 99 when she died but I'm never going to use them.
9 hangers.

Whoops wrong picture.

I need to go back and read everyone’s posts properly but the pictures are all looking very good.

I last updated when I still had 8 items to go for day 9. I have done the swap from 6-12mth to 12-18mth clothes today so I am almost caught up.

Day 9 (8 things needed) to Day 15:

Pack of cotton pads
4 x razors
2 x body balm
Ancient skin perfector roll on thing
Bikini line trimmer
Stained jumper
33 x 12-18mth clothes (I had kept far too many from older DD) - All to charity bin
44 x 6-12mth clothes - Most to my sister but really worn out ones binned.

So I am caught up until today but only done 4 for today. Need to find 12 more!

I have stalled on digital declutter. I need an evening to just sit and blast through the photos on the computer. I need to make some photo calendars for Christmas gifts so need to set aside some time. I might start setting minutes spent deleting rather than counting photos deleted though.

@Nordicmom your spare room is lovely and looks relaxing. Love the dog bed. My dog looks just like yours. She's 16.

Mrsjackrussell , wow 16 y! My parents both dogs only made it to 9 and 6 y until they got very sick and had to be put down and they weren’t well in general so I do hope our one lives a long time too and stays healthy . He’s just turned 1 so is quite a puppy still . He’s a Shih Tzu ,we keep him trimmed quite short ,he’s due his monthly groom so looking shaggy . I actually got that dog house bed ages before we got him when in spotted it because I really loved it !
Living with 3 other people and now an animal I dream of empty clean rooms with not much in them .I find it relaxing so I’m chipping at the remaining box piles bit by bit and at least some rooms can definitely be like it If not the kids rooms although I have managed to get them amazingly clear and their remaining stuff contained by now .
I’ve been insanely tired just trying to do the basics has been more than enough but I did get another basket of clean laundry folded today after washing lots and some presents etc ordered . the chest of drawers arrived ,and I arranged for DS mouth guard to be mailed to us after an absolute disaster of trying to get him there to pick it up in time after school . At least now he doesn’t have to go pick it up another day .
The thought of only having 4 w soon to be ready for our trip to see my parents and then for Christmas after it horrifies me when we are all going to be so awfully busy before it . I don’t understand how I’m going to do it all while feeling so crappy and I have more medical app etc to book on top of all the ones already in the diary . House decluttering and organising will have to wait a bit I suspect but I’ll see if I can stay on here for now there’s been stuff to go without too much extra effort . I’ll have sort out the attic later though and I suspect leave some of the kids clothes etc to look through in the new year .

Here’s Day 15:

• 5 DH old t-shirts
• 4 pairs of my old holey pants
• 1 single sock all from the clean laundry pile to rags ( I tried to throw out an old fleece of DH too but he said he’ll keep it for his dirty garage projects )
• 1 pair of rusty scissors ( I don’t know where they all keep on turning up from )
• 3 old electrical extension cords
• 1 old used up notebook from my bedside drawer

Day 16.

Various items of cookware.
I found this so difficult to let go as some are hardly used and I was tempted to keep them but I haven't used these for a few years. I kept a couple of silicone cake pans and a couple of bread tins.

Day 17.

6 magnets.
5 hangers.
Old oven glove. I kept this as it was a gift.
School tie. Child is 19.
Hair wrap.
Old pyjamas.
Fit bit with bit missing.
Falls alarm not used.

Are you all still here?

Day 18.

More wires.
Ribbon not used and wrapping paper.
Box of washers.

Still here 👍 days 16 and 17 pictures attached.

@mrsjackrussell

Are you all still here?

Day 18.

More wires.
Ribbon not used and wrapping paper.
Box of washers.

I’m still here, reading everyone’s updates to encourage myself. I’ve not done much for a few days because - -I’m lazy- - I was ahead with my numbers. Planning on scanning some books for ziffit this evening.

Well done everyone for keeping at it.

I’m still here although exhausted and behind but I did finally unpack the last remaining food box from the move , 3 boxes of containers and organise my food cupboards . Quite a lot of food got thrown out ,don’t think DH had looked at all the dates like I did when packing! Took me all day with the rest of the housework cleaning and laundry , school run , deliveries ,minding the dog etc since I was in horrible pain all day and forgot there was codeine in my handbag downstairs so could have taken it . Done now though finally except switching a few shelves around DH will do and adding a few narrow food bins that should come tomorrow . Might also declutter some of the dogs treats he never eats ,he’s got 3 shelves of food which is too much for a little thing like him ! I want to put the kids sweets on the very top shelf out of DD reach. I ordered a stepladder todays climbing on chairs a few times with my arthritis and sciatica was not good . Now that I know I’m not using the ikea lidded glass jars I’ve bought ages ago and stored in a box in the current cupboards but these plastic home edit bins and canisters they can go so I’ll have to ask DH to retrieve them from the attic to take to charity stop and I can add them to another days total . Tomorrow we’ve got DD play in the evening and in the day the electrician that got cancelled last week to put in sockets in the garage for DH new machines ,a delivery of a piano , a bunch Christmas presents for DH I’ll try to quickly pack and send of on sat when he’s off to his moms for the weekend with the kids and the dog so they’re out of my house and my mind . Also garage storage cupboards and shelving are meant to arrive but it’s so full I there I don’t know ever they’ll fit before we organise it all. I suspect something will get decluttered from there in the process!

Day 16:

• 1 fabric mask
• 1 yellowed storage box I’ll use to take the glass jars to charity shop if it’s not gone to dump yet
• 1 old hand towel (I will look through them again since got a few more new ones after removing the cheapest ones recently when I did the towels and linens )
• 1 pair of old Ugg boots
• a mountain of cardboard and there’ll be more tomorrow going to dump tomorrow or sat morning
• old food from the pantry
• 7 packets of wet dog food he dislikes to food bank
• 2 ikea lidded glad food jars to charity ( and there’ll be more from the attic )
• 1 well chewed dog toy

Not exactly perfect ,I haven’t labelled everything and am still switching shelves in the kids and dog cupboard and adding narrow bins but a vast improvement to before in these deep cupboards !

A lot happening here yesterday so I’m
still behind .have been concentrating on Christmas prep, just got 7 DH relatives presents packed and decluttered out of the house to his moms with him kids and the dog on their weekend visit so that’s a plus . Our new piano and a lot of other deliveries arrived yesterday but still not garage cupboards or shelving . Electrician did his work in the garage though so that’s off the list although can only really test them when DH new machines arrive . In the evening we went to see DD play .I was in agony so nearly stayed in bed at home but I took another painkiller dose and managed to sit there for 1,5 h . I knew she’s be happy to have both of us there ! It was her first play or anything in the new school and first they’ve put on in general for 20 m!!!
I’ll be alone until tomorrow night so hoping to get something done like more Christmas shopping I did a lot online yesterday, organising , admin , unpacking or Christmas card writing just want to cross stuff off my list as much as I can . Feeling slightly gloomy now though just had sad news about yet another old aunt in my country . Now my dad only has one sister left out of 5 but he still has 3 brothers . We’ve had several losses in the past year or two and they’re wearing me out mentally I woke up with dark thoughts last night anyway . Have to take my mind of it somehow . I don’t drink so it’ll have to be mindless tv and chocolate I think !

Day 17 :

• 7 more new ikea lidded glass food jars to charity
• 3 pairs of old pants to rag bank
• 1 DS sweatshirt
• 1 DS T-shirt to clothes bank
• 1 pair of my holey pyjama pants to rags
• a few DH birthday cards to recycling but not our ones
• paperwork from my bedside drawer to recycling
• a bunch DH relatives presents (7) sent to his moms
• a few unwanted items returned

And Day 18:

• 8 DD too small crop tops to clothes bank
• 3 well worn old table clothes from the rental house to rag bank
• 2 more DS small pants I spied in the clean laundry pile to rags
• 5 old towels

Am still behind but hopefully I can keep on chipping at it while busy in the next month!!!
If and when DH starts emptying our storage locker more so we can also stop paying for that there should be a bunch of stuff there to go not just buggies and nursery furniture either . First we will get rid of our rental house end of this month though and hope we’ll get most of our deposit back at least !

I'm still here and mentally cheering you on. @Nordicmom amazing progress, but you can't pour from an empty cup and all that. Look after yourself, it's not worth running yourself into the ground just before Christmas.

@Trumpton so pleased to see you've found your circular knitter!

I'm well behind but also in a lot of pain.

Today 12 bits of rubbish from DD room and 15 of her old bras (having a teen is expensive!). Total for Nov 165/361, still a long way to go.

Days 18, 19, and 20. (57 items needed)
17 DVD's (duplicates, some more children's ones we have found, and some we've agreed we will NEVER watch.)
14 old PC based games (mostly suitable on windows 95, 97 or Vista).
Over 40 give away CD's and DVD's from newpapers years ago.
Total 75 items (with bonus items)

I went into Aldi for some essential groceries and came out with a Beetlejuice jigsaw.
But I shredded a pile of receipts and some “thank you for the lovely baby gift” cards I forgot to post 2 years ago.
So the 1 in, 1 out leaves my total still at 231 items decluttered.

Items decluttered today:

(232) broken fridge magnet
(233) McDonald’s troll toy
(234) out of date fancy hot chocolate
(235) pile of leaflets and magazines
(236) out of date nail lacquer
(237-238) beach towels
(239-241) 3 double duvet covers (we have no double beds or duvets in the house )
(242) £5 off a £25 shop coupon that expired in 2019
(243) “Len Deighton's Action Cookbook” no idea why we own this. No offence Len but it’s garbage.

That’s fewer items than I was supposed to clear today. I’ll make it up by the end of the month.

Hello everyone,
I'm finding this quite difficult now time wise and my heart is not in it as it was.
I got all the Xmas decs out and there were so many going especially baubles that I gave up on counting. I'm sure that there were over 3 days worth with the baubles. Still feel like Iv cheated .
I'm glad you're all still continuing. @Nordicmom I love your cupboards .

Here's days 19 20 and 21. I just shoved it all straight in bags for the charity shop.