The minimalism game Jan 2022

[ImFree2doasiwant]

The idea is to get rid of 1 item on the 1st of the month, 2 on the 2nd, 3 on the 3rd etc. I hopped on the way of a thread in December but am here to start afresh if anyone want to join in. I might do this in reverse though, starting with 31 today and working back to 1, only because DC are going to their dad's tomorrow 2 fir days so I will have the time to maje a good start at it.

I aim to post updates daily!

I’d like to give this a go again. I started in November but gave up after 264 (?) items.

I carried on this evening & managed to do the some of the bathroom too.

Tomorrow is under our bed & 3 drawers. The mini skip is almost full.

@wejammin No hard and fast rules I don't think. The stuff I did today was a lot of paper based stuff abd small bits from the kitchen. Items of post, lego cards etc. I counted the handful of cards as 1. A bit if post dealt with as 1. Possibly sone people wouldn't, but actually, those 31 small items (I'm working backwards down to 1) made a huge difference to my kitchen.

I've also got a hoover to go, that will also be 1, it all evens out and all makes a difference

I've just popped in to cheer you all on! I did this backwards in Nov, and made it up to 1000 items in Dec, all thanks to the lovely people on the Nov thread. Good luck to you all. I found it really worthwhile and even if some of the things seem a bit silly - receipts and stuff that should have just gone in the bin already - it all adds up.

@MissCreeAnt I saw you on the other thread I think. Yes, it all helps, abd I think it helps to develop better habits going forward so the silly stuff doesn't build up again. Well done on 1000! Imagine all that coming back into the house!

Today’s 2 items are:

1. Menu from an old box of chocs
2. The cardboard box that a glass ornament came packaged in.

The chocs and the ornament definitely both sparked joy but I have no idea why I have kept the packaging for all this time!

Day 2:

• 2 Xbox 360 controllers

Day 2 - 30 items including sweets the DC won't eat, broken dog clippers, packaging, plastic pots without lids, ancient pipette, dried up glue....

I've gone through 2 kitchen cupboards, moved some things around, reorganised 1. Main issue atm is both bins are full and not being emptied til weds (recycling) and who knows when the general waste one goes, should be Friday but won't be due to Xmas.

Total 61.

@LadyMacnet I'm terrible for keeping packaging. It's mostly unnecessary and takes up space!

I'm getting ahead of myself, I'm on a bit of a roll abd taking advantage if the DC not being here. So, tomorrow's 29 done!

Lots of cardboard, boxes (that won't come in handy!!) Bubblewrap, kids activity books etc.

DC are back tomorrow then work/school resumes so I may well try to complete Tuesday and Wednesday tomorrow .

Day 3 - 29
Total 90.

Day 4 - numerous CDs, book, kids socks, nail varnish, vet bills, magazines, newsletters etc.

28 for day 4 and 14 carried over to day 5! So I'm done til weds when I need to find 13 more.

I did this a couple of times before and it's good but starting backwards can be good if you know you have lots and some time off work just now but if you are anxious about it starting with 1 is good
the first time everything counts apart from actualy rubbish like the tin from the soup you just ate and the plastic bag your lettuce was in
if you are struggling with paperwork you can either count each sheet of paper but I would tend to group so all 2015 bank statements would be 12, later on I counted each centimetre of paper as 1 item so a stack of old tourists leaflets was 7cm so that is 7 ( even though i could have counted them as 23)
I definitely count each item of clothing / books /DVDs as 1 and if it helps count getting rid of broken things if you previously were struggling to get rid of them count them too

Day 1 was my favourite mug - had a chip in it so was unusable. I thanked it for it's services.

Day 2 -
Dead thyme plant on kitchen window sill
Useless whisk with broken handle

That was harder today but 30.

Started on DS room with him today which should be easy as he has a lot of stuff. But as charity shops still not open I decided it had to be items that I could physically get rid of today - so clothes recycling (18) or bin (9) plus 3 items rehomed. I have space to store items that are waiting to leave the house so the temptation to stack items up is huge and then I stop noticing them. Tomorrow I am going to return to DS bedroom for the items that can go to the charity shop and I am determined to do a charity shop run. Also hope to get rid of some of the unwanted items that are to be packaged up and returned.

ImFree2doasiwant I am a keen freecycler but not tried Olio. I am eyeing up the brand new spiced hot chocolate and loose tea leaves that might find a home so thank you. I agree about the waste idea - luckily living in an urban area on a good public transport route I find I never get anything I list not collected.

@wejammin I have 2 broken (matching) lead crystal wine glasses that have great sentimental value, but are in no way usable. I used them for many years (hence they are broken) and they brought me great happiness. I should thrown them away really.

@SuperDiaperBaby I am the opposite, I live rurally. It makes it hard to sell on Facebook pages for example, people don't want to travel out here. There is a good little Olio community in surrounding villages though.

@ImFree2doasiwant I was holding on to my mug thinking I could put a plant in it or something, but in reality every time I went for a brew I would reach for it and then be irritated it was broken so it was actually causing me to feel negative. I got 2 lovely new mugs for Christmas so it felt easier to let it go. I am not good at letting things go!

I've finished day 5 (weds) today. 9 bits of crappy plastic toys, empty pot from pantry, 1 hoover and 2 pairs of shoes! Apparently the tip is open, if so I'll drop the hoover off on my way past.

I'm ahead but this covers my 2 long work days. I'll try and keep to the proper days as the numbers go down.

Total - 145.

Day 3

1. An unused plastic measuring spoon
2. Faded mug which has suffered from too many turns in the dishwasher
3. Pastry brush

Running total - 6 items

Day 2; old Christmas decorations as I was putting away the decs. Binned or gave away 15 things!

Day 3; going through some of the kids clothes. Send strength

@TheGirlWhoLived I've got a pre sorted pile to go at, to decide whether to just charity shop or try to sell in bundles. Good luck!

Pic of so e of today's haul.

Woohoo the tip was open!! Hoover gone!

Day 3:
-3 containers from mini Christmas trees , 2 metal ones to recycling ( I’ve kept last years ones I liked one of which I used again this year ,I don’t need these too )

Another bag full gone. Approximately 40 things got rid of! This was ONE ‘mystery kids crap’ box. But I did find my picture hanging sticker things so put up a couple of canvas’s I got for Christmas