Monday 7 June 2010

The Merry Month of May

I was very, very late to this party, not starting until 25th May, but I'm pleased that I've made such a big start.  By my reckoning I had a balance of -81 items into / out of the house by the end of the month and some of those single items were bags of clothes / toys.

It's easy at the moment as I have so much stuff to get rid of.  I was talking with a friend who thinks she would not have 730 excess items in her house.  She's at a very different life stage to me and maybe hasn't had the same hoarding tendencies, so I hope she keeps that way.  I do wonder what it will be like when I've not got so much stuff to get rid of.  Will it be harder?  I'm hoping it will be a cyclical thing and that I'll be able to return to things I can't quite bear to part with yet and merrily escort them from the premises.  Get me envisaging that future!

Doing this challenge is really interesting for me, particularly as I'm keeping tabs on items in as well as out and measuring myself on the balance.  I have noticed I am thinking differently, considering if bringing something new into the house is worth reducing my balance.  I have a few internal debates to resolve - whether I should count the kids' stuff, whether I should record individual clothes out and in to make it equitable, what about magazines (luckily not an obsession of mine - I suspect I buy about 6 a year if that, so not really worth the debate), what should I do if I use, for example, one piece of fabric and create two items from it?

Opinions on these kind of things would be welcome, even if you just tell me to stop with the small stuff and look at the bigger picture!

3 comments:

  1. I don't think it really matters how you count the items...just as long as they exit the premises! you're doing great!
    Found you at the Finer Things linkup.
    http://oursafehaven.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/may-clutter-update/

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  2. I think you just have to decide what works for you and go with it! I'm not really counting items in but having said that I haven't really had any items in since I started! I am feeling a little shift in my thinking though, I passed a charity shop this afternoon, note I said passed! ;o)

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  3. I'm not stressing about items coming in, but you're right... I DO consider them. Is it worth it?! Trying so hard to get rid of things. I also definitely count the kids' stuff.

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