November Minsgame - Finale

So I'm not entirely sure how it is December 15th already!  But time is going faster and faster.  Despite my blogging failure, I did continue the November Minsgame.  This is my final collage, but I've been continuing to go through stuff and get rid of things (or at least I have big boxes in the basement that need to be taken to Goodwill and consignment, etc).  It's progress! Here's my last few days:

22: Socks - okay, I don't wear socks that often.  Unless I'm wearing boots or tennis shoes, I'm probably sockless.  So why do I have a large drawer full of socks?  No one knows.  I still have way more than I should, but I got rid of about half.
23: More closet cleanout.  I have a big bag for ThredUp and another set I am taking to consignment, hopefully today.
24/25: CDs.  I had sold a bunch of CDs a couple months ago, and these were the stragglers that CD Tradepost didn't want.  I sent them in to DeCluttr, and am making about $12.
26: Baby stuff that we didn't end up using.  Not pictured because it is in a bag in the baby's room and he is napping.  I'm hoping to take this to consignment today, too.
27: More random stuff to Goodwill.  Since I started this, I'll just see things in my house that I have no idea why we have kept.  Also, John cleaned out his closet.
28/29: So many books!  We rarely re-read books, so why do we have bookshelves full of them?  Again, no one knows.  I took these (and some DVDs) to sell and made $30!
30: DVDs. I took these to CD Tradepost and made $20.

Honestly, I'm embarrassed at how easy it was to do this project in November.  I don't miss anything that we got rid of, and our home is still quite full.  I'm hoping to keep this up by tackling different areas of the house, pulling everything out, and getting downsized/organized.  I'll never be a real minimalist, but I want to at least keep an eye on things so the "stuff" doesn't take over.

November Minsgame - week 3

Another week of getting rid of stuff and I'm embarrassed at how easy this is.  Here's the rundown for the week: 

15: started cleaning out my closet.  I'm sending more than 15 items to ThredUp

16: nail polish. I rarely paint my nails and when I do, it's red or pink.  I don't need a drawer full of options.

17: expired spices. Sad.

18: magnets that I've had for so long. Most of these were in my high school locker and then in my office at work. They don't belong in my house anywhere. I have plenty of magnets that I actually like on my fridge.

19-20: I'm counting 2 days for this because it is a carload of random stuff to Goodwill.  I took this picture and then we added about 4 more boxes.  We are cleaning out the storage closet and finding a lot of thingswe really don't need!

21: more than 21 buttons. I've been saving extra buttons forever and I don't remember the last time I needed one to sew back on anything.

It feels good to get rid of all this stuff.  And as we were cleaning out the closet, we had some fun.  John was like "I think we should take a break." And I said "yeah, I'm getting hungry for lunch." But he was like "no, i found this old PlayStation game, we need to play it." So we did.  Cleaning is fun!

November Minsgame - Week #2

Another week into November, means getting rid of even more stuff!  Here's the details for this week:

• 9 - cleaned out the kitchen sink cabinet - mostly found old cleaning supplies to trash
• 10 - two of my favorite restaurants give you 32oz plastic to-go cups.  I like them, but have more than I need.  These are going to Goodwill
• 11 - cleaned out the cabinet in our hall bathroom
• 12 - cleaned out my makeup drawer.  I should probably toss more than this, but it's a start. 
• 13 & 14 - for someone who rarely wears jewelry (even more so since Mr. Baby was born), I sure have a lot.  I found 27 jewelry items to get rid of.  So this fits for 2 days!  I'm going to try selling most of this, as it's in pretty good condition. I hope the consignment shop will take it!  

This is starting to get more difficult as the numbers get bigger.  I have to actually think about things instead of grabbing a handful of items.  But still, there's plenty of things in my house to get rid of, I just need to think of them!  

November Minsgame - Week 1

Minimalism is all the rage in the blogosphere these days.  I will likely never be a minimalist, but I have had the itch to get rid of stuff in the last year or so.  I haven't done as much as I want, and I have a million mostly legitimate excuses.  Like being exhausted/sick while my body built a human.  Or not knowing what clothes I will want or fit into, so being afraid of getting rid of anything.  

Long story short, when I heard about the Minsgame that Break the Twitch, One Girl Two Cities, Simply Save, and SocialSara612 are hosting in November, I figured this would be a fun way to get jump started on de-cluttering my house.  The basic plan is to get rid of things every day, with the number of things matching the day of the month.  So November 1st, get rid of one thing, November 2nd, two things, and on and on.  To be completely honest, these things aren't getting completely out of my house each day, but I'll be taking trips to Goodwill and selling things as quickly as I can.    

I'll do weekly check-ins on the blog, sharing what I got rid of that week. Week one went as follows:

1. TV - after searching for where I could donate or recycle this, I asked Facebook, and had 2 friends who wanted to take it!  So I gave it to a new home.  
2. Wedding hats. Someone gave us these at our rehearsal dinner, and I've been holding on to them, but why??  I don't see any scenario where I would wear a Bride hat again.  
3. iPhone 5 Cases - don't need these anymore
4. Kitchen canisters.  I've used these for storing baking supplies for many years, but I don't bake that often, so the brown sugar was usually rock hard, and I never knew if something might be expired.  I'm just going to stick with leaving ingredients in their normal packaging.  Plus I have more counter space now!
5. Flip flops and tights that I no longer want.  
6. Wine Glasses - For a couple who rarely drinks wine, we sure had a lot of wine glasses.  I was happy to part with a few that we got for free at local wineries.   
7. (not pictured) Underwear - let's be honest, I do laundry often enough that I don't need a drawer overflowing with underthings.  
8. Belts/Sashes - these mostly came with dresses or shirts, and I never wear them.  

So far, it's been pretty easy.  The bigger number days might get trickier, but unfortunately, I think I have enough excess that it won't be too difficult selecting items to pitch.  I'm hoping I'll be able to sort through my closet in the next week or so and get rid of some things.