It’s March, which means that it’s time for another monthly decluttering update.
A time to look back over my posts labeled “decluttering” and realize just how much I’ve accomplished in February.
A time to enjoy the wonders of slob-blogging and see, in undeniable photographic evidence, that my Donate Spot has the same stuff in it that was there when I wrote the update post for January.
There’s more stuff, which is good, but I now know that I haven’t actually removed anything from my home in a month.
If you’re normal, and you have no problems with time-passage-awareness, you may be puzzled. It’s just that if I didn’t have the evidence, I would probably insist that it had been less than a month since I donated stuff.
But let’s focus on the positive here.
In February, I didn’t clean out my closet. I know, that doesn’t sound very positive. The positive part is that I DID purge 20 items from it. Two days in a row, I made myself pull out, and get rid of, 10 things.
It was hard.
I resisted and rationalized and pouted and doubted. But I did it, and although it made little difference in the over-fullness of my closet, I’m glad that at least a little bit is gone.
Alas, so much of my decluttering/organizing work this month has been dictated by . . . . pantry beetles. I’m halfway-thankful-for/halfway-grossed-out-by the experiences and advice you all have shared in comments. I haven’t seen any since last week’s cleanout, so I’m holding my breath.
The positive is that while forced to go BACK through cabinets and pantries that were ruthlessly decluttered last year, I found more things that I could get rid of. Extra muffin-tins and popcorn poppers, very old food/medicine and duplicate appliances found their way to either the trash can or the path to new life in someone else’s home. While I wouldn’t have re-decluttered these spaces when there are so many other (much worse except for the bugs) spots left to purge, I found it easier to make decluttering decisions when the amount of junk wasn’t so overwhelming.
And although this doesn’t count as stuff leaving my home, I made some decisions to use things that I once regarded as clutter. If I use it, I don’t consider it clutter. That’s a positive.
What have you decluttered this month? I’d love to hear about your progress (or your frustrations) in the comments, or in a post on your blog. You can link up a post below. If you do link up, please say something in your post like “I’m linking this up over at A Slob Comes Clean for her February Decluttering Update” and link back to A Slob Comes Clean. If you need help to know how to do this, just email me.
Thanks for hosting again Nony!
So glad to have the accountability each month – oh and the reminder that the month is actually, you know, OVER.
Glad you said yesterday that this link-up was coming – I'd entirely forgotten!
Grainne
I cleaned out my Explorer. I had one black trash bag of nothing but trash. Then I carried inside 3 armloads of clothes and toys. Then I vacuumed out at least 1 order of french fries and about a square foot of grass and dirt. Then I hauled off the recycling. Two white trashbags crammed full of grocery bags, two sam's sized diaper boxes of cardboard and another diaper box of glass. Then I had 4 bags of trash. Let's just say it had been awhile since it had been hauled off. We don't have garbage service. Not bad for a weekend.
Grainne, I really think that's the best reason to do this update. Otherwise, time flies and things get that more out of control!
OK, Shannon . . . WOW! That is awesome. I'm pretty sure that IF I cleaned out my Suburban right now, I'd be in close competition. IF.
I just cleaned out my bathroom medicine cabinet and linen closet. Oh, the junk I found in there!! I got rid of a whole bag of outdated medicines (some as old as 2006) and cleaned out a whole laundry basket of towels.
Here's the thing about towels. We don't use them. Every member of our family has a bathrobe – yet I had over 40 towels in our linen closet. I used the justification "what if we have guests?" What if we do? How many towels can they use in two 2 or 3 days they might be here. Seriously…
I kept my 5 "nice" towels that I bought to match the bathroom (that sound so ridiculous) and about 5 smaller towels and got rid of all the rest. Progress!
The link I just posted isn't really de-cluttering but I think still falls under deslobifying.
I have a box of stuff I need to get rid of (actual junk/trash) that I am hoping I can link to for March's update. I just can't do it yet!!
Wow, when we clean out our van at the car wash, the guys there have to empty the garbage bin we are using a few times. It's so embarrassing. Haha. It's like doing a colonoscapy or however you spell that.
I did declutter the boys room the other day and get rid of a big box of crappy toys.
I just started this, but I decluttered our attic. I threw out so many unnecessary things! Obviously, if its bee up there for a year, we don't need it, so out it goes!
I'm looking forward to following your blog more often!
Wow, Dawn. That towel-decision is huge. And I bet it's incredibly freeing!
gemommy, that's fine. I read your post and you cleaned a TON! Way to go!
Virginia, your colonoscopy analogy is disgusting, but hilarious and all too accurate!
Sheri, I'm glad you're here! Cleaning out the attic is huge. That's one of the places I can justify ignoring forever.
One of your read from the beginning readers. Just had my 3rd successful Consignment sale event. I got rid of some big and argued over toys as well as outgrown baby clothes. It is nice that this is twice a year so the purge continues.
Success is filling your minivan to the brim and having the return trip leaving enough room to help take some of the sale racks and extra hangers to the storage unit. It is also getting over the I paid x amount I want x amount of return and just saying it didn’t sell donate it and take a loss.
I am so glad you are slowly getting away from the yard sale mentality. I believe that keeps a lot of people stuck. Even if you do actually get it done, the work and mess is not worth it. I have learned to keep a box in my trunk and whenever I’m by the goodwill store, I drive through, all I have to do is pop the trunk…but I watch so they don’t take my car cleaning supplies or jumper cables…lol
This really keeps things moving…I tell myself I’m blessing someone else with it.