21:09 – Another closet purge!

It’s day nine of this years first 21 day declutter challenge.

Over the last three or four years I’ve been chipping away at my closet.. and I’m finally making some headway (according to where I want my closet to be).

Now, mind you! My closet have never been particular huge. How can I say this? Well, every time I have found myself looking at what my friends have in their closets, mine has been positively “minimal” (sort off).

Even so, ever since I returned from Houston (where I had amassed a brand new wardrobe in addition to the one I had in Norway) I’ve felt the need to downsize my closet.

I’ve been reducing clothing and shoes as I’ve moved along this minimalist journey, and I am slowly getting to where I think I will be happy to leave my closet alone.. the only “problem”… my level of minimalism seem to change as I move further along on my minimalist path 😉

I think this is something a lot of you are familiar with, as we declutter the spaces around us (physically and mentally), we seem to shift the levels of where we would like to get to.

Now, I do not aspire to become a minimalist with less than a 100 things (well secretly I might be 😉 ), but I do aspire to get to a level, where there is a good flow of energy around me, where I could easily move house without getting totally stressed, where I could just pack a bag and never look back, because I would have the most important things with me and the things that didn’t fit in a bag, could easily be taken care off by someone else.

But I digress, lets get back to my latest wardrobe purge, a purge that have now brought my wardrobe down to a total of 263 items, which includes everything clothing and shoe related (even things like flip-flops, caps, buffs, bike and golf gloves, garden attire, etc).

I know.. still quite a bit, and I can see another purge in the horizon.. but for right now… hey I’m below 300 pieces, and that was a goal in itself 😉

And what’s leaving the house? Let’s see now…

1 Dress
8 t-shirts
2 long sleeved t-shirts
2 pants
1 top
3 bras
1 scarf
1 belt
1 pair of flip-flops
1 pair of gym shorts
1 buff
3 pairs of socks
1 bikini top
1 bikini bottom
5 stockings
3 leggings
1 robe
3 long armed shirts
1 pair of dress pants
1 cardigan
1 blazer
1 outdoor jacket
=

That’s 43 items out-the-door!

Which brings me to the grand total of = 613 so far this year.

PS. I just tallied up all the clothing and shoes I have gotten rid off since I started my “official” deluttering in 2015, and guess what, including this purge, I have more than halved my wardrobe (all of 315 items of clothing and 19 pairs of shoes, have left these premises) 🙂

21:08 – The colors of a rainbow!

It’s day eight of this years first 21 day declutter challenge.

It’s been a while (again) since my last post and there is a reason, why I’ve been on the quiet side.

My bestie from Houston (well US altogether) had to come over to Stavanger for a few days for work/meetings/seminar. He added a couple of days to his trip, to hang out with me 🙂

It turned out that there was quite a few people from our Houston office who was going to the same arrangement, so last week was filled with loads of fun, not only hanging out with my best friend but also hanging out with some of my former colleagues from my Houston days.

To clear up the house for the visit, I tucked all my small declutter projects back into cabinets and drawers, and now that I have the house for myself.. it’s time to bring them all back out in the open 😉

I decided to start with one easy task, hoping to get my total past the 500 mark.

Today it’s all about pens and paper!

I collected all my pens and coloring pencils in one “big” pile, and I found out I had a lot. A lot I no longer use, a lot of duplicates and some that was just broken… all in all.. I had way more than I could possible need.

Not only did I have loads of pens and pencils. Turns out I might be a tiny bit of a journal, post it note, paper pad and notebook hoarder as well!

So guess what? I decided to say bye, bye to a few on them.

Where are they going? Let’s just say, I have an awesome neighbor with two kids who will happily take them off my hand 😉

Here we are – 59 pens/pencils

and 24 notebook/post-it pads/journals

That’s 83 items leaving the house!

Which brings me to the grand total of = 570 (so far 😉 )

I know I’m taking my own sweet time on this challenge, and at this rate it might be summer before I’m done. But.. you know what? As long as the result is stuff leaving the premises, never to be seen again… I’m good with it taking a while 😉

And hey, you never know.. before I’m done with this challenge, I might be hitting a 1000 (a girl can wish, right) 😉

21:07 – Another random cull!

It’s day seven of this years first 21 day declutter challenge.

Even though the flu, stopped me somewhat in the tracks, I have been collecting a few things here and there, that no longer serve a purpose.

It’s a random bunch of stuff, mostly pulled out from a cabinet her, a cabinet there and items just in general hanging around in the house. I haven’t been very organized about the culling, I’ve just been pulling things out as I have come across them, the last week or two.

You know how that is sometimes. You open a cabinet, drawer or just walk past something, and suddenly there is an item that catches your eye, that you wonder “What the heck am I holding on to this “junk” for”?

I have a box sitting in my guestroom, that I collect these random pieces in. I find that it’s easier to shed my stuff when I have this designated box. I’ll find an item, pop it into the box and presto, I no longer have to “think about” that particular item again.

I don’t have to remember that I’m supposed to get rid of it next time I declutter, I don’t have to make a decision on it over and over again (out of sight, out of mind), and since most of the time the declutter box sits around a few days, should I possible regret “tossing it” (which I never do) I do have a couple of days off grace 😉

And when the box is full… it “walks” right out of the house. And that’s what happened today 🙂

Here it is, the random stuff that just left the house!

1 serving tray
1 pack of CD/DVD envelopes
1 metal tin
1 space-bag
1 set of sports glasses with extra lenses
1 decorative martini glass
1 small tea box
1 sweeping tray
2 shelves for a fridge
2 jewelry boxes
=
12 items

1 extension pad
3 food storage items
1 lamp
1 music CD
6 software Cd’s
=
12 items

12 + 12 = 24 items going out-the-door 🙂

It’s day seven, and I thought “why not tally it all up so far”, so I did:

Day 1 = 22
Day 2 = 47
Day 3 = 9
Day 4 = 58
Day 5 = 147
Day 6 = 180
Day 7 = 24

Total so far = 487

Hey, that’s almost 500!!! I think I can get to that.. no problem 🙂

21:06 – Shredding like a Looney Tune!

It’s day six of this years first 21 day declutter challenge.

Whilst I’ve been sitting here, the last couple of weeks, feeling sorry for myself (that is what you do when you have the flu, isn’t it?) I have at least been a tiny bit useful with my time.

I have been going through some of my paper monster. You might remember I started a paper scan/purge task in December, well.. rather I tried, doing a scan/purge run, and I flunked miserably since I got hit with bad migraines.

Well.. during this flu (which is getting much better now, thank you) I decided to do some more paper purging (scanning I’m leaving for later), and I’ve been shredding papers like a looney tune.

I have a portable shredder that I use with a specific trash bin, because they fit together like gloves. I can typically shred around 200-250 pieces of paper before the bin is full. Food store receipts? Well then we are talking probably 700-800.

Why am I telling you this? It’s because as part of my 21 declutter challenge, I’m counting items, and I have decided that one full bin equals 10 items out-the-door.

So how did I do?

Well, let’s see… the last week or so, I’ve shredded 8 overfilled bins, resulting in

3 big bags of shredded paper leaving the house!

With my fancy bin counting this makes

180 ITEMS OUT-THE-DOOR 🙂

Why do I shred my papers?

It’s because I value my privacy. Any information with personal details, I just shred by default.

It’s a good habit to have, because then I don’t have to worry to much about people finding a lot of details about me in the trash.

I’m hoping this will keep me safe from identity theft and such.

Am I done yet? Heck no.. I still have loads of paper to go through.. this was just shredding round number 1.

OK then… guess I should get back to the shredder then, for round 2…

21:05 – Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

It’s day five of this years first 21 day declutter challenge.

You’ve been wondering if I’ve fallen of the face of the earth?

Naah! I’m still hanging around, and I have finally found my voice. No, no, I’m not talking writing voice, I’m talking voice voice 😉

Believe me, it’s been a few fun days, me squeaking like a new born baby bird. Truth be told, I’m sure the bird would have one up on me… sounding waaaay better 😉

This flu is being a stubborn one, and even though I can talk now without people rolling over laughing, I’m not out of the woods quite yet. But, I’m better, and better means I’m getting restless, restless to get back to my decluttering tasks 🙂

So I’m back, chipping away at it…. again!

THE RESULT?
102 Computer/phone related items

AND

47 DVD/craft related items

149 ITEMS OUT-THE-DOOR 🙂

Yayyy… go me!

That brings me past my goal of 231, and I’m “only” 5 days in! Yeah.. that’s a stretch, I know.. but what can I say? I am after all following MY rules of this particular 21 day challenge 😉

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Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)

Like it? You are welcome to share it :)