Week 3

Week 3- item weight: 19.4lbs     Cumulative junk loss: 71.6 lbs

Box contains: a healthy stack of books and CDs. Some older computer games, a bag full of knock off meccano parts, a bag sealer, some chocolate molds, various computer parts, bubbles, and 2 ebony carvings.

Process:We had the box out in the open this week and I found myself going through my day and taking notice of the items I was interacting with. I would catch myself wondering if I truly needed certain things. As a result the box filled a little each day. Since it was a smaller box, we tried to focus on smaller items because we also have a lot of that lying around. I will admit, I am grieving a little around the book loss. I know that I have a lot of these books in electronic format and I certainly don’t need 4 bookshelves worth of novels. I am going to have to think about what books are truly meaningful to me because I do want to keep a small collection.

Week 2

Week 2- item weight: 30.4lbs     Cumulative junk loss: 58.2 lbs

Contents include: Large garbage bag of clothes (pants, shirts, sweaters, coats) and a printer.

Process: This was actually not too difficult. The printer was easy, as it’s not been used in over 4 years. (proof is the cords were still wrapped up from our last move as is our fancy labeling system of SR-Spare room.) However, getting rid of clothes involved a little bit of thinking things through. I only need so many clothes to be “grubby”, as they come in handy when I am working on the bike. That said, I don’t need 7-8 shirts that can get dirty. A particularly challenging thing to give away was an old Ani Difranco shirt I’ve had forever. “Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right”. Loved that shirt to shreds-literally!

They are now off to greener pastures.

Week 1

Week 1. Box weight 27.8lbs     Cumulative junk loss: 27.8 lbs 
Box contains: a ton of programming manuals, some toys, radio, small fan, picture frames, some books a camera case, a ceramic figuring, some Christmas ornaments and a few other nick knacks.

Process: This was actually quite easy today. My theory is that at first this will be a simple exercise, but as time progresses it will become more challenging to part with stuff. I was more selective with picking various individual items, whereas my husband made a b-line for his stack of computer manuals. I guess he has been wanting to do that for a while. In a way, I was a little disappointed to stop there, but we already had a large box from before that we need to bring to goodwill (that we aren't counting in this purge challenge) and we have more than enough for a trip. There will be plenty of time next week to continue with this.

The idea

I've been struggling lately with life. Trying to find my purpose and feeling a little lost looking at the years ahead. I feel trapped in a constant cycle of working to live and living to work, yet the only rewards I reap is money, exhaustion and a constant sense of sadness for repeating the cycle over and over.

For years, my husband and I have talked about a simpler life, one in the outdoors, closer to nature. This idea brings me so much hope. We are both enjoy the outdoors and are much happier with a simpler lifestyle.
As a result, we are putting our ducks in a row to be able to make that life a reality, sooner rather than later. There are many steps to take before we can make that dream a reality, but simply starting the process sustains us. We will get there someday! Currently, we live in a large apartment with more furniture than we have room for. There are boxes stacked around and our shelves feel cluttered. This also contributes to me feeling trapped and depressed. I do feel much happier with less!

Thats when I had an idea. What if i issued myself a challenge- getting rid of a box load of stuff every week for the next year. At first I thought it was a little crazy until I realized just how much de-cluttering this would equate to. When I brought it up to my husband, he was all for it, so Challenge on!

The ground rules are as follows:

-The size of the box does not matter (min. size shoe box), however it must be full and contain multiple items
-anything considered as a belonging can be placed in the box (trash like junk mail, recycling is not considered a belonging)
-items in the box end up in one of 2 places; donation center or garbage
-Each week the box will get cataloged and weighed in order to keep track of our collective junk loss.
-If inspired, I can continue packing items (hey why stop a good thing), and they can be photographed, and weighed and kept for a cheat week. (hey I am human!)
-my husband and I have to contribute equally to the box contents. We both get a say on joint belongings and we have no say on each others stuff.