Like Kara mentioned, this project is over but not. It will be a continuing project. So what did I learn?
1. It was nice to have a commitment, but I think if we weren't blogging the results we could have gotten rid of this stuff in 3-4 batched cleaning weekends. We ended up blogging in batches anyway if you didn't notice. It sort of slowed us down. It also sucked a ton of time out of Kara's already busy schedule.
2. I HATE throwing "perfectly good" things away. I'll do anything in my power to keep them alive as long as they are cluttering somone else's house.
3. We didn't make a dent. It still feels like we have too much stuff. My hatred of clutter is why this started, but I still feel cluttered. The key is not bringing more stuff into the house and we failed at that pretty hardcore. I collect things like tools instead of shoes which feels different, but doesn't cure the problem completely.
4. Playing a "one in/one out" game might have worked better in the end, even more-so for K.
5. People are like gold fish. We expand to fit our allotted space. The best way to not have stuff you don't need is to not have the space to store it. Just because you CAN fill two closets doesn't mean you should.
6. This is a luxury problem, and I'm thankful for the fact that I can give this many things away. While I'm helping the US economy, I think I should buy less stuff.
Hopefully we inspired some people to clean up their acts too. Maybe we should post occasionally when we get rid of any "WTF?" type items we find in the house.
Have a great year!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Did I mention....
...that we're done? Because we're done. We're done!
A few things I learned this year (and then I'll have G log on and add his two cents too):
1) My cleaning method is counterproductive. It's like getting rid of rats -- I have to scare everything out into the middle of the room before I can get rid of it. You can tell I'm "cleaning" when there's a huge pile of random crap in the middle of the room. We're still getting rid of things past the 365-day mark, and you should see the floor of my office :(
2) It's easier to get rid of something when someone you know can use it. I hate generating waste or sending my stuff into the Land of Misfit Toys.
3) As we were going through the year, there were several times that we said, "Eh, we can't blog about that -- it doesn't count." (And we did throw away some stuff that we didn't photograph or blog.) But for most of those things, there was a point where we needed it enough to pay for it. I think my goal for the coming year is to really assess how much I want or need something before buying it. Do I already own something that would serve the same purpose? Am I ever going to watch that DVD? Could I borrow that book from the library, or wear a dress I already wore, or read and recycle some magazines instead of buying five more magazine files at Target?
By the way, I'm doing another project this year -- but a "52" instead. I'm reading a book a week. If you're bored and/or interested, I'm blogging about it (with less frequency but more punctuality) at my business website, www.karawahlgren.com.
Happy 2012!
A few things I learned this year (and then I'll have G log on and add his two cents too):
1) My cleaning method is counterproductive. It's like getting rid of rats -- I have to scare everything out into the middle of the room before I can get rid of it. You can tell I'm "cleaning" when there's a huge pile of random crap in the middle of the room. We're still getting rid of things past the 365-day mark, and you should see the floor of my office :(
2) It's easier to get rid of something when someone you know can use it. I hate generating waste or sending my stuff into the Land of Misfit Toys.
3) As we were going through the year, there were several times that we said, "Eh, we can't blog about that -- it doesn't count." (And we did throw away some stuff that we didn't photograph or blog.) But for most of those things, there was a point where we needed it enough to pay for it. I think my goal for the coming year is to really assess how much I want or need something before buying it. Do I already own something that would serve the same purpose? Am I ever going to watch that DVD? Could I borrow that book from the library, or wear a dress I already wore, or read and recycle some magazines instead of buying five more magazine files at Target?
By the way, I'm doing another project this year -- but a "52" instead. I'm reading a book a week. If you're bored and/or interested, I'm blogging about it (with less frequency but more punctuality) at my business website, www.karawahlgren.com.
Happy 2012!
Day 360-365: More Frames!
Okay, so we have six days to fill and got rid of 11 frames. Doesn't quite line up, but...whatever. WE'RE DONE!
SUCCESS!
DESTINATION: G's sister and brother split the lot.
SUCCESS!
DESTINATION: G's sister and brother split the lot.
359: Laundry Basket
I bought this for newborn photos when I first started shooting newborns, but a) everyone else has the same basket, and b) it's significant larger than the average newborn and doesn't make posing terribly easy.
DESTINATION: Neighbors'.
DESTINATION: Neighbors'.
Day 355-358: Dining Room Set
We inherited this dining room set from G's parents when we moved into our first real, non-apartment house in 2003. It's done good the past few years, but we've been wanting to build a farmhouse-style table (by which I mean G will do all the building and I'll just give a lot of unsolicited opinions). But we didn't want to get rid of this table since it had been in his family for 34 years. Luckily his sister just moved back to NJ and needed a dining room set -- so she's getting this one, and G's getting a big pile of lumber. Yay!
DESTINATION: Manahawkin.
DESTINATION: Manahawkin.
Day 354: Nintendo Hat
We thought this hat was awesome and kept waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to someone, which never happened.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
Day 353: Battery Charger
This thing has to be at least 10 years old. It definitely pre-dates current rechargeable battery technology, because the rechargeable batteries actually hold a charge for about three and a half minutes.
DESTINATION: Trash.
DESTINATION: Trash.
Day 352: Shot Glasses, Part 3
We had about 12 of these dainty little shot glasses. In case you just want half a shot. By the way, I never do shots and G might do a few per year, depending on how many weddings we attend. Why did we own 21938469234692839 shot glasses?
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
Day 351: Shot Glasses, Part 2
Ed Hardy always makes me think of Jon Gosselin, unfortunately.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
Day 350: Shot Glasses, Part 1
G and I have probably bought seven things at Ron Jon's between us, ever. But when we acquired these Ron Jon's shot glasses, we couldn't turn them down! So we stored them in our hutch because you never know when you'll have 15 people over and everyone wants to do a shot and no one wants to take turns.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
Day 349: Glow Stirrers
At some point this year, we threw away a classy set of Rockette-leg martini glasses from a Bjork concert at Radio City -- but we kept the fancy glowing stirrers for nostalgia's sake. Until now.
DESTINATION: Trash.
DESTINATION: Trash.
Day 348: Buddha Mug
We got this mug with a drink and Benihana the last time we ate there, which was probably 2002. We've kept the mug ever since and haven't drank out of it once.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
DESTINATION: Goodwill.
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