clear out the clutter

It was pretty easy to find things to declutter today. The secret is to do it when the kids aren’t paying attention. 🙂

Then I’m able to get rid of things quickly and without notice.

Otherwise, you know what happens, right?

They notice you’re throwing away that toy they haven’t played with in a year and suddenly, it’s one of their most prized possessions, which promptly gets put away (again) for safekeeping. Or, if your kids are younger, they’ll just start playing with said toy right then and there to prove that it should remain in their possession.

Kids are so funny.

Today, 4 items went to donation and the other items met the trash can.

Are you joining in this challenge? Is there clutter in your home that you could get rid of today?

Today I de-cluttered our home of VHS tapes, a couple things that needed to be thrown in the trash, and a pair of shoes that no longer fit my baby girl.

Sniff.

I have a confession to make.

It’s a miracle that I’m donating Elisabeth’s baby shoes. I’m the type of mom that used to keep every piece of baby clothing, shoes, bibs, blankets, pretty much everything, just in case we had another baby.

And we did keep having babies, so the things that I kept came in handy and saved us money. But now that we’re pretty sure Elisabeth is going to be our fifth and final baby, I’ve gone a little crazy let go and stopped keeping EVERYTHING.

The tipping point was when we lived in Georgia and discovered that we had tons and tons of old kid’s clothes packed in boxes and tubs that we’d brought with us from Illinois. We had brought that stuff with us and ended up having to leave behind useful things that we actually wanted, like computer chairs, desks, and a whole lot of other stuff that we had to put at the curb with a big sign that read, “FREE.”

Letting Go
I ended up donating most of those clothes in Georgia. Ruben made countless trips to drop off bags of stuff, and I learned a lesson. I now only hang onto items Elisabeth has worn over and over and that I want to keep as a memory of when she was a baby.

It’s progress. 😉

Are you joining in this challenge? Is there clutter in your home that you could get rid of today?

I had my daughter help with choosing what we should declutter today. She’s likes to keep things (lots of things), and getting her involved in letting go of things we no longer use or need is a good lesson.

Today’s items were set aside for donation or the trash.

These are the 7 things I cleared out today:

• 3 toys were set aside for donation
• 4 random toy pieces met the trash can

Are you joining in this challenge? Is there clutter in your home that you could get rid of today?

I’m a little late to this challenge, since it started on May 1st, but I’m joining in anyway. We have some serious clutter that needs to be cleaned out and Money Saving Mom’s May Clutter-Busting Challenge is just what I need.

The Goal of this Challenge
Basically, the focus of the challenge is to find at least seven things in your home to get rid of each day. You don’t have to throw them away, though you probably have a few things in your home that have seen better days and need to meet the trash can now. You could donate the items or put them into a box you’ve set aside for your next yard sale.

Whatever you choose to do with the items is your choice, the point it to make sure they aren’t cluttering up your home anymore. 🙂

Are you joining in this challenge? Is there clutter in your home that you could get rid of today?