Saturday, December 29, 2007

Clearing the Way to Simplicty

Our adventures into simplifying our surroundings seems to be going quite well.

Today I had 2 freecyclers come by to pick up stuff. A few hours later my parents came by and picked up even more stuff. We're left 25 items lighter (not to mention some other re-freecycled stuff that I did not count) and it feels nice.

This Weeks List:

1-5 5 teen purses
6 pig bank
7 stuffed bear key chain
8 belt
9 gorilla
10 pooh purse
11 Game of Life
12 Battleship
13 Pottery Wheel
14 Pefection Game
15 Visible Man
16 Bopit
17 big bear
18 popison chair
19 large sticker
20-22 3 sets of beads
23 mini blinds
24-25 rugs
26 books
27 Compaq CD
28 7 Coupons (Nicoderm)
29-30 2 magazines
31 Sunshine Felt
32 pair of sweat pants
33 sweatshirt
34 Bag style purse
35-36 2 candles
37-40 3 candles (angel)
41 teddy statue
42 little lamb
43-44 Crystal S & P shakers
45 pin
46-48 3 wire statues
49 clip on sunglasses
50 Journal Jar
51 star box
52-55 3 coats



I'm not finding it hard to get rid of 7 things each week. It seems pretty simple now but I can just see us counting out 7 toothpicks by next November!! Seriously though, since December 1st, we're down 314 items. This is a great thing right??

I was thrilled to find a card reader (new) on Freecycle this week. This means I can upload photos soon so stay tuned!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Project 55 Week Fling is Underway!

I have my items for this week all gathered up. Funny how you can't just stop at 7 items.


1. Set of lantern style lights
2 - 6. 5 small picture frames
7. New Drink koozie
8. New set of markers
9 - 12. 4 dragon statues
13 - 14. 2 dragon frames
15. Dream Kit (a new item purchased a while ago. will be used as a gift
16 - 17. 2 bunny pot hangers

So 17 items out of the house this week. I call that a successful week. Photos coming as soon as I locate the camera cord.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

It Is Just Stuff - Project 55 Week Fling

The Shopping Sherpa left a comment on my blog telling me about The Seven Things Spring & Summer that they are doing. It is based upon the The Original Seven Things Project but took into account the items that are being brought into the home.

This is a great project and one that we definitely want to undertake. That being said, I guess I should start with some personal guidelines. Please note that if you decide to play along, you should make your own guidelines to fit your family.

  1. Items will be sold, bartered, or given away. Only as a last resort will items be sent to a landfill. The only exceptions to this are items such as shredded paperwork or personal clothing items (panties, bras, etc).
  2. I will track my weekly progress in my blog and will add photos or information about the items if I have any attachment to them whatsoever.
  3. If something new comes into our home that is meant as a replacement for an existing item, the original item needs to leave the home ASAP.
  4. If something new comes into our home as an addition, other items may or may not be removed at the family's digression.
  5. Gift items coming in to our house do not necessitate removal of an item.
My plan starts this week (December 15, 2007) and will end on December 27, 2008.

Ridding My Life of Stuff

Hubby thought my idea of removing 2,008 items from 12/1/07 - 12/31/08 was too lofty of a goal. He thought a more realistic goal of 208 items may be better. I agreed, knowing that if surpassed, the goal could be adjusted.

And with that, we began December and I started purging.

Here we are, 12 days into the month and already I've met the goal. In fact, I have surpassed it. I will be honest here and say that I was clearing out a room and got rid of a lot of items that the children had outgrown or had never used. I thought it was important for another child to have a happy holiday season and donated items to both a friend of my mom's and to families on our local freecycle board.

Without further adieu, I give you my list.

Item Number Description To
15 Elmo Collection Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
4 Clown pics Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 Baker's Rack Freecycle
1 Stationery Kit Freecycle
1 monkey beaded curtain Freecycle
1 Yamaha Recorder Freecycle
1 Kid toy Freecycle
1 Spinning circle disk Freecycle
1 Sunglasses Freecycle
1 Sunglass cord Freecycle
1 Perfume Freecycle
1 passie Freecycle
20 baby clothes Freecycle
1 Lunch Bag Freecycle
1 Set of Checkers Freecycle
3 Books on CD Freecycle
1 log for internet Freecycle
1 key chain Freecycle
1 kid toy keychain Freecycle
2 small jewerly box Freecycle
1 travel alarm clock Freecycle
1 butterfly necklace Freecycle
2 toe ring Freecycle
1 digital organizer Freecycle
1 Reading glasses Freecycle
1 Glasses Case Freecycle
1 Sunglasses Freecycle
1 Bug massager Freecycle
1 heart lock Freecycle
1 monkey beaded curtain Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 frog beaded curtain Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 jacobs ladder Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 mokey full of hair bands Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 gel pen jounal Freecycle
1 set of kids paints Freecycle
1 Ello Kids Set Mom's Friend Nora's Gkids
1 Set of fuzzy dice Freecycle
1 LOTR Collector Set Freecycle
1 candle & holder Freecycle
1 candle & holder Freecycle
1 picture frame Freecycle
1 black paper notepad Freecycle
1 set of headphones Kit
1 FLUKE multimeter Freecycle
1 27" TV Shamron
3 puffie tail pieces Kit
1 box of mini dolls Kit
1 small bag of beads, etc Kit
1 Roly Kit Freecycle
1 Stuffed Raccoon Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 Gift Box Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 ottoman (air filled) Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 Cabbage Patch Kid Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 wine glass w/candle Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
3 bath products Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 large batch of hair ties Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
2 posters Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
3 stuffed animals Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
3 books Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
2 paintable drums Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
4 hat Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
2 misc dolls Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 set of hair clips Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 heart box Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
1 set of baby doll clothes Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
2 Coloring posters Bobbie Sue - Freecycle
6 sweatshirts Russ & Beth
5 Nice Sweaters Freecycle
6 pairs of shoes Freecycle
1 Scientific Calculator Freecycle
50 Books (or more) Kayla
1 Mushroom Chair Kit
6 pairs of pants Cheryl - Freecycle
3 pairs of capris Cheryl - Freecycle
4 pairs of shorts Cheryl - Freecycle
1 skirt Cheryl - Freecycle
14 Shirts Cheryl - Freecycle

This totals 218 items!!!

I found, via a reader, the "7 Things" Project. I am going to be looking into that today. It may be a nicer way to go about this. Who knows, perhaps I could start my own project - "The Ten Things Project" because I love a challenge!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

December!

Wow, we are already 5 days into December! I have had a busy couple of days helping friends move. We've also done some rearranging around here as well.

My friend gifted me with a nice armoire. We are going to use it in the "Whimsy Room" (what I call the bedroom that I use as an office and artspace where the children also sleep while visiting here) to hold the girls' clothing. They had a long buffet in there that I purchased for $30 back in June. I was able to re-sell it for the same $30 to another friend of ours.

As some people are thinking about holidays and spending tons of money, I am trying my hardest to have a lean December. My husband's family has decided to have a gift exchange where we draw names. The gift should be in the $10 price range. I am going to put together a small basket for the girl whose name I have (my nephew's 17 year old girlfriend). Jack has to get a gift for his nephew and I'm unsure what we can do for him. If you have any ideas for a 17 year old boy, please let me know.

My family is pretty simple. I buy for my mom & dad. Dad already has his gift - a TomTom. My mom? I think she is going to get something hand made by me. I may draw something for her and frame it nicely.

My goals for December - Spend as little as possible on gifts. Remember that it is the THOUGHT behind the gift, not the gift itself. Get my finances back on track. Cook meals at home every night. Plan life and make it wonderful!