afaik unripe: Still finding things to declutter.

People often say to me ?I am surprised you are still finding things to declutter!? Actually even I am surprised at some of the things I find at times. Especially those?odd things that appear that make me think ?~ How did that escape my notice for so long?! The egg timer I decluttered last week would be a good example of this.

I think what most people don?t realise is the sheer number of individual items that make up an average?modern household. Heaven forbid they should start to divide out and add up all those individual items that really aren?t utilised enough to warrant the space they occupy. Items that although definitely have a use in the household could really be lived without. Which is a part of what keeps me finding one more thing each day to declutter.

Lets add up how many Items of the Day I have decluttered so far since I pledged to remove a thing a day for the year of 2010. At one a day for the first year that?s 365 items. Then one thing every Monday to Friday in the second year is another 260 items. Then there has been one thing every Monday to Friday so far this years which makes about another 212 items. Giving me a total of 837 items so far. That may sound like a lot of stuff and it is especially when you consider there are often daily ?items? that are actually?multiple?items which would increase the number greatly. That is also a big number considering most of these items were sitting unused and unloved. I should imagine, that when I am finally done with my declutter mission, there will still be plenty of individual items left in my home. Though, I would hope, a lot less than the average home.

All that being said I have no idea how many more items I will send out the door before I am finished. I know I still have barely skimmed the surface of photos that need sorting. I have several items I still intend to list on ebay. In my opinion the baseball souvenirs could still do with some more serious culling. I am on a continuous mission to use up craft supplies. As mentioned many times, I have boxes of my daughters things that will leave once she is settled into a more?permanent home. And as I have said from the start, I get more ruthless as I go along and that ruthlessness is the main thing that has me finding that next item to declutter every day.?

I have no immediate need to minimise any faster than I am. I am also satisfied that very little enters the house so I am staying well ahead of the game. I experiment as I go alone to see if I can do without certain things and if so they are out of here. And I have to say I am actually enjoying the process. I have learned so much about myself along the ways and also made improvement to the person I was before I began. I am certainly more environmentally conscious that?s for sure.

Sure I could ramp up the pace if I wanted to and be done decluttering but then I would run out of things to write about here at 365 Less Things. Then where would I be without my wonderful community to chat with everyday.

Today?s Mini Mission

Declutter something you have been considering for removal for some time.

Today?s Declutter Item

My husband found these three belts that no longer fit or are just excess to his needs. After all one really only need ?one brown leather belt.

Belts

Eco Tip for the Day

Save on note paper by using a whiteboard to leave messages for family members, room mates or yourself for that matter. I have discovered that the front of my stainless steel fridge works just like a whiteboard. Now if I could just stop my wise guy son from leaving cheeky messages.?Scoundrel!!