The Clutter Challenge.

by

I know.

Im r-e-a-l-l-y later to jump on the clutter bandwagon (I guess DEclutter is what I mean. Ive been riding that collect-clutter wagon for eons now)—-but leap on it I must.

Now you.

Are you in for the Giveaway 30 Things in 30 Days challenge?

Are you already on your own personal CLUTTER CHALLENGE? To paraphrase the inimitable Dr. Phil: How’s that workin’ for ya?

Have you noticed when your kitchen is less crammedcluttered you, too, tend toward healthier food choices?

Thoughts on my 3-pronged declutter approach?

Science types? Did I get the cortisol/insulin connection right? Care to elaborate below or in a guest post?

Live in the ATX and want my hat?

Please to hit us all up in the comments…

POSTS BY EMAIL

Never miss a post. Enter your email to get my latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Comments

  1. Fortunately I’m not a clutter-bug! And we’ve just recently moved, so we’re down to strictly what we need and use. Clutter really throws me out of balance… For instance, I can’t cook, or even make a cup of tea, if there are dirty dishes in my sink.

    You are right about the cortisol/insulin thing. Of course, insulin also promotes the storage of fat on the body, so yes, stress makes us fat!

  2. YES YES YES!!!

    We already, to some extent, do this. I have a box in our exercise room (it is under staircase so does not make a mess in itself) that we use for donations to goodwill, in fact it is already full (need to remember to bring it). I will not count anything in the box and add 1 more thing each day and give it all away.

    I also am a subscriber to my local free cycle chapter and we regularly check it to see if there is a need and well, we could do without because we simply do not use it anymore or want it or whatever.

    So I happily join you and completely agree about the whole clutter eating connection. I have experienced it myself.

    Oh and I actually DO love the hat, had one very similar years ago BUT I do not want it because I just plain do not wear hats a whole lot anymore and do not want clutter!!! 🙂 I laughed out loud when you said that about not mentioning it because I had thought “I really like the hat!” to myself just prior!!

  3. I used to be really good about the clutter until I had my sons and it is out of control here now.

    I hadn’t made that connection before about the kitchen and my FOOD.

    It makes a tremendous amount of sense.

    I am in to give 30 things in 30 day!!!

  4. (I want the hat. I have so much clutter I shouldn’t be allowed to have the hat LOL)

    I agree a lot on the mental clutter piece.
    I find that I am struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep at night with all the “clutter” in my head.

    I may join you and the Tornado in this but all in my mental clutter.

    I need to give a lot of that away.

  5. You know I’m all about the de-cluttering. It’s been an ongoing process, but I’m getting closer. I’m currently doing the ‘Throw Out Fifty Things’ approach (great book by Gail Blanke), and I’m really having to dig deep now. Another good resource is book, “Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?” by Peter Walsh. There truly are some interesting parallels between clutter, weight, and finances.

    As much as I admire the hat, I have learned to just say, “Great hat!” and move on. I don’t have to have EVERY wonderful and unique thing on the planet.

  6. That is such a cute hat! But I already have an awesome hat, which was coincidentally also acquired in Austin TX.

    🙂

    We generally let the clutter accumulate for a few years, then have a big ol’ garage sale. But I love your approach to decluttering!

    And good luck with all 3 prongs!

  7. I love Peter Walsh as well and tend to get stuck with things like your hat!

    Friends will say to me: I don’t want xyz any more

    and I immediately take it.

    I am going to work on the fact that someone else’s trash is NOT necessariliy my treasure!!

  8. And you KNOW Im not kidding.
    The Tornado and I will happily meet an Austinite and pass off the hat.

    happily.

    The headcutter? Id be happy to pass that off as well.

  10. Okay, have you been sneaking around my apartment? This challenge is MADE for me!! I’m aaallllll over it!!!!

    My life is full of clutter. Both physical and mental things I’ve collected over the course of my undergrad. It’s time to let them go now that I’m graduated on moving on with my life!! Plus, I’m moving in a couple months, so I need to get rid of the junk I don’t want anymore.

    I totally agree with you. I want the space I live in to reflect the healthy lifestyle I try to lead. My messy home causes a lot of uneeded stress in my life.

  11. I don’t know that I 100% agree (what appears to be clutter to others is, to me, being surrounded by items which inspire me) except in the kitchen.

    When my counters are cluttered my diet is filled with junk as well.

  12. I am in…we live with so much STUFF and it needs to go. I began bringing empty boxes home from work to fill for Purple Heart to collect at the end of the month.

    I think my whole family functions better in a less cluttered home. And I will admit that I am the biggest culprit.

    I promise to get rid of the stuff and reduce my stress level.

  15. Clutter raises my blood pressure! Love the give away one thing a day idea. Totally will do it; all of my pre-child business suits are in a closet, and I’m pretty sure that they will never EVER fit again, so they will be gone this week. Yeah…give away that hat…

  16. I will never forget (although it didn’t help my clutter’ddiction obviously) going through a closet when Ren Man was just a boyfriend and his picking up a PRARIE BLOUSE (remember those) & tossing in the give pile.

    I FREAKED & told him I loved it & plopped it in the STAY pile.

    The look on his face was priceless.

    The words from his mouth?

    I PROMISE. IF THOSE THINGS EVER COME BACK IN STYLE I’LL GET YOU A NEW ONE.

    😉

  17. LOL!! I was at the airport yesterday. One of my buddy’s T-hangers was open. It was so filled with cluttered junk, I had to search to see that there actually was an airplane in there! I need to get him to listen to your great advice!

  18. I have a move this year and I can’t WAIT to give away half my crap! I looking at it as a way to start fresh. I feel so much better with no clutter.

  20. So weird… finally last night my hoarder Boy started to declutter his house after two years of living there! And I spent all this morning clearing my desk. And then I log on here and look!! Tidying and sorting is the best, it never takes as long as you think it will and you can’t beat the buzz of finishing. It does scare me how much stuff I squirrel away though… I always think of myself as being quite ruthless, but clearly I’m not!

    LOVE the tat by the way. You are my new hero!!!

    TA x

  21. Can it count if we gave away all 30 days’ worth (x5) of items in one afternoon?

    It started when I had the kids empty all backpacks and bags from locker cleanup on Friday. Just looking at all of that STUFF piled on my dining table caused a touch of anxiety to set in. Starting with outgrown uniforms, we spent a couple of hours Saturday and about half of Sunday digging through drawers, closets, toyboxes, bookshelves and the utility room.

    Don’t know any specifics about cortisol and clutter stress, but I sure slept like a baby last night.

  23. OH CrAp, you got me! I rather be at the gym, then clean & get rid of clutter! I am more a keep the cards & paper stuff & then I have one room with door closed of the big clutter. I will think about this but not ready to tackle yet… I will though & I have before.. just need to get the mind set & then all he## breaks loose. I know I can do it cause I have done it…. you are making me think about this.. OH NO!

  24. cool idea! i wonder if there’s any way i can de-clutter today. i might have to start with the mental de-cluttering though, because i am actually not much of a “packrat” or wahtever that phrase is.

    the cortisol thing seemed right. i am not for sure on the specifics though.

  25. MizFit if you are late to this what hope is there for me? LOL!

    I am in.
    Especially for the mental.

  26. I live pretty sparse. I really hate clutter. I go through EVERYTHING in the house every 3 months (clothes, books, decorative items, kitchen items, jewelry, shoes, handbags etc…). If I have enough between that and the already boxed up discard stuff, I’ll do a garage sale, else it all goes to charity.

    If I get a garbage bag worth of clothing, it gets freecycled. Any furniture I’m tired of or that clogs up my room I freecycle or sell at a garage sale. Any clothing that’s too big goes IMMEDIATELY down to my main closet and boxed up to go. Once I get two boxes, it’s out of the house.

    I like things minimal and neat. I used to save EVERYTHING, and my life was chaos. After a few moves losing everything (one move my van broke down the week before, and the move was limited to what we could take in two suitcases… now THAT’S paring down!… another was the Katrina move) I realized that there were very few THINGS in my life that I felt I couldn’t live without, and that all the extra things I was attaching too only cluttered up my head.

    Sometimes we become attached to the quantity of things we have, rather than having an attachment to individual items which might have some profound meaning in our lives. I guess it’s part of our culture: “He who dies with the most toys, wins.”

    I’ll pass on the hat.

  27. My house may have dust bunnies and tumbleweeds of dog hair rolling around, but I don’t do clutter. I feel way too unorganized if things are stacked up and piled around the house.

  28. When my kitchen is cluttered, it’s because there’s been a lot of baking and experimenting going on, so a period of a clutter usually marks the beginning of eating healthier. However, I baked/experimented every single day last week. This week is all about cleaning for me.

    I won’t be giving anything away just yet, but I will be putting a bunch of things away (and finding where they belong in the apartment). My goal? 50 things put in a proper place (that it logically belongs in and we can get to easily) per day for the next 3 days. Then it’s on to vaccumming, mopping, and scrubbing.

  29. Do you still have the blouse??

    Miz in a blouse I need to see.

    I adore Peter Walsh.
    Have you read his book?

    (That’s the Oprah clutter guy right? ;))

  30. I love the idea of this challenge. My closet is an absolute nightmare. I’ve had the FIRM in there for two years – and all it does is hold my shoes. Yikes.

  31. i’m all for being clutter free! when things are in order in your life, everything seems to fall into place that much easier.

  32. Have to add it was an ah ha moment for me when you mentioned the stress cortisol clutter connection.

  33. I got a head start on Saturday – we got the old washing machine moved off the deck and the Rancher took it to the dump. Just about did the two of us in – that sucker was HEAVY!
    Love this idea and will try to keep up with it. I am such a packrat, it’s getting embarrassing.
    Perhaps if I get my kitchen de-cluttered, I will finally start to lose a little weight!

    And if RenMan wants you to keep the hat, are you going to reconsider?

  34. I want in!!! And, I’m glad to hear the review of the Peter Walsh book. I’ve owned it for ages (one of my probs is buying stuff I THINK I want/need but I really don’t) but haven’t even cracked the cover. It’s going in my bag today for reading.

  35. Ironically i just gave away 2 large bags of nice clothing i never wear or that didn’t fit, a set of four chairs i never use, old prom dresses I’ll never wear again, jewelry box, shoes, ect…

    However it’s my kitchen i need to de-clutter next. I have two of almost everything. It helps to have the hubby to re-confirm that there’s no need for certain things. It also helps me to think of it as selfish to keep things I’m not using, rather then giving them to some one who needs them and will actually use them. =)

    Happy 30 day De-cluttering!

  36. What a great idea! Clutter really gets to me – I feel so disorganized. I guess I got a good start yesterday. My daughter and I cleaned out her closet and had a good pile of clothes to donate.
    I’m an Austinite but I don’t wear hats… HMMMM, you may not wear hats but maybe we could do a funfacetime together some day?

  37. Tricia? I love this point:

    When my kitchen is cluttered, it’s because there’s been a lot of baking and experimenting going on, so a period of a clutter usually marks the beginning of eating healthier.

  38. Yay for de-cluttering! An org. that I volunteer with is having a big rummage sale in sept. so last month I went through and cleaned out ALL of the closets and junks drawers and now I have SIX boxes and a few bags of stuff for the sale. What was I doing with all that stuff? Nothing! I feel a lot better.

    I don’t think I have 30 things to giveaway, beyond that stuff, though.

    Thanks for your comment on my race report. You were right on!

  39. I love you in that hat and second the Ren Man and say give something else away 🙂

    I, too, am late to this and need the prod.

    Thirty things tossed/given away in 30 days seems doable.

    I know myself too once I get started I will be on fire!

  40. Unfortunately, the only clean room in the house is the kitchen, meaning I like spending a lot of time in it.

    One item a day times six people in my house equals about the number of toys in the bathroom right now. WAY BEYOND 1 a day! I need to do about 10 a day.

  43. I have been lurking on your site for awhile but after this post I just have to say, I’m in! After 3 years of putting it off, Hubby and I finally had a garage sale to get rid of all the kids old clothes and baby stuff. It felt soooo good to get rid of it all! And it opened my eyes to how much more stuff we could get rid of.

    I am a big time clutter bug, I love the clutter/stress/cortisol connections. It gives me more motivation to de-clutter!

  44. The amount of clutter in my kitchen definitely affects my eating habits! If I have to wade through a mountain of dishes/cookbooks/whatever, I’m less likely to want to take the time to prepare a real meal.

    I definitely feel more stress when my house is cluttered. I’ve always found that the space I live in has a huge impact on how I function on a daily basis!

  45. My family de clutters a little everyday. The kids know when Dad gets home from his shift (48 hrs) if things aren’t away respectfully, its gone-to someone who will value it. He’s a firefighter and goes into waay too many homes that they have go through tunnels to get to their patients. Tunnels, paths. And when he’s on a house fire, well you learn what’s really important. I appreciate that about him, otherwise I’d have tendencies!

    My thing is, if my desk has clutter or unorganized then I’m unorganized in my head.

    I’m in.

    • we are on a ROLL up in here. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some of my (fingerquote) tips (unFQ) but I think the best past is how INTO IT ALL the Toddler is.

      I really feel that she’s getting not just the DECLUTTERING but the fact that we need to appreciate, treasure, and be THANKFUL for all we have.

      And treat it all accordingly.

  46. Thanks for your encouragement today! I did my morning walk and am psyched for my mid-day walk. Today is going to be great!

    And I love the idea of decluttering (even though I can’t listen to your videos at work…). I decluttered a dresser drawer over the weekend and have a bag of stuff packed for my church yard sale.

  47. You are so funny with that hat.
    Sometimes I skip the videos until later—–definitely didn’t when I saw that hat.

    I found the idea of losing the clutter from oprah when she talked about the connection between losing weight and losing the stuff.

    I will try anyting to get these 40 pounds off.

  48. I don’t tend to accumulate anything except clothes & shoes– I’m not very sentimental about things and would rather just toss them than have to think about where to store them.

    But the clothes and shoes– eeeeek.

    I’m in for the challenge. In thirty days, I will have a good bag of stuff for Goodwill. And a closet clean enough so that I have a good excuse to buy a few new things for summer. 😉

  49. awesome video!!! i am always trying to live a leaner lifestyle with all my STUFF. i finally donated all my bags of clothes from high school and it feels great!

  50. Love the hat. Don’t want it.

    re: cortisol Stress -and clutter causes visual stress- increases cortisol which causes increased insulin resistance.

    I’ve been working on declutting my life this year. Again, clutter is a visual signal of stress – which causes depression, anxiety and other emotional problems.

    A cluttered life is a sign that you don’t value your environment or the life you are living.

    I’ve got boxes being picked up by charity on Thursday.. and I’m about to list a number of books on Amazon. But giving away an item each day on my blog? uhm…. Maybe? but probably not.

  51. Clutter drives me insane. It also makes me feel tied down and committed, which I find scary, so it’s usually not too much of a problem for me to get rid of the clutter 😀 Great challenge!

  52. I love the feeling of open, uncluttered spaces. I’m all over giving away 1 thing every day for 30 days. Although it might be an average because I have some clothes to donate, and I’m going to do that all at once.

  53. Big fan of de-cluttering. My wife and I have garage sales and/or donation trips to Goodwill at least twice a year. Now, I hate garage sales (my wife loves them), but I love how effective they are at purging my garage.

    I’m not a huge metaphysical guy, but I think there’s a “psychic cleansing” component to de-cluttering.

    One area I think we can all use help is with office de-cluttering. I get a mountain of paperwork in the mail (even though I go paperless on a lot of stuff) that I can NEVER seem to control. My desk (at work as well as in my home office) is always a nightmare. And it’s such a waste of paper!

  54. I hate throwing stuff away b/c maybe…I’ll need it. This can irritating since our apartment is very little and we have no room at all!

  55. I LOVE this idea. I can do 30/30, no sweat. I think I will do it for each member of my family- that will be 120/30…I like that!

    I totally know that when my kitchen is clean, I eat cleaner and make better choices. When I can take pride in my surroundings, I take more pride in myself and act accordingly.

  56. I must have a problem because I want to paypal you money to send me your hat. LOL

    Thank you for not just talking fitness in the literal sense and for always knowing what I need to hear.

    I cling to my stuff as a source of feeling as though I have enough.

    I really enjoyed Fab Kate’s comment as I have fallen into the most toys trap for sure.

  57. Spot on from start to finish! I started re-doing the whole kitchen/desk area and closets a few weeks ago…promised myself no matter how long it took was going to touch everything! lol…I got rid of about 5 bags so far…freecycled some…

    one of my biggest issues is I grew up with my mom stocking up the cupboards,shelves,extra freezer w/food…we grew up in upstate NY where we could not go shopping as often in the fall/winter because of the weather and the fact that we were about 1 hour drive each way from major shopping…in a very unconscious way I have followed this…it has taken me 12yrs to breakdown this habit of stocking up on sale items…I really don’t use them & most goes to waste…I’m challenging myself not to buy processed foods in a box…for 3 weeks I’ve done fresh produce, very little frozen or cupboard items except jars of tomato sauce (no sugar added), a few snacks for kids (clif kids bars, dried fruit/nuts (no sugar added), pirates booty, canned beans in water, edens organic rice/beans in can…few more goodies….but I feel so much better to unclutter…

    running an ebay biz & 2 other biz, PTA etc paper piles up quickly…still working through some of that but getting easier as I go along…I was digging through closets and found I 5 extra blood sugar meters that we gave away at wowjam this past weekend…being diabetic for 12yr suuuuur-plies add up too LOL

    I am hitting that groove where I want my surroundings to match my lifestyle more….if that makes sense? LOL like putting the juicer and blender in a more accessible spot too…

    All these little things do come together and make a more peaceful flow to the home…… =))

    Again! Great Post! ((HUGS))

  58. I’ve noticed it’s not as easy to feel relaxed in a cluttered home and it can affect my diet too. So decluttering the way to go.

    Hey, I’ve given some clothes and books to a local charity store. Theres a few more items I tell myself I keep for sentimental value, but only think about when I move them to make room for something else.

    30 things in 30 days may mean I have nothing left. S’pose that’s a good place to start all over.

    Thanks
    Jens

  59. LOVING all your thoughts and the fact you make me feel fall less of the ‘last person on the wagon’ than I did when I filmed the video.

    Amy? WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT PAY PAL IS ONE REASON IM SO CLUTTERED!

    I wil often bring bags of stuff to friends’ homes to give them…and as we go through the bag I start taking stuff back (! I know.) & leave with at least 50% of what I’d brought.

    no’ mo’

  60. Clutter has been plaguing me for as long as being overweight has – ie, over 30 years!!

    I arrived in this state in 1982 with a Toyota Celica, about 200 record albums, some clothes, a backpack, some precious books, and that was it. Everything I owned fit in the trunk of that car. Now, I have a 4K square foot house that is stuffed to the gills. It feels terrible. I am also on a MISSION to get rid of stuff!! Using Freecycle.org to get rid of things. But think I will also start using Twitter/blog.

    You are SO NOT the last person on the wagon at ALL!!!

  62. I just brought two large garbage bags full of clothes to the Salvation Army dropoff this morning. Just wish I could do same with the junk in my head/trunk.

  63. Love the hat!! I’m actually too good at getting rid of clutter. I wanted to look at some stuff from art school I threw out several moves ago. Clutter free life = clutter free mind is what I say!

  64. I’m with Foodie. Giving away 30 things wouldn’t even make a dent in the amount of clutter I’ve got going…but I’m inspired nonetheless.

    Maybe if I make it a challenge for the whole family…all four of us give up 30 things…that’s 120 things…maybe that would do it.

  65. Wow, this is kinda freaky.
    I JUST (as in, like 2 days ago) started dealing with my clutter issues, and it comes right along with my new and improved eating. I’m not dieting, just paying more attention to my hunger/satiety cues. and I’m S-L-O-W-L-Y starting to get rid of the junk in the house.
    It’s gonna take a while.
    But that’s OK. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and having kids (as you know!) doesn’t make the job easier, lol!

  66. I am really late to this as well and 100% because I love my stuff.

    love.

    I know it isn’t about the stuff for me and that my things are all filling a void but I am not sure I can explore that void yet.

    Perhaps this is the month.

  67. It is not silly! I feel ya on the when the house is cluttered and messy that I feel less up to staying on track, and its a ton less stressful when the place is all streamlined 🙂 You have inspired me to “un clutter” my physical as well, keep on keepin on and all that.

    As Ever
    Me

  68. oh that I had a webcam up in herre. we are decluttering machines the Tornado & I.

  70. I’m so in! I’ve been deviding what to do about all of the clutter in my house and what to get rid of next over the last few days. I, personally, feel more stressed when my house is cluttered.

    Your words: “I really feel that she’s getting not just the DECLUTTERING but the fact that we need to appreciate, treasure, and be THANKFUL for all we have.

    And treat it all accordingly.”

    I need my kids to understand this too! My youngest ones treat their possessions horribly and everything lately is getting broken by them. We are definitely going through a lot of their stuff and streamlining the lot.

  72. Long time lurker.
    I like what you said.
    I loved the comment above about the inability to be relaxed in a cluttered home.

    I need this challenge.

  73. Oh I remember the days of kid-clutter – Happy Meal toys (you probably don’t have a glut of them like we did, lol), crayonsmarkerscoloringbooks, birthday party favor bag stuff, oh the tons of stuff that was everywhere! Teaching the tornado to de-clutter on a regular basis will save your sanity for sure!

    I can’t stand a lot of clutter so I’m constantly tossing things into the Goodwill box. And I know that for me, having the clean Tupperware-esque containers in the drawer, with the matching lids nearby, ensures that I can easily prepare and pack my food on the days that I work, which makes it so much easier for me to eat right.

  74. I definitely need to declutter. I just never take the time. I need to make time in small increments. When I just bite the bullet and clean, I love how nice things are afterward. But I left it pile up that it becomes an awful chore. Ick.

  75. I’m SO in!!! In fact, my husband and I are serial thrower-awayers. We hate having random stuff lying around. I’m one of those people who likes to be able to move everything she owns in her car. Sadly with kids that’s not possible. But still. Love this! Will give 30 things away tomorrow actually as I’m going to a charity function…

  76. I am constantly cleaning out and clearing out. I am not a collector of things although THe Husband is. I sometimes go through his things and stash items I thing he’ll never miss. If he doesn’t go looking for them in a 30 days, out they go. Off to someone else for them to use. Clutter makes me crazy and I really can’t function with it.

  77. You need to have a competition with pictures for the most cluttered home.

    Why do I think I would win 😉

    I need this challenge.

    I hope I do this challenge.

  78. Bobby is going to kill me for doing this challenge, but I think I’M IN. (He loves clutter. It’s hereditary. I have to fix it before we have kids so they don’t love clutter too!)

    You are so right about clutter influencing eating habits. I have clutter in the form of random snacks and other things that I eat out of obligation and I can’t even remember why I bought them. Maybe I should have a challenge that forces me to declutter the kitchen by USING one pantry item EVERY DAY. That would be crazy.

    I WANT TO JOIN THE DECLUTTERING. I CAN do both. I’ll give away 30 things AND I’ll use up 30 pantry items.

    STARTING NOW. This house is a clutter-free zone.

    I was going to say I love the hat, but I don’t need more clutter 🙂 Let someone else enjoy!

  79. I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m good with recycling clothes and shoes if I don’t feel fabulous in them and the fiance and I share our one closet in the bedroom just fine. I *do* have a shoe and coat (shared) closet. We have some junk around that we don’t need but it doesn’t seem out of control (we’ve got plenty of space for it). The big problem is keeping things clean. I wish I was the kind of person who used something/cooked something and then just put it away and cleaned up after myself but I’m not. 😛 I have a pretty high “messy” threshold and when it gets there, it takes hours to clean.

    When we have 2 incomes again, we are so getting a maid. Just having to have the place picked up for someone to come over and actually do the cleaning for us would be a good motivator!

  80. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to de-clutter. I just cleaned up late last night. There are a lot of things I wish I could get rid of, but my hubby is a little bit of a pack-rat, just like his mother.

  81. I tend to accumulate clutter because it serves as insulation from the cold winds of the Real World.

    The clutter in my kitchen is the outward representation. The clutter around my midriff is the bodily equivalent.

    Once clutter-free, I feel like there’s more room in my life for new things/experiences/people. That’s not always comfortable. It’s easier to let the accumulation begin again.

  82. I need my kids to understand this too! My youngest ones treat their possessions horribly and everything lately is getting broken by them. We are definitely going through a lot of their stuff and streamlining the lot.

    I can so relate to this and the first time the Toddler broke something and said: I need to get a new one

    it hit me that OF COURSE she doesnt realize any of this (the clutter. the not treating things as treasures and appreciating every tiny thing)—-it is my job to both model and teach.

    (seems like such a no-brainer when I type it)

    I look forward to your thoughtstipsideas tomorrow (ohh foreshadowing…)

  83. I think Merry stole my comment:
    I tend to accumulate clutter because it serves as insulation from the cold winds of the Real World.
    The clutter in my kitchen is the outward representation. The clutter around my midriff is the bodily equivalent.

    I don’t have clutter, except in my kitchen. In there, I tend to accumulate foodstuffs and hoard them. (I don’t keep anything that’s gone bad, but I definitely have a freezer FULL of food.) Maybe time to declutter that . . .

  84. I recently cleaned out the pantry for the local food bank. And my closet and dresser drawers.

    The rest … we just moved a year ago, so we were pretty decluttered already.

    I donate my time every weekend. The observatory can’t run itself and it’d be hurting without my help. I love it anyway, but I know they depend on me showing up every weekend to help out.

  85. Inside the house, I’m a minimalist and I refuse to buy/replace with the new model unless its essential. Outside….we are gathering a wonderful collection of building materials and crafty things to mosaic this and build that and decorate those. Like broken plates glued back together and planted out. But then I’ve heard that having craft projects is good for you because it’s something to do instead of eating when you aren’t hungry!

  86. Get out of my head 🙂
    I was jsut making this this month’s goal…we just finsihe dhelping a relative who was a rackrat move after living somewhere for 30 years…SO MUCH STUFF. And so much of it not necessary anymore.
    I’m on a mission to go through things ad get rid of things as I come across them. I donate stuff when I can to local cahrities – a lot of them will come pick up stuff if you call them. I’ve even got an old washer and drier and sewing machina dn such from when I replaced them last fall and haven’t gotten around to finding homes for them.
    That is thismonth’s goal – to pass on things others can use, and to throw out the junk…one piece at a time.
    Glad you’re all in on this too…it will keep me motivated to keep at it.
    It makes SUCH a difference to my state of mind…

  88. We have a small house (less than 1000 sq feet), so we’ve gotten pretty good at decluttering. But there’s always room for more purging. (For example, I really need to clean off my bookshelf!) In 2007, I checked the book-on-CD “It’s All Too Much” by Peter Walsh out from the local library, and I spontaneously combusted into a decluttering frenzy. We usually donate to charity or rummage sales, but we did a garage sale that time. Successful, but quite a lot of work, so we probably won’t do that until we have a lot of stuff to get rid of again.

    That said, I definitely want to set a better example of decluttering for my kids. My younger has an easier time letting go of things, but she still seems to think that she’s going to get new stuff immediately, rather than *later*. (And then there’s me, second-guessing whether she’s going to want the decluttered items later. Sometimes we pack them into a box and keep them in the garage until we’re sure.)

    My decluttering weakness is still my old stuffed animals, darn the movie “Toy Story” and the children’s book “The Velveteen Rabbit”! I’ve been hard-hearted enough to get it down to two teddy bears, but I think that’s it.

  90. Why is it I wonder that you are late to this (in the sense of Peter Walsh being on Oprah a million times) and we are all right there with you in not yet getting started??

    This is the month for me.

    I can do it! 🙂

  91. I finally got to watch the video and decided that I will take that rug near your front door.you make me laugh! I don’t want the hat. I could not wear it, not even after chemo.

    I think there is something to be said for decluttering and pairing down both clutter and bod.

    And I’m all in for giving stuff away. Give me your mailing address and I’ll send you one thing a day for 30 days. 😉

  92. I recently pared down and it was fabulous but based on the current disarray of my place it probably wasn’t enough. I’ll definitely be joining you… but I might not be able to make it with 30 items but I’ll try!

  93. Yes I believe that a cluttered living space means for a poor diet and a cluttered mind. I try hard but sometimes I haven’t got the energy to clean and declutter. I’m certainly up for the decluttering challenge of 30 things in 30 days 🙂

  94. Wow, last one to comment probably! I am pretty cluttered up in here, and I have been thinking about seriously de-cluttering for quite a while. I know I don’t like clutter, but I don’t think I had identified that the clutter can be stressful. Maybe that will help me to get started, because I usually think that de-cluttering is stressful–TOO MANY DECISIONS to make!

  95. Great call, Miz!! I just moved last weekend, so I gave away about 30,000 things in under 30 minutes. That’s how I roll 😉

  96. They say a clean mind and a clean body begins with a clean environment .. and clutter certainly ain’t that! I definitely have found that my food choices are much smarter when I keep the kitchen bare – it makes it tougher to hide the naughty stuff!

    The golden rule of healthy eating, of course, is to only ever give in to buying any sort of junk when you absolutely must have it, and to just buy one ‘mini’ version of your treat. A bigger packet might cost less, but it’ll cost you more in the long run!

  97. I love Kat’s version of buying a small version of junk, eating it and be done with it. Yes!

    Your Cowboy hat is lovely. I do have a great idea for you. I’ll bet you could auction off something you own for charity to your readers! IE dumbbells, signed cook book, etc. Or how about Tornado’s college tuition?!? Just a thought when i saw that hat!

    I will join you. I don’t have a lot of clutter but my office is s big fat mess and a couple of closets do need organizing.
    You’re the best!

  98. Definitely need less clutter here! I’m pretty good about going through stuff and giving away/throwing away on a regular basis, but I never seem to end up entirely uncluttered. More work to do on the organizational front, I suppose.

    Yet it feels good everytime I manage some. The kitchen stays fairly clutter free and also clean. It is probably the one room in the house that I never fail to keep clean. But it sure makes for more pleasant food prep!

    My office is improving, though there is still work to do there. Next step… take the boxes of stuff I’ve accumulated that can GO and actually GET THEM TO THE PIONEER HUMANE SOCIETY THRIFT STORE!

  100. Wow, looks like you inspired a lot of people with this one. Me included. I am definitely a Pack Rat! I used to save the silliest things thinking that some day I might find a need that they would be perfect for. (You should see my button collection). I read a few comments above that spoke to needing to get rid of more than one thing a day, but for us lifelong hard core pack rats, even 1 thing can be difficult. I think I’ll take you up on this, and make a definite effort to rid myself of one thing a day. But what if that jumpsuit I had in High School comes back in style… after I can fit into it… 🙂 I think I have a serious problem…

  101. Oh boy Miz! I’m so overwhelmed with clutter. We live in a super small space and we keep bringing more and more stuff in and not taking any stuff out. I’m a bear when the house is cluttered, it’s hard to cook, it’s hard to clean! So, thanks for this!!! 🙂

  102. I can’t believe I missed this post. But it must have reached me one way or another. On Wednesday, I put out 6 big black trash bags full of clothes, shoes, toys, etc for ARC. WAAAAY more than 30 items. Still have a ways to go. My daughter moving out helped me get motivated. She still has several boxes of stuff stored here. She’s finding out that keeping everything she’s ever owned is not always too practical when you live in a one bedroom apartment. 😉

Trackbacks

  1. […] longer, than I have been battling with my weight and food issues. This morning I saw a great and inspiring post by MizFit about her own Clutter challenge.  (watch the video!!) And because maybe One Challenge Is Not Enough For Me Right now (AM I […]

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This