The Purge

Last month, I participated in a challenge with a group of strangers on fb and it changed the way I looked at ‘stuff’.  The group had talked about this type of challenge before, but I never actually saw anyone take the lead and begin. I was a quiet observer for most of their posts until I saw that December was the month they'd begin this game. And although I’m somewhat frugal, or so I thought, I wanted to try this type of activity but wasn’t ever quite ready. On December 1^st I threw my hands in the air and thought why not now? Is there ever a good time to do anything? In the words of Yoda, ‘Do. There is no try.’ (Or something like that)

The challenge was called, The 31 Day Purge, and here’s the basic idea. On December 1, you rid your home of one item. On day 2, you let go of 2 items. On day 3, you get rid of 3 items and so forth through the end of the month.

If any of you have ever thought about a minimalist lifestyle but thought it was too drastic, this is the perfect challenge. It allows you to clean and organize on a completely different level. If you are like me, you will sometimes find items lying around that you just don’t know what to do with. They usually end up in a junk drawer or in an ‘I’ll get to that later’ pile. This challenge is meant to force you to look at things and ask yourself, ‘does this add value to my life, do I use it regularly, and do I really need it’. If the answer is ‘I don’t know, or no’ then it’s time to let it go.

Now, before you make any sort of judgment, try to see the positive side of this challenge. We really don’t NEED a lot of the things we have around our house.

Here is the shortened version of my story and what I learned…

Day 1. This bag took up space (never used) for far too long. It was time to go…

Day 2. Although day 2 was a lot of stuff, I grouped it into categories instead of individual items. You don’t have to do it this way, but to me, it only seemed fair. Old sheets and 2 basketballs the boy didn’t use anymore. I donated the sheets and sold that b-balls.

Day 3. A couple Christmas items, a helmet, and phone chargers to phones I don’t own any longer.

This is easy :D

Day 4. A few more items

Day 5. I went through all of the craft boxes to get rid of markers and pens that didn’t work and brand new pencils that I’ll never use. I had tons! I trashed some and boxed up the good stuff for a garage sale this summer.

Day 6. Odds and ends

Day 7. I decided I didn’t want a ‘theme’ in my kitchen so I boxed up stuff I really didn’t need.

Day 8. Crappy towels that didn’t soak up water among a few other things.

Day 9. Décor I’ll never use again.

Day 10. Shoes. This was a tough one. Sometimes I keep stuff just because I think I’ll use it or wear it later. Turns out, with as many shoes as I have, the ones I don’t usually wear end up in the back where I can’t see them so they don’t get worn after all. I decided that they didn’t serve me in a positive way so I let a few go.

I’ll not explain every picture, but the premise is the same… If it doesn't make me happy, if I don’t need it, and it doesn’t bring value to my life, I let it go.

By day 15 I really started digging. It began to get a little difficult, but I knew I had lots of places to organize so I wasn't too worried... 

By day 18 I was already on a cruise ship to the Bahamas so I planned ahead, luckily. I worked my tail off before my vacation so that when I returned home or at least to the land of Wi-Fi I could post my pictures to the group, albeit late. I’m so happy I did that because seriously, by the time you get to day 20, it begins to get difficult. Don't let a little hard work decluttering deter you from participating in this challenge.

Here is what I posted when I returned...

You can't see all the pictures because I screenshot from the page. Believe me, days 18 through 22 are all there and I even sent the group a pic of me on the beach. Haha They loved it! And 'Yay' for working ahead. I didn't feel like I was behind too much after a relaxing vaca :)

Here is day 23 and 24. Day 24 had a lot of stuff so I had to take 2 pictures.

Days 25 and 26...

Let me be honest here. By day 27, I was struggling. I had to dig deeper to find stuff and then ask myself the aforementioned questions to keep myself accountable. I'd hold something in my hand that I actually wanted to keep and thought, 'does it add value or am I just keeping it for no particular reason'? Ultimately, I kept some things and let a lot more stuff go. 

Then I really thought about the end of this challenge. I was so happy it was almost over, then the doom hit me... Not only did I have 4 days left to complete the challenge, I had to come up with 118 more items to finish it (Days 28-31).

UGHHHHHH!!! I had been through drawers, under beds, closets, boxes, bathrooms, garage, laundry room, kitchen, Christmas stuff, entertainment center, etc. It seemed I went through everything. So....I started over. I went back through drawers, under all the beds, filing cabinets, closets, boxes, bathrooms, garage, etc... I was at a point where I needed to be honest with myself. "Do I really need this or can I let it go." 

Let me tell ya. It was rough!!

Days 28, 29, and 30...

Then day 31 came... It was the most real I had been with my 'stuff' in quite some time. Once I realized there were 31 items, I jumped for joy. Literally. No, you don't understand. I was incredibly happy!

My home is 496 items lighter. Space in my house is more manageable. I still need to do a lot to my house, but with 496 items gone, it’ll be easier to remodel and organize. I have a long way to go, but this was the first step toward motivation. I’ll do the challenge again toward the end of the year once the remodels are complete, but I’m fairly happy with the elimination efforts at this point.

I encourage everyone to do this! It was a long road of evaluation and thought, but it was so worth it. My house is less cluttered and in the back of my mind, I know the nooks and crannies aren’t inflicted with stuff I really don’t need. I know there will be more to sift through as time goes on.

I realized lately that I’m more conscience when I buy things at the store. This challenge brought awareness regarding purchases controlling my needs and my wants. 

It also helped to do this game with others. Each day I’d see all the items others were clearing out and also saw their struggle. Minimalism isn’t getting rid of everything you own and doing without, it’s simply learning to live with less. I’m so glad I did it.

Please, please take the time to do this challenge. I promise you, you will thank yourself in 31 days!