40 bags in 40 days

Well - 10 bags this week! yes we finally started tackling the veranda- it's a scary spot- but we managed to pick out a few things we don't need- we also found a few gems- some crafting stuff- thread, some maracas and possibly best of all- a skeleton back scratcher. those last two were favorites of N's- but then again- she was also rescuing a giant advertisement with some kid on it from the garbage repeatedly- so one man's trash and all that.

The room is still far from complete though and the 10 boxes only bring my total up to 32- I don't think I'll have a hard time finding 8 more boxes of stuff in the next few days. I'll extend my forty days a bit maybe- give myself until Easter Sunday- if that's okay.

All in all though this exercise has been great- the disaster areas I went through and cleaned up are for the most part still clean!! which is amazing- also amazing is the amount of stuff I don't miss at all- what was I doing with that stuff?? storing it mostly I guess- I need to figure out how to make myself believe that my house is not a storage unit- it's a place to live- a place that doesn't need a lot of stuff to fill it because that stuff just gets in the way of life, and I want my house to facilitate my life, not hamper it.

40 bags in 40 days- week 3

This week we tackled the front hall closet, which was the scary mess that I am bravely showing 'before' photos of. We promptly turned it into this:

even the scarves got folded

Along the way we found a whole lot of treasures, some of which went upstairs to the 'dress up' bin, and some of which we figure we can sell or give away- I ended up with two bags from here.

I also got my bedroom closet cleaned out, and found out that I actually am back at my target weight- so yay! no need to get rid of my awesome white dress pants that were obscenely tight last time I tried them on (though it's debatable that I'll ever white pants again, with a toddler).

I also cleaned out the bathroom vanity, and I think this time it may stay clear because I bit more realistic about it all- that box of hair dye- I'm not going to use, the lotion I don't really like the smell of- but was given as a gift- the makeup I don't really wear- all to be given away. It's a lot better than sitting and rotting under the sink. So another week another seven bags in total.

We found some great treasures in that closet- lots of things went up to the 'dress up' bins, and were duly modeled by N, we also found a couple of framed posters that we can sell- so bonus.

40 Bags in 40 Days- week 1

I've decided to join Sarah Jane over at Beautiful Dawn for a little house purge this lent. The idea is to rid your house of 40 bags of stuff- one for each day of lent. I was a little nervous about it at first- thinking that it's a lot of stuff to get rid of- but after dividing the house it does seem more manageable, and I'm starting with smaller bags- the plan was to use grocery bags- but they were overflowing after I did the first area this morning- the front hall shoe cupboard. so it'll be more like some days a big bag and some days small, most days in between I think.

I really like this idea for lent- I'm not really religious, I just don't feel at home in organized religion, though I was raised catholic, and the Easter season is one that I really miss. I love the idea of starting fresh in the spring- of preparing yourself for this re-birth with a period of sacrifice or with drawl or active change. I think that purging the house of excess stuff is a great way to make space for new things- a simpler life- more focused on what is essential, or what you really want.

I'm more and more attracted to the idea of living simply, though it seems hard to do as both K and I have the 'collector gene'. But slowly I'm coming around to the idea that you don't need a lot of stuff, and that living simply doesn't mean you have to get rid of everything, it could just be that you focus your attention on things that have meaning for you, that you don't own anything 'just because'. Plus it seems like a great way to get the spring cleaning done, and there's nothing wrong with that.