It only seems appropriate that I come up with a plan to let go of 2,014 items in my home in my year of embrace. But embracing things is not really a goal I need to have. I've been a member of a cloth diaper swap website for a couple years. One of the discussion forums under the minimalist heading focuses on a challenge to get rid of the number of items that corresponds to the calendar year. Hence the inspiration for 2,014 items in 2,014.
At first glance, the thought of removing over 2,000 items from my home seemed overwhelmingly impossible. The more I looked into how the challenge is played out, though, it didn't seem as difficult. When you consider all the nooks and crannies of your home, there are actually quite a few papers, unwanted toys, clothes, and nicknacks, etc that create clutter.
I've started a list on a piece of paper hanging on the fridge to compile my daily elimination (of items that is) :p And since this is a challenge for myself and not some sort of strict contest, I made up the following guidelines:
1. Each week's recycle bin = 10 items. I don't want to count each piece individually but I do want to give credit for not sending these items to a landfill.
2. Every time the compost bin is emptied = 3 items. Again the action reduces landfill waste.
3. Approx. 50 pieces of paper equals 1 item. However paper goes in the recycle bin so I haven't figured this one out completely.
4. Other household items that are removed through donation or selling = 1 item each.
5. Items thrown away don't count if the item is trash by nature. Ex: food wrappers don't count, but a useless coin machine doodad does
So far through the 5th day of the year, we've removed around 35 items from our house. I don't expect to keep up this pace everyday, but I'm pleased with the results thus far. I'm excited to see how far we get toward the goal. I may occasionally update our progress.
Wanna join me on this challenge? Comment and keep us updated!
~Carla
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