Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Update #2: 2014 Items

I planned to update our progress on the 2014 item challenge at our half way point.  But I temporarily misplaced the list in our GSP transitions.  I was pleasantly surprised to locate the it after cleaning out the van. :)

Before I get to the count, I wanted to share some soul searching Steve and I did while at GSP.  Being away from home in a 1 bedroom apartment for 6 weeks can really change your perspective on things. We can "survive" on so much less than what we currently own.  So what's our break even point?  What sacrifices can we make to be content with less yet still be comfortable? What example do we want to set for our family?  Why do we own a 2000 sq ft home when 1000 would more than suffice?  Why do we choose to stay in debt for the next 18 years if we could be debt free in a smaller home? And many more...

Turns out the answers to these questions are far more complicated when you involve the heart and not just the head.  As the troll says, "the heart is not so easily changed."  And our decisions are certainly more complicated when we view these questions from the perspective of our children as adults looking back at their childhood.  So for now, we are embracing status quo, but renewing our efforts to be debt free by 40, reduce our clutter, and set an example of gratitude.

So here's our month by month count:

January - 257
February - 158
March - 104
April - 172
May - 247
June - 102
6 month TOTAL: 1,040

Some fun things went out the door each month.  My favorite things in March were baby related.  We had a couple of friends deliver baby girls in March and one of Katie's friends collected baby care items at her birthday party.  Bye bye Breast Friend pillow.  You served us well!  In April, we took a load of items to a local women and children's shelter which also included many items Katie collected at her birthday party (friend donations not included in our total).  In May, we had an amazing adoption benefit multi-family yard sale at our house.  We personally let go of approximately 150 items at that one sale.  We had such a great time that our small group plans to make it an annual event!  June was a short month because we left for GSP mid-month.  Before leaving, though, I did a clean out of our toiletry collection and renovated the girls' outdoor play area.

Half way through 2014, we are slightly over the half way point of our goal!  I'm still looking forward to passing along some maternity and baby related items later this year, God-willing.  And we are going to hit the CD and DVD collections hard in the coming days.

~Carla

2,014 Items in 2014

Update #1: 2014 Items

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