Sunday, November 23, 2014

Update #3: 2,014 Items

It's been a while since I've updated on our 2,014 item progress.  Here are the numbers for the 3rd quarter of 2014 and the month of October:

July - 78
August - 221
September - 226
October - 259
Prior 6-month Total - 1,040
Running TOTAL - 1,824

July:  we were away from home for over half the month at GSP.  Upon returning home, I was anxious to get some random junk out of various nooks and crannies of the house.  We sold a few items, including our oversized toaster oven.  I hoped I would love that toaster oven, but I used it so rarely that the visual clutter of it on our counter tops was weighing me down.  My favorite part of the challenge of July, though, was finally determining to put our wedding china to use!  One of my dear roommates in college gifted us a beautiful set of china that is dishwasher and microwave safe.  I didn't grow up using such fancy things except on special occasions.  However, the pottery style "everyday" dishware we had used for 9 years was starting to chip and failed at warming food in the microwave.  So we found a new home for our dishware and embraced the beautiful china.  I'm so glad we did.  I feel so fancy. And I think it's a good lesson for our girls that every day we are alive is a day to celebrate.

August:  I continued my mission from July of giving a hard look to everything hiding in closets.  The biggest victory of this month was purging the CD/DVD tower!  I am so proud of my husband for letting go!!  We burned all of the music onto the computer over the years so it's hard to justify finding storage for overflowing CDs and DVDs.  Look how nice and neat it is now:

Most of the CDs and DVDs we own.  The girls' most watched DVDs live in the entertainment center drawer.
September:  I decided to enter a few outgrown baby items in a local semi-annual consignment sale.  I was slightly disappointed in the outcome revenue-wise, but I'm glad that what didn't sell went to local mothers in need.  I am so excited that a huge pile of clothes that left our house were maternity clothes for my dear Pursuing Prairie partner!!!! We've been praying for this blessing for years and I'm so glad she can inherit the community maternity collection! :)

October:   It's amazing what random junk you can continue to find even after months of decluttering! I listed that we donated 51 items to St. Vincent.  I honestly couldn't tell you 1 thing that was included in that pile!  Otherwise, more outgrown baby clothes and items found new homes.  I suppose that will always be the case with growing children in the house.  We have been so blessed to receive good quality hand me down clothing for our girls and intend to donate the majority of it as soon as we can no longer use it.

We will likely meet our 2,014 goal in November which is so exciting.  But our mission cannot and will not end there!

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