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Monday, January 13, 2014

100 Things


I saw a 100 Things Challenge on Janet's blog, The Gardener's Cottage.
Janet is a classy, chic, stylish lady.  She lives in a tiny cottage that is SO
 beautifully, minimally decorated.  She's into vegan eating, simplifying, and
and having quality over quantity.  She's very inspiring!
You can click here to see her post.

The challenge was to walk around your house and gather stuff you 
don't need.  It can be trash or things to donate.  I knew this
wouldn't be any trouble for me! I could do it every day for days
I bet!  Well, I got two large gift bags (one for donations and one for trash)
 and decided to see what I could do in just 15 minutes.
 I counted as I went, throwing in unused candles, some Christmas
 ornaments, gift bags, plastic containers I don't use, and
a few items of clothing.  And then trash....my 2013 calendar,
receipts, expired cold medicine, a pen that was out of ink, etc.
In 15 minutes, I had gathered 62 things to remove from my house!

I didn't even go through closets or dressers!
What a fun thing to do and it didn't take a lot of time.
I think I could do it weekly for quite a while!


51 comments:

  1. That has to be a super quick way to do some tidying up and sorting out! Lovely to see you back again Betsy, hope that you had a good weekend. xx

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    1. Yeah, I loved that it was super quick...no big investment in it at all. Would just be a fun thing to do once a week...do a different room each time. This one was especially easy because I had all of my old Christmas stuff out. By the time I organized it and put it away, I had 1 more bag to donate and 1 more bag of trash! ha. That was a project I should have done years ago!

      I did have a nice weekend! I worked in my studio and have quite a few new things to put in my shop!

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  2. Well, look who came back! You were dreadfully missed! I didn't know what to do with myself and resorted to reading my old dictionary collection! (smiling) Glad you got your Christmas put away and filled bags to clear out the clutter. I myself could do this challenge and make it 1000 Things! Yes, I am a bit of a clutterbug. But it's all good clutter, mind you!

    Thank you for returning. You brighten our day, sunshine!
    Vincent. xo

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    1. You know, after I've gone through my entire house, I have no doubt I will have removed 1000 things. Just a few minutes a day and it can be done. And it's fun, too! Well, I think it is. ha. Thanks for missing me. It's nice to be missed. ha.

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  3. I could do this for a year... maybe more...

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    1. Me, too...and I intend to! It's kind of addicting once you get started...and fun, too...you're getting rid of stuff you don't need or use. It's a win-win situation. And I can do 15 minutes a day...it goes by really fast. I think I'll do another bag tomorrow!

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  4. I could do it too and I plan to. So far, I've done 4 drawers and 1 bookshelf. Lots of trash and a pile to donate too.
    I am impressed with minimalism. There doesn't seem to much minimalism in any home I visit or see on TV. I think we would have lots less housework though if we had less stuff to organize and clean and keep in working order.

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    1. I'm impressed with it, too. It's very intriguing, although not at all in my nature. But I have drastically improved over the years. And I do agree housework would be easier without all the stuff! I also love how easy it is to find something when you're organized and have a place for everything.

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  5. good for you!! I have been a follower of a few minimalists blogs and she is one of my favs, as you know we live in a wee nest and this was THE only way we could exist, we have only what is useful or beautiful, keep it simple I say! Its a life style I embrace, as long as we don't fill the landfill with stuff, we need to pass on our unwanted items , donate, or sell, I'm not extreme in my thinking as some are but small changes are a big help!

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    1. I didn't know you read her blog, too....it's lovely, isn't it? I'm really inspired by her closet....I am seriously going to take her challenge on that some day!

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    2. and I do agree on the donating...it's a shame to hold on to things you don't use when other people need them and could have them if we'd just give them to a thrift shop.

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  6. What a positive way to start off the new year.

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  7. haha might be a problem for me
    As i pitch things out of my sea
    No use at all
    Goodbye from my stall
    I think the cats have more possessions than I do
    So sad but true lol

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    Replies
    1. haha...give those cats a bag
      and tell them their hoarding days are had!

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  8. ha. i could probably find 100 things without leaving the living room...
    T might not be happy about it but...ha...

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    1. haha...do it while she's gone! Just don't throw out anything she really loves! :)

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  9. I want to play this game too. Maybe tomorrow, when things are quiet for a little while, I can get a start on it. I'll probably need to do it on several different days. I've got a lot of stuff.

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    1. The more the merrier! I have a bag that isn't full yet waiting for me in the dining room. I'm going to pick it up and continue tomorrow!

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  10. ho ho ho make your list and check it twice ho ho ho

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  11. I think I could do this, but I just did and I didn't count. Bummer. I'll look for some more...I'm sure I can find a few more things. I love these kind of challenges. When I organized my drawers, I had several things to get rid of. I checked out Janet's blog, and I still need to go through medicine cabinets and bathroom cupboard. She mentioned that, and I only did the kitchen and pantry.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Janet lives in a tiny little cottage...reminded me of your tiny little home, too! I love how it is decorated and actually looks spacious. She's ruthless on decluttering and giving away...I'm always inspired when I see her posts. Won't be going vegan, though...haha.

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  12. I've been working on it. I have so much that I've just eliminated from my rooms to keep them simple, but they are things I love and want to save. There never seems to be a solution or storage answer for that stuff. Thanks for Janet's link, and good for you!

    XOI,
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I kinda of have the same thought...there are pretty things that I have that I don't want all displayed at once. I like to swap things out, especially as the seasons change. I'm in the process of designating a closet for that kind of stuff....so it's organized and has it's place while in storage. It may take all year to get this place how I have it envisioned in my head, but I'll get there! ha.

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  13. Excellent! I'm pretty stream lined already, but the basement would be the first place I would need to go to!

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    1. I don't have a basement...maybe that's why I'm still having problems in the house! ha.

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  14. I should try that! I bet I could do it several days in a row too. :)

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    1. I'm going to do another bag today. ...yeah, several days in a row will not be a problem...especially while I'm cleaning out already!

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  15. Every time I throw something out that I don't use that has been cluttering the house for years, I find that I desperately need it a few days later. Ah well, C'est la vie!

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    1. That did happen to me once. I donated two baking pans because I couldn't think of why I needed them...they were duplicates. But several months later, I went to make a recipe and then it dawned on me that I needed those two pans! ha. But the majority of the time, I haven't missed what has left.

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  16. Hi Betsy .. I'm doing exactly that ... as I uncover myself from my dustsheets - a change must occur! It's a great idea .. the calendars and cards I took up to the Nursing Centre, which has a Dementia unit .. and they use them for making things ... also old buttons etc ...

    It's great to re-use and recycle things .. I take most stuff to the charity shops .. funny things people need!

    Good for you .. cheers Hilary

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    1. you really are coming out of the dustsheets...literally! Have fun!

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  17. Hmmmm... I think I was joining you yesterday and didn't even realize it!! LOL! There were lots of things that hit the trash! Maybe we should try this once a month! (or once a week for a year! LOL). blessings ~ tanna

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    1. haha...great minds! Well, preparing to move will really make you do this!

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  18. Seems we all get the 'urge to purge' our houses of unnecessary items this time of the year. I've been going through mine and donating or pitching as I go. So much fun!

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    1. I would love to know the reason behind that urge and why it comes in January.....someone must have done a study on this somewhere! ha.

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    2. New Year... new start. Fresh slate!

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    3. Is that what it is? Sounds so simple. ha.

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  19. Replies
    1. and it sounds like your hubby would love it if you did it! haha....

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  20. Wonderful idea! I have some books and small toys that I want to donate soon!
    Have a great day! =)

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  21. I could very easily come up with 100...

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  22. I did this during the month of Dec. It's a great idea! I've learned to try to just deposit things as I need to into a bag for the thrift shop. Once a week, I take the bag to the shop. The bag fills up faster than you would imagine. This ongoing cleaning out has helped keep the clutter to a minimum. :-)

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    1. That's a great idea....I love the idea of an ongoing thrift store bag.

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  23. It's amazing what can be done in a small space with a few creative ideas. No I won't be going vegan either, as last night Don and I went to Olive Garden with 2 Christmas gift cards...crusted salmon and chicken marsala and tonight, the leftovers.

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  24. I used to read her blog....but...I couldn't believe the estate sales she used to go to...and such deals she would get!
    We just took 4 large bags to the thrift shop last week....and brought a few treasures home, as well! ha!
    I like those acorn candles....are you giving those away?
    You were busy....and missed a few posts.....get on over here, Missy!

    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  25. Well, Miss Betsy, when you get all of yours cleaned out, come on down to Georgia.... and plan on staying at least a week to go through all of my piles and stashes here and there. I just can never seem to get to it myself, so was thinking you might be able to do it for me! HA!!

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  26. What an awesome idea. My theme for the new year is "LESS", so this is a perfect thing for me to do soon. Thanks for your inspiration. XO

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