With a New Year Comes New Goals...

I was trying to do too much. Online school full time. Full time job. Taking care of the house and toddler. Trying to find time for me. Trying to be thoughtful for Christmas without going overboard.

I have a renewed sense of motivation and inclination to be accomplished.

Below are my personal goals in no particular order:

1. Declutter at least 2,017 items this year.
2. Use my planner daily to stay focused.
3. Eat down the pantry.
4. Make it a habit to clean the kitchen every night before bedtime.
5. Earn A's in all my classes this year.
6. Make all cards instead of buying them (and use up the cards I already have on hand).
7. Continue learning how to slow down my lifestyle.
8. Read more.
9. Color more.
10. Create more.

Below are my financial goals:

1. Pay off medical bills.
2. Continue contributing 25% to my 401k.
3. Build up emergency fund.
4. Use reward sites like Swagbucks and Bing to purchase wants and items needed to make gifts.

Below are my blog goals in no particular order:

1. Post frugal efforts every Monday to encourage and motivate.
2. Post Thankful Thursday posts to declare gratitude for the little things.
3. Post monthly declutter lists and accomplishments.
4. Post occasional recipes and projects.
5. Post moments of pause weekly to not forget the little things.
6. Post more. Write more.

What are your goals for the new year?

July Decluttering Efforts.

I didn't have a specific number in mind for this month. I was and am very busy with school work so I decided to go with the flow and see what I could accomplish. Below are the items I decluttered for the month of July:

1. x2 lip glosses
2. gum container
3. key chain
4. baby book
5. x3 salt/pepper shakers
6. x2 spices
7. x4 books
8. x1 coat rack
9. x1 pack of outlet covers
10. x4 toddler pants
11. x4 toddler shirts
12. x1 toddler pj set
13. x4 toddler shorts
14. x1 batter dispenser
15. x4 toddler spoons
16. x2 toddler boots
17. x4 curtain panels
18. x7 free samples
19. x1 candle burner
20. x3 candle holders
21. x1 pack of chalk markers
22. x2 swim suits
23. x1 jacket
24. x1 bag of coffee
25. x1 purse
26. x2 packs of pudding
27. x1 mouse pad
28. x6 shirts
29. x3 skirts
30. x1 box of baby clothes
31. x2 dresses
32. x2 trench coats
33. x79 pieces of baby clothes
34. x2 curtain panels
35. x3 packs of baby socks
36. x1 pillow
37. x3 wash cloths
38. x1 bath mitt 
39. x7 magazines

Total items decluttered: 170 items

I also focused on using up things like candles and bath/body stuff. I have more candles to burn, but I made a big dent in my old collection.

Next month will be interesting. I finally discovered a place that will do a pick up so all I have to do is put everything outside by 7am. I'm so excited. I was discouraged by every organization that didn't do pickups in my area. One day I came home to a postcard from a company that is willing to come out! They're scheduled to come three days after my school quarter ends so I'll do a mad scramble to declutter. I won't set a number goal for August either.

What have you decluttered lately?

July Goals

June was pretty busy for me. My classes this quarter are very reading intense so I have had little free time since I work full time out of the home as well. But then I find myself outside with the toddler doing spontaneous yard work. I didn't accomplish most of my June goals, and I don't want to get disappointed by not completing another big list so below is all I'm requiring myself to accomplish for July:

1. Complete all homework on time and to the best of my ability.
2. Get ahead on all the reading assignments.
3. Keep track of meals eaten and try to plan weekly dinners at the very least.
4. Declutter when possible.
5. Try to strike the perfect balance of homework, housework, and quality time with the toddler and husband.
6. Focus on the little frugal efforts.

If anything I'll keep a list of the things that I happened to accomplish. I read somewhere that it was pretty motivational to have a list of completed tasks vs. a list of uncompleted items.

What are your goals for July?

June Decluttering Efforts

My goal for June was to declutter 100 items. Below are the items I disowned:

• 7 magazines
• 2 pairs of toddler shoes
• 29 books
• 1 loom
• 1 wood burning kit
• 3 radios
• 1 puzzle
• 1 ice cube tray
• 5 toys
• 1 box of yarn
• 1 box from laptop cooler
• 1 ribbon
• 4 bottles of shampoo
• 8 mason jar lids
• 4 movies
• 2 cups
• 1 mug
• 2 bibs

Total items decluttered: 74

Darn. The month started out strong, but then I was overrun by schoolwork. I don't have a set number for July, but I will declutter as much as I can. Sometimes it's easier when a number isn't specified. I still have a ways to go until I reach that point where I feel "done" and move on to purely maintenance mode.

What have you decluttered lately?

Recent Frugal Efforts.

We visited a local U-Pick farm. We picked two containers of huge raspberries for $0.50 each plus some beautiful dahlias.

I was able to get a couple books for one of my classes from the library so I didn't need to buy them. For the textbooks I had to buy I rented them from Amazon for a cheap price, and when I return them they provide a free shipping label.

I took the survey on the Fred Meyer receipt for free Fuel Points. (gas discount)

I upped the automatic monthly deposit to my husband's Roth.

I set up an automatic extra principal payment on the mortgage.

I requested a few bags from donatestuff.com so I can declutter unused clothing and shoes. They pay the shipping label, and it's tax deductible.

My toddler and I did some "landscaping" outside. Free exercise, entertainment, and time together.

I am using an expired coupon as a bookmark.

I spent less than $10 on my sister's birthday gifts. (inappropriate coloring book, set of 72 colored pencils, pencil sharpener, candy bar, and freshly ground coffee)

I got some free and heavily discounted things in exchange for reviews.

My toddler and I signed up for the summer reading program at our library. He enjoys signing his chart each day.

I had some points with Recycle Bank that I needed to use before they expired so I used a lot of to enter $300 gift cards drawings and used the rest for free magazine subscriptions. I kind of cringe at this a little, but I'm genuinely interested in their content, and when I'm done reading them I'll save them for crafts and give them to others to read.

My son got some books and movies from the library.

I turned the oven off a few minutes before the timer went off when cooking. I do this when boiling stuff on the stove top too.

I requested free ebooks from my library's website to read off the used Kindle Paperwhite I got off Ebay last year. It still works great.

I set up a temporary homework area for me from stuff I had around the house.

I brought food, coffee, and water to work in reusable containers for the most part.

I started using Swagbucks, Bing, Perk TV, and Inbox Dollars again because there are some things I want to buy for the house (blackout curtains and a push mower).

My mom brought over a toddler play set for the yard that she had for years. It has two slides, a tunnel, and a little fort. He loved it! She's bringing some old outdoor tables/chairs for him this week.

We attended a free local event celebrating Independence Day. There was free admission, free food, free game, free prizes, and free parking. It was pretty fun. My toddler loved the huge field. He had so much fun running with wreckless abandon.



What have you done lately to save money?

June Goals

The year is half over already! Christmas is six months away. Time just keeps going so fast even though it seems to slowly creep along during the worst moments. I completed most of my May goals, and I got my blogging "oomph" back so I consider that a success. Here are my goals for the month of June:

Cleaning/Organizing:

• Move sandbox.
• Clean outdoor wicker chairs.
• Declutter at least 100 items.
• Claim a dedicated area for schoolwork and blogging.

Crafting/Creating:

• Make anniversary card.
• Make birdseed wreaths for our yard.

Blogging:

• Keep up with current types of posts.
• Comment more on other blogs.

Meal Planning:

• Continue planning weekly dinners.
• Eat down pantry and freezers.
• Make extra waffles to freeze.
• Make extra standard sized muffins to freeze.

Miscellaneous:

• Start journaling again.
• Clean out the armoire drawers! (this didn't happen in May)
• Try selling things on Ebay.
• Order a photo card for Father's day and some prints to decorate my work desk.

I have a week off between classes this month. I'm going to enjoy going to bed earlier and being able to read what I want to on breaks at work...maybe even do some coloring. I do plan on finally playing some of my video games that I haven't touched since this quarter began. I hope to spend some time decluttering my closet; I just haven't had the time nor energy to do so.

What are your goals this month?

May Decluttering Efforts

My goal was to declutter at least 100 items.

Here are the things that I decluttered for the month of May:

• 11 pairs of toddler socks
• 11 duplo blocks
• 1 strawberry stemmer
• 1 toddler spoon
• 1 toddler fort
• 4 toddler books
• 1 bouncy ball
• 2 surprise eggs
• 8 food items for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive
• 1 puzzle cube
• 2 deodorant samples
• 1 lotion sample
• 1 sanitizer sample
• 1 floating candle
• 1 broken drinking glass
• 1 stack of coupons
• 1 bag of box tops
• 1 cutting board
• 4 toddler snack cups
• 1 monkey figurine
• 1 stack of metal mason jar lids
• 1 tote bag
• 1 egg carton
• 1 stack of used post it notes
• 1 pair of toddler shoes
• 3 egg shaped crayons
• 2 toddler sweaters
• 1 toddler coat
• 1 phone book
• 1 spork
• 1 spatula
• 1 car shampoo
• 1 spoon
• 1 wine sized organza bag
• 1 hair net for a aig
• 1 ribbon
• 1 necklace
• 2 doll stands
• 3 cans of formula samples
• 11 utensil packages
• 1 toddler fork
• 1 carbon filter
• 8 old vitamin containers
• 1 empty candle
• 2 toddler books
• 1 teether
• 1 stapler
• a pack of candy bars
• a graze sampler box
• container of pepper
• old gum
• an assortment of samples
• 3 color wonder coloring books
• bag of color wonder markers
• mug holder
• led flashlight
• spaghetti jar

Total for this month: 118 items!

My house feels lighter, but I have much more to do. At least I can breathe easier each time I choose to let go of an item. I am setting another personal goal of decluttering at least 100 items for the month of June.

What have you decluttered this month?

May Goals

I have a good feeling. I have a handle on my current school workload. I unsubscribed my time from things that are not important to me right now. It might be the fresh air getting to me! I am learning to manage my time well. I should start small so I don't overwhelm myself, but I have a good feeling, and I want to run with it. Here are my goals for the month of May:

Cleaning/Organizing:

• Take down the toddler fort.
• Find and recycle toddler's paperwork and coupons he occasionally plays with.
• Put all toys in the right places. (I'm looking at you play food in the backpack)
• Go through both drawers of my armoire.
• Figure out a set cleaning schedule.
• Make using my planner a habit. (to do list, meal planning, bills, etc.)
• Declutter at least 100 items.
• Go through my coupon stash.

Crafting/Creating:

• Make two Mother's Day cards.
• Make two birdseed wreaths.

Blogging:

• Weekly Frugal Effort posts.
• Weekly Moment of Pause posts.
• More posts in general.

Meal Planning:

• Continue writing dinners down on the kitchen calendar.
• Eat down the pantry and freezers.

Miscellaneous:

• Order prints of son and husband to decorate my new work desk. I'll be taking the old ones home to put on the wall.
• Go outside at least once on each day off.
• Start journaling again.

What are your goals for this new month?

Recent Decluttering Efforts.

There is just so much stuff. When you look around your house and really take notice of every. single. thing. you and your family/roommates/whomever own it's just unbelievable. And it's only one household! There are millions of Americans with homes like yours. How much stuff do they have?

One of my current quests is to declutter my home. It has been a work in progress for awhile, but I have a renewed vigor to get it done. Here is a list of some things I've decluttered. Since tomorrow is a new month I'll be doing monthly declutter posts to hold myself accountable and to hopefully inspire.

So...here's my list of things that I can remember:

4 packages of papertowels

8 packages of toilet paper

2 drinking glasses

1 coffee mug

3 toddler plates

1 white board eraser

3+ dry erase markers

1 hoard of paperwork the toddler played with for awhile

5 baby books

1 coffee grinder

1 strainer

1 sippy cup

1 face wash

12 cans of 5+ year expired frosting (omg embarassing!)

1 garbage bag of 5+ year expired frozen things from the freezer (oh, the guilt!)

What have you decluttered lately?

Things that have left my possession.

I've been following three places* where people post about items they've gotten rid of, and those random internet people have inspired a new sporadic post series for this blog. I will, from time to time, post a list (and maybe some pictures) of things that have left my possession.

Decluttering for me is a long process because I can't do a full sweep in one go. I have to strategize. I have to muster the energy. I can't let my husband watch me do it because if he sees what are in my boxes he questions things or takes them out. I'm not touching his items; just mine...or maybe a kitchen item from time to time.

What has left my possession recently? (well in all honesty many items are still being possessed, but are humbly waiting in boxes until I can donate officially.)

• At least two boxes of books. 
• Our old collection of kitchen utensils. We were gifted with an all metal set so we took our cheap crap to the breakrooms at work.
• A few coffee mugs.
• More than three pairs of pants.
• A small mountain of socks.
• A pair of slippers.
• A mirror.
• A few brooches.
• A watch with spare bands.
• A few kitchen gadgets.
• Some shirts.
• A jumpy chair.
• A baby activity chair.
• Two canisters of baby food.
• Vanilla beans. I'm not making vanilla extract this year like I wanted to so I brought the beans to work. They were excitedly taken.
• An ice cream scoop.
• A random assortment of office supplies.
• A pair of shoes.
• 2 Nail files.
• Expired medication.
• A scarf.
• Various stacks of paperwork.
• A cardigan.
• A dress.

*Those three places are:

1. Becoming a Minimalist
2. Annual Declutter Challenge Facebook Group
3. Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out the clutter

What has left your possession recently?

Declutter Challenge Weeks 2-4

(More than) two weeks ago I started the declutter challenge. I went out of order, but each day had a different total item count. Here's what I got rid of before I stopped:

April 8th:  7 items one glove, one receipt, one coupon, one bottle of essential oil, two cans of soda, one postcard.
April 9th: 20 items two boxes of magazines, one shirt, one charm, one key chain, one hair tie, two rubber bands, two pairs of scissors, ten paperclips.
April 10th: 19 items two pins, one pen cap, one pen refill, one rubber band, one razor blade,one pencil, one hook, one card, one broken pen, three tacks, two nails, two tags, one business card, one index card.
April 11th:  17 items 5 cans of soda, four necklaces, one pair of gloves, five packages of candles, one package of knee highs, one pair of unmentionables.

I stopped because I had a health emergency situation, and after that ended I was too far behind to catch up.

Initial Thoughts:

It's almost absurd how when I'm looking through things I haven't seen in years that I feel resistance to get rid of them. Things that have not served me in any way, and I suddenly don't want to part with them!

The amount of crap that I've been holding onto --intentionally and unintentionally-- is crazy!

Total number of items gone: 111!

After Thoughts:

As fun as these number challenges are, since this isn't the first challenge I failed...I've come to the conclusion that these challenges just aren't for me, and that's okay. What's important is the desire to have and want less. At this point in my life I just need to declutter at my own pace.

Overall I have been decluttering for over a year. Sometimes it's slow going, but I always keep going. I can see vast improvements. My living room takes less than 5 minutes to pick up my toddler's toys and books at the end of the day. It takes about 10 minutes to hang/fold my husbands clothes, my clothes, and the towels. (it takes 45 minutes to put my toddler's away because he loves playing with his clean clothes)

I did enjoy keeping track of what items I purged. It's motivating, eye opening, and kind of terrifying. I plan to post occasional updates with my decluttering. I still have several trouble spots (linen closet, pantry, kitchen, laundry room, etc.)


What have you decluttered lately?

Declutter Challenge Week #1

It's been one week since I started the declutter challenge. I decided to do it out of order so I wouldn't get stressed out because of my busy daily life stuff. So here are the seven "days" I tackled:

April 1st:  1 item rabbit doll.
April 2nd: 6 items one pair of slippers, one slipper, one box of magazines, one belt, one box of writing utensils, one small plastic container.
April 3rd: 4 items two rugs, one pair of headphones, one bracelet.
April 4th:  11 items one pair of slippers, one pair of shoes, one package of wax melts, one light bulb, one pair of sunglasses, one stuffed animal, one ad, one perfume sample, one pencil, one pen, one battery.
April 5th: 2 items one bottle of soda, one pair of toddler shoes
April 6th: 21 items four cans of soda, one gadget, one chocolate bar, two notebooks, one headphones case, one printer software CD, one ribbon, one bookmark, one bracelet, one blank card, one toy, one card stock envelope, two pairs of shoelaces, two pairs of gloves, one single glove.
April 7th: 3 items one card, one tool, one bracelet

Thoughts:

It's easier to declutter when my husband isn't home so I don't have to listen to him ponder and/or disapprove of my choices and try to rescue things. It's hard to fill a box when there is a toddler taking things out of the box.

I'm so glad I got rid of those ugly rugs. They were a Christmas gift a couple years ago, and I "used" them for awhile so I wouldn't feel guilty. Now I'll never feel guilty about them again.

Total number of items gone: 48!

What have you decluttered lately?

The Declutter Challenge Starts Today.

Have you heard about the 30 day declutter challenge? It's a game I discovered over on The Minimalist's Blog. The rules are super simple. On day 1 you get rid of one item. On day 2 you get rid of two items and so on.

I have attempted this game a few times before and failed because it's hard to manage a full time job + toddler + house duties + etc. But this time I won't fail. Because I'm going to go out of order. I will declutter as many items as I can each day, and I'll mark that number off on the calender so by the end of the month I will have decluttered a total of XX items.

There are already things on my mental list that will be gone once the challenge starts. That pair of shoes that doesn't fit anymore. That little stuffed rabbit I received as a gift one year that doesn't bring me joy. That cute toddler hat that my son refuses to wear that he will soon outgrow anyway.

What's the point of decluttering? Why would I bother waiting to declutter just so I can partake in a silly minimalist game?

• Because it makes me feel accountable for getting things done.
• I can go at my own pace while not feeling overwhelmed with day to day life.
• I can make a small difference to my household and mental self each day.
• Having less stuff means I have less to maintain and clean.
  

I came across this article: Everything in its Place, Finally and Forever and wow, it blew me away. You need to read it so that you can be moved too. Here are a couple of snippets:

There is an indescribable weight on your conscience that is released when you give something up. Every item you get rid of frees you, it really does.

I never realized the agitating effect that homeless stuff has on the mind. There’s this mild but always-present feeling that something is unresolved, because we only leave things lying around under the pretense that they’re only going to be there temporarily. But the resolution never comes, because the homeless objects have no place to go.

Have you participated in the declutter challenge? Will you try today? Surely you can part with one item. Post your declutter efforts in the comments. I'd love to read them!