Sunday, June 23, 2013

Thirty Things Lighter Update

Last month I set a goal for myself to become thirty things lighter over thirty days.  While I definitely have more than thirty (or even three hundred) things I could easily do without, I chose a smaller number so I could establish a healthy monthly habit of reducing items that I could maintain going forward.  So here's a list of my former possessions:


  • Four (4) t-shirts/polo shirts
  • Five (5) wife shirts
  • Eight (8) glass mugs 
  • One (1) cup
  • One (1) nalgene bottle
  • One (1) sleeping bag
  • Two (2) rear bike racks
  • Two (2) Polk car speakers
  • Two (2) pairs of sneakers
  • Four (4) pairs of dress & casual shoes
I put up a couple craigslist ads but apparently my things aren't worth, you know, money.  That's cool.  Giving away stuff is good, too, so the thrift store (and by extension, our neighbors) get our things.

There are bigger items in the plan, like an ATV and trailer (sorting out title issues now, as they came from Nevada), and hiking backpack, and our Jeep (likely being sold to our housemate).  We also have some boxes in the garage that should be able to keep our reduction plan going for a few months, at least.

It's a good feeling, getting rid of things, especially since I think most of this stuff will find another home.  I'm going to try to find another thirty items for July and see how sustainable this habit is.  (And on a side note, I just picked up The Power of Habit from the library and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to create some better habits, too.)  Finding the first thirty items was pretty easy, but I imagine I'll get to the point of having to make real choices fairly soon, if I'm to keep this up.  And as I whittle away at my stuff, I'll need the power of habits to continue when the going gets tough.  As always, wish me luck!

*Photo is from UnnarYmir at Flickr Creative Commons.

13 comments:

  1. Leslie and I are also working on scaling down some of our possessions this month. Most of the items we've given up have been clothing, but we will see what else comes up as we work on cleaning out everything in our studio. Rock on with that new book! I love reading books on habits, attitude, and people skills so you'll have to let us know how the book is!

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  2. I will, Kyle -- maybe that will be a short blog post. Please let me know how your own scale down, goes. I find I get a lot of motivation from seeing others accomplish things that I also want to do.

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  3. Sweet. I totally need to do the same thing. I try to get rid of stuff....but it's definitely a work in progress!

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    1. I hear you, Holly. I have a lot of projects in the WIP stage. All the best!

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  4. Very nice. I've been doing the same thing! For the most part I'm trying to sell things on Craigslist, but a lot of donations, too. Amazing how time-consuming it can be be to get rid of stuff!

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    1. Good point. I like the opportunity to make a little someting for my things, but there's a time cost, too.

      When we move, I joke to my wife that the universe's penalty for owning too many things is having to pick up and put down each of your possessions. Our backs pay for the extent of our materialism.

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  5. You are doing great and keeping to the plan. I only wish my wife would let me get rid of some of the things we have. Seems like we are stacking more then using. I remember having an ATV going up in SC. Those were the fun days! Craiglist usually works great for me are you posting pictures of the items?

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Thomas! It seems we all have more than we want in our dens, for whatever reason.

      I admittedly didn't put everything up on Craigslist, only the items I thought might sell. I did use pictures and re-post a couple of times...and after a couple rounds I thought I'd just donate the items. It's definitely not the optimal way, but I wanted to stick to the timeframe of 30 days, too.

      The backpack, trailer, and ATV, once we settle the title issues, will stay on craigslist until sold though...no donations there. :)

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  6. My wife and I decluttered recently and it felt great. We have so much more we should get rid of though. My wife has a lot of stuff that she still needs to get rid of...in my opinion! She used to be better when she moved around a lot because she wasn't able to keep too much stuff. Now that we've been in the same place for a few years, the stuff is piling up.

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    1. I've noticed the same thing, Andrew. When we were renting and mobile, we were less likely to acquire things knowing that the next move was just a few months away.

      I wonder if there's a way to keep that mindset while still enjoying the benefits of staying in one place?

      By the way, I'm glad I found your blog!

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    2. Thanks! The feeling is mutual. Well to keep that mindset, I tell my wife that if we haven't used the item in the last year or two, we should get rid of it. Getting rid of stuff is easier when you are forced to move because you'd rather get rid of it than deal with it on the move. But if you're not actually moving...it'll just lay there is some corner of your closet. I don't know if there's a way!

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  7. I've been working on this for some time now. My only regret is that I didn't sell more stuff, and instead just took the tax credit! Enjoy your newfound space!

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    1. Hi Zoe,

      Yeah, I'm going to have to read through your posts to get some decluttering ideas.

      I'm definitely looking forward to having more space and less things. If we can get through some issues with registering the ATV & trailer, we can get our garage back.

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