Happy Earth Day!! Declutter Game Challenge - Days 12-18

Happy Earth Day!!

Well, it's Earth Day in my neck of the woods and to "celebrate" our local zoo sets up a recycling center for people to get rid of old stuff they need to declutter. They work with local companies and agencies like Goodwill, Lott Industries and the like, to collect and sort items that the community brings in. I waited in the car lane for 30 minutes to get into the zoo, but it was worth it to rid my life of all this junk cluttering up my house!!

This event comes at a perfect time for me because I'm soooooo behind on my Declutter Game Challenge. So, I used this opportunity to catch up on 105 items which is basically all of this past week. I grabbed a few boxes and went through the house and started filling them up. I posted a video on my facebook page to show you just how packed my car was. See it here: Earth Day at the Zoo

I felt so light after this haul got out of my house!! Of the 105 items, I was able to get out 96 of them. I'll make up the rest with a freecycle list of items, but TODAY, I decluttered the following: boxes, phone books, paper, CDs, magazines, books, encyclopedias (I'll show this on Day #16), laptop battery, purses, clothes, shoes, keyboard, coats, cell phone and accessories, a broken chair and desk drawer and a printer. Whew!!

Take a look!! What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day? Will you be able to reduce, recycle or reuse?

Decluter Game Challenge - Day #16

Okay, I got rid of these items at the Zoo Recycle Day, but I still wanted to separate it out from the others, since there was 16 of these. Do you remember encyclopedias? Yeah, before Google, we actually looked up information and researched in books!!

I have always been a nerd and my parents gladly obliged when I asked for books. Speaking of my parents, I found this partial volume of encyclopedias in my parents' garage. They did a decluttering of their garage a couple of months ago and my Dad let me know that I still had books and miscellaneous items in there. Imagine my surprise to see my childhood books in there. Wow!!

So, I gathered them all up and threw them in the backseat of my car. I had the intention of taking them to Goodwill, but I hemmed and hawed, wondering it maybe the library might want them or could I give them to my nieces or some other child. They were dusty, but nothing I couldn't get off. Plus, they were in great condition!! 

Intentions are great, but in truth life got in the way, so now weeks later, I STILL had them in my car. Earth Day at the Zoo was the PERFECT way and reason to get them out of there. The best thing about it is Goodwill is who unloaded my car at the recycling event, so it got to the original destination anyway. Win-win!! Love when things work out!!

Declutter Game Challenge - Days #7 & #9

Hey!! Catch up time!!

I combined my Declutter Game Challenge Days for #7 and #9. They were really easy ones, but they were done after the fact and out of order, so I'm just reporting them.

For me decluttering is not just about physical stuff, but virtual stuff too. I checked most of my emails via my smart phone (we're so dependent on our handheld technology now), so I rarely see the emails piling up in my Junk Mail. So, for Day #7, I decided to empty them for my seven email addresses. It wasn't super quick though because I do glance through them to make sure a legit email didn't get in there by accident (technology isn't perfect). I emptied those folders and was satisfied.

Then Day #9 kind of fell in my lap. I have been part of the crew for a local theater production and while cleaning up backstage, I found so many empty or half empty bottles of water. Of course some of them "fell" into the trash can. Being the Earth Lover that I am, I made sure everyone knew I was collecting the bottles to be recycled (instead of going to the never never land landfill). I gathered as many as I could find and put them in my receptacle at home.

Glad to get rid of my junk and others' junk too!! Enjoy your day!!

Declutter Game Challenge - Day #8

Hey!! Checking in!! This declutter day was so much fun!!

I hate wasting anything, especially food. So, I had several (8 to be exact) OVERLY ripe, not quite or completely rotten (don't judge me) apples in my fridge. I love apples, but I don't always eat them during lunch time. They are usually my snack, but if I get busy at work and don't eat it, it comes back home and back to the refrigerator. I only like them when they are hard, so by now, they've softened, but I don't want to waste them...

I remember my bestie making the best fried apples ever a few years ago before she moved away. I decided to take a page from her book. I cored them with my handy dandy kitchen gadget, threw them in a pan with some butter, added sugar and cinnamon and IT WAS ON!! They were delicious!! I had them for a nice dessert all week long, along with some Vanilla Bean ice cream. Yum!!

So, I decluttered my fridge without wasting the food!! SCORE!!

April Declutter Game Challenge - Day 1-3

It’s April!! Time to make way for the sunshine, the flowers and new season!! For me, that means it’s time to DECLUTTER. I love the beginning of the month because I love the feeling of a fresh start; being able to start over regardless of how your yesterday ended.

I've decided to participate in the Declutter Game, which is my 30 day decluttering challenge to get rid of items in my house, my work, my space, and my life that I no longer need, want or love. IT’S GOT TO GO!! I always feel like this when I can sense something big coming my way. In truth, I've been getting good news ALL WEEK, so it’s confirmation for me to remove the old to make way for the new.

I saw a similar challenge online and it inspired me to act like a minimalist for these next 30 days. The idea is to let one thing (or series of things) go for every day of the month it is. So on the first day I got rid of one item, on the tenth day I will get rid of 10 items and on the 23^rd of the month…right I’m disposing of 23 items.

I don’t really care how I get rid of them, just as long as they leave my life. Follow my journey because I know I’ll be giving away, dumping, sending off and possibly even selling stuff. I hope you’ll be encouraged to join me and de-crapify your corner of the world too.

Though I’m late sharing this blog post, I can honestly say I haven’t been procrastinating (another challenge on which I’m working). 

I started on Day #1. This is how I recycle my paper items. These include printer paper, notebook paper, old coupons, inserts, envelopes and junk mail. I always remove (and shred) any personal information. There's an outside paper recycling center in my neck of the woods and I just simply dump it there.

I completed Day #2 as well. The whole day went by and I couldn't think of what to declutter. At the close of the day (after Scandal), I noticed that two of my light bulbs, in my six bulb chandelier, were burnt out. Interesting that there were two...perfect for day two. Obviously these were trashed.

And at work, I've already finished Day #3. I reached out to my co-workers for ideas and they blurted out I should clean out my drawer. Whew!! I really needed to do that and organize, so I was happy to take their advice. I got rid of three piles of old plastic utensils, old food I knew I wouldn't eat and old office supplies (some of which I inherited from a co-worker. Never again)!!

One big swoop sent them to the can. **dusting off my hands**

That's that!! I'll keep pulling, purging and posting and I hope you'll join me!! Until next time, stay frugalicious...muah!!