This year I got married. But this post isn't about the wedding or the happily every after. This post is about stuff. Until last March I was a middle class single girl living in a 2000 square foot suburban home. I lived comfortably and had nice things in every room, every closet. I had a room devoted only to quilting and sewing. My husband and I moved in together after the wedding, he came from a town 3 hours away. So we really hadn't sorted or sifted anything, deciding which toaster we'd keep and how we might merge our coffee routines. He had a garage full of welding equipment, two beds, and a house full of stuff. I had a garage full of woodworking equipment (table saw included) three beds and a house full of stuff. You see where I'm going with this. Enter the Minimalists.
Joshua and Ryan recommend playing this game every month where they get rid of things for 30 days.
First day, one thing goes out of the house, second day, two things out, third day three things and so on. I loved the idea and the playful aspect of teh challenge but it was unrealistic for me to follow the strict regime of divesting while settling into a new life with my husband. So I modified the rules. I counted up all the things I would get rid of in a month of playing (496 things in a 31 day month). And devoted blank notebook pages to equal 496 things. At two columns a page that's over eight pages of things!
Money as a motivator.
I knew it would be hard to get rid of things so I added a financial incentive. I would document the fair market value of all my items along with a description and donate them to my favorite local charity the Humane Society of Central Oregon Thrift Store. Then I could deduct the value of my donation from my taxable income. Essentially earning about $25 for every $100 in value donated.
Update: December 2014
Success, I'm proud to report over 500 things have left my household. While I will continue with the occasional purge, I don't think 2015 will be a year focused on reduction. My husband and our pup are both worried they will be "minimized" which might be a sign it's time to call it quits for now and enjoy our new space!
Housekeeping Focus for 2015 Includes:
I'll be taking the January Cure course from Apartment Therapy.
I've signed up for A Simple Year to help me focus on 12 months of simplifying in all areas of my life.
I'm implementing a few aspects of the recent book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japaense Art of Decluttering by Marie Kondo
