Minimalism Challenge

 Now that the weather is cooler and I don't have to spend as much time outside in the garden, except for some last few jobs of tidying before winter, I have more time to spend on decluttering and organising. I think I have also done all the preserving of our fruit that I want to as I am just too tired to do anymore as there are plenty of jobs to do. We are also enjoying eating the remaining fruit fresh which saves me buying any. Our garden is looking pretty good and the vegetable garden weeds are mostly under control.

We were recently away visiting my family for my Mum's birthday and while talking to my sister about all this decluttering, I shared with her the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge that I had discovered awhile back. I am not sure where the original idea came from but I found out about it watching Vested Interests on Youtube. She is a minimalist who I find very inspiring to watch on occasion. 

So my sister and I decided to do the challenge together to encourage and inspire one another. We send a photo to each other every day showing what we have selected to get rid of.

What is it?

Well for 30 days you go through your house and get rid of a whole lot of stuff.

On day 1 you get rid of 1 item, day 2 get rid of 2 items and all the way through to day 30 where you get rid of 30 items. In total it is nearly 500 items that you get rid of.

Think you don't have that much stuff? Try it and you will be amazed.

Here is what I have so far selected as my decluttered items...

Day 1

This fake pot plant was by our front door and even though I liked it, it got in the way every time I pulled back the curtains and bits were starting to fall out. So this can go!

Day 2 

An old cookie tin that came with cookies for Christmas. We don't need the tin as I have too many! Also the little box was sent in the mail to hold something delicate that was sent for my boys. The box is old so I know I don't have to keep it.

Day 3

Here we have a small tin that I use for biscuits but I have plenty of tins so I am getting rid of this. I have had it for many years. A coaster set which we don't need as we have more than enough and a small half apron which I don't wear anymore as I prefer a full apron.

Day 4

A bronze coloured pot that the fake plant was in. I was going to keep it but I have decided I don't like it. A wooden bowl that I didn't buy and I don't require it, some pencils and a pile of magazines. I have counted these magazines as one item even though there are eight because I know I have a lot to get rid of. I love Country Living magazines as there are beautiful articles not just on country style homes but gardening, farming, recipes etc. However, when I read them out comes too much stuff as I try to create that cosy cottage look in my home and then after awhile I get overwhelmed with too much stuff and around and around it goes.

This is it so far as we have just started the challenge this week. I won't post all the photos for every day but I hope this gives you a good idea and inspires you to get started on simplifying your home.

At the same time I am doing this I have been encouraging my three sons to each clear out 5 things a day from their bedrooms and to do this for a whole week. So if they do it for 7 days that will be 35 items each that they have cleared out. I don't mind if it is rubbish or recycling as long as they get rid of stuff. They have all been doing a great job and every day they come and show me their selections.

The other thing I am doing is an extra 14 day challenge that one of the youtube channels I follow did this week.  It is a selection of things to do everyday.

This list is from Shannon Torrens. She has a great blog and two Youtube channels. She is a family minimalist and I love her videos. ShannonTorrens.com

Day 1. Evaluate your spending habits

Day 2. Declutter 10 items from your closet

Day 3. Assess your amount of furniture

Day 4. Make a budget

Day 5. Declutter one drawer

Day 6. Declutter social media accounts or emails

Day 7. Declutter your car

Day 8. Donate 10 books/what you won't read

Day 9. Go through the medicine cabinet

Day 10. Declutter extra home decor

Day 11. Day of rest ( this is what being more simple/minimal is all about )

Day 12. Delete Apps

Day 13. Start a good habit

Day 14. Drop off donations

I have so far done Day 1 but I just evaluated how much I am spending on groceries every week including the vegetable box delivery. I have also done Day 2.

I also did Day 13 and my new good habit which hopefully I can keep up is to clean out and organise my fridge weekly before purchasing the week's groceries and the vegetable box being delivered. I did it yesterday before going grocery shopping.

Here is my large scrapbooking collection. I used to do scrapbooking all the time back when my boys were younger but since we started homeschooling over five years ago I haven't had the time (or the energy!) to do any. I have thought long and hard about what to do. It is taking up a lot of space in my wardrobe which is already bursting with stuff and so I have decided to get rid of most of it.

Here is what I am giving to our Art teacher who also has a daughter and friend who would love it.

I figured it may as well go to someone else who will enjoy it and put it to good use. Our Art teacher is always good to us and such a wonderful teacher to my boys so I am happy to give it to her.

This I will keep...

These albums are different from regular scrapbooking and will be so much easier to slot in the photos which I already have printed off and then you slide in pre-cut paper with different colours and themes so I don't need all the stickers, papers and embellishments that I had for scrapbooking. Packed away in the basket and container as you see in the photo, it won't take up a lot of space on the shelf in my wardrobe.

Well that's it for this post!! Whew what a long post and a lot of stuff we are getting rid of.

I encourage you to join along with one of these challenges. If the idea of a 30 day challenge is too much but you want to go through your stuff you can always reduce it to say 10 days to start with and see how you go.

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings, Fiona

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4