Just because I’ve been silent on the issue doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten my Creating Order 2009 Declutter Challenge! In fact, I have been quietly decluttering whenever and wherever I see the need. And it’s amazing how many different places I’ve found clutter to get rid of.
From the garage to the camera, from the filing cabinet to the storeroom under the stairs, little inroads are being made. I’ve often talked about how hard I was finding it to actually find things to declutter. Well, I’m still not sure whether I’ll meet my challenge of decluttering 2009 things in 2009, but I’m giving it a red hot go. My efforts have occurred as I find clutter, sometimes when I least expect to. Thanks to a handy notebook I’ve kept track and can now bring you the random list of items decluttered lately.
343-370: 28 pure laundry soaps. (haven’t used them in 20 years, ain’t going to now. Off they go to someone who can use them.)
371-374: 4 shoes, too tatty for anyone to wear.
375-409: 35 empty cardboard boxes – a bone of contention for some time. My household is not immune to the dreaded “we might need it some day” syndrome. There’s a certain someone I live with who likes to hoard empty boxes. And as long as there’s room in the garage to store them, I have a battle to oust them. But I did. 
)
410-414: 5 Twitter follows thanks to nest.unclutterer.com
415-440: 26 half-used sticker sheets
441-452: 12 useless fridge magnets
453-466: 14 email subscriptions (honestly don’t know how they get to be so many)
467-472: from my wardrobe – 2 dressing gowns, 2 hats, a bra, holey trousers
473-479: from the bathroom – rusted scissors, 3 outdated cosmetics, a sparking hairdryer, 2 resident spiders
480-485: from my desk – a snapped pencil, 2 no-ink pens, last-year’s paper diary, a broken part from my keyboard (not fixed by now & doing fine), a used notepad
486: a mail order catalogue from my front doorstep! Seriously, I hate those catalogues they leave on your doorstep, full of unitaskers (see Unitasker Wednesday at Unclutterer.com). Even worse, the distributor expects me to leave it there for days till they come back to collect it. No way, not here, thank you very much. I have a letterbox and it’s there for a purpose. My doorstep is not for collecting junk mail. Ok, rant over.
487-489: from my purse – 2 business cards, 1 loyalty card
490: a queen size mattress, thanks to Dream Safe, keeping it from landfill
491-494: from my jewellery box – 2 “collector” booklets and 2 boxes to match. It’s not why I bought the jewellery after all
495: tumble dryer sheets. I thought I’d give these a go. Shouldn’t have bothered. Anyone experience otherwise?
496-498: 2 pillows, a doona past keeping us warm
499-514: from the filing cabinet – 2 whole suspension files plus 8 PDS booklets and approximately 5cm worth of paper (should I count each sheet? Better not 
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Phew, feels great to be over 500!
515-546: photos from my digital camera, blurry, duplicate, unflattering. Have to make room for new ones of my gorgeous granddaughter.
547-587: while I’m at it, got rid of 41 unnecessary photos from computer storage
588-653: decluttered my email folders big time. Issues done and dusted or long email chains can go.
654-672: various computer files, same as above.
673: now here’s one I’m really excited about, I’ve decluttered a household chore. Till now I’ve been responsible for the household ironing. Occasionally when it became too much I called on a lovely lady to help me get back on top of it. Well, the time has come, with me taking on new roles and other family members also being busier than ever, for that lovely lady to do this job all the time. What a relief!
674-710: again, since taking on the Presidency of AAPO, I have to be realistic about my time commitments. I have resigned from a club, and with it, the committee role I held there. So out go not only the responsibility and time commitment, but also the manuals, emails and notes. I’ve also let go some of my duties within AAPO to make room for the new. Feeling lighter already.
711: here’s one that made me a little sad. Today I said goodbye to my gym membership. I have to face facts, I don’t have time to get there and it’s costing me not only a monthly fee but my peace of mind. There’s one thing worse than not getting to the gym, and that’s feeling guilty about it. I will have to find other ways to exercise.
712-730: finally, some happier news. Since there is now a new baby in our family, I have given away some gorgeous treasures which my children used – books, hand-knitted blankets, toys etc. It’s so good to see them being put to use again.
So what’s been going on with your clutter lately? What have you given the heave-ho? Decluttered anything unusual? Or that made your life easier?
Half way through the year and I’m feeling generous. Would any of you like to adjust your estimate of when (and if) I’ll reach my goal of decluttering 2009 items in 2009? Send me an email or leave a comment, by July 15th, stating the date you predict I’ll reach 2009 items decluttered. There’ll be 2 prizes on offer, so as not to disadvantage those who predicted back in January. Good luck!
