2011 in 2011

My friend Jen (over at Jen and Joey Go Green blog) posted recently about a "2011 in 2011" challenge. The idea is to get rid of 2011 things in the year 2011! "Get rid of" meaning: donate, recycle, throw away, sell, give away. Since we just (ok 5 months ago) moved, it's been the perfect time to really unpack and analyze everything we have and why we need it. Of course we don't need it all. The office (in this case 'my' office because it's all my mess) is crowded and cluttered and I can say the same for other rooms in the house. The problem is I don't even know what to do with some of the stuff. Participating in this challenge will force me to FIGURE OUT what to do with the stuff! :)

So here are the rules, from KidStuffWorld:

What Counts

Anything that has taken up residence in your home. Any item using valuable floor/counter/table space you could be using or areas you could be not using in a more calming, soothing way. This could be stacks of papers and magazines, clothing you no longer need or wear, items in your cupboards you haven’t touched in years, toys no one plays with, hair and body products you have never opened … you get the idea.

What Doesn’t Count

The only items not included in our challenge are things you will be replacing with an item of a similar nature (i.e, – food, recycling, beauty supplies you use on a constant basis, laundry detergent) and items you bring in your home after you start the challenge, like mail, new clothing, etc.

The only exceptions to these guidelines are 1) when you leave mail lying on the counter for a week (or more) and it takes control of your kitchen. Go ahead and toss it and count it. Or 2) when you find 5 empty TP rolls in your guest bath or 3) large empty bottles of laundry detergent in your laundry room just junking up the place. Don’t be hard on yourself, just tally them in with your other items and be done with it. Vow to do better the next time around.

 While I didn't actually commit to participating until this morning, since the challenge is for 2011 and not just the rest of 2011, I'll count up some things I've gotten rid this year of that were cluttering up the house thus far:

3 picture frames (sold via Operation Fill-A-Frame project)

2 cell phone chargers (mailed out in a Cell Phones For Soldiers envelope)

1 cell phone (mailed out in a Cell Phones For Soldiers envelope)

1 canvas print (had it for 3 years and hadn't sold it yet, so gave it to our new rental tenant as a housewarming gift)

So that's 7 items without yet trying :) 

I also have about 10 old towels bagged up downstairs to deliver to an animal shelter (they're bleached and/or stained from cleaning) and a few other items like that, but won't count them yet since they're not actually out of the house. 

I'll be sure to post updates on this and try to remember to keep it updated. Let me know if you're doing the challenge, too!