See this loveseat and sofa bed? Sold! (Photo by Amy L. Hatch)
By Amy L. Hatch
I generally don’t make resolutions because I know I won’t keep them. But committing to living with less in 2010 is more than just a resolution — it’s a lifestyle change.
Last week, I told you about the outlandish number of holiday gifts we received and how the site of my dining-room table groaning with boxes and toys made me realize just how much stuff we actually had.
I promised that this week I’d tell you what I got rid of, why I got rid of it and what I did with it. So without further ado, here’s my list of five things I purged from our household during Week 1 of a Year Living With Less.
Item No. 1
What: A bright-pink kid’s rocking chair
Why: It was broken we we got it
What I did with it: Put it on the curb
Item No. 2:
What: A girl’s winter coat
Why: My daughter outgrew it mid-season
What I did with it: Gave it to Laura, whose daughter needed a spare coat
Item No. 3:
What: Child’s musical table toy
Why: It was too big for my family room and had been in the basement for three years
What I did with it: Put it on the curb, because it was manufactured before new lead laws
Item No. 4:
What: Three giant bags of toys
Why: They were all little junky things that my kid collected over four years
What I did with it: Put them on the curb
Item No. 5:
What: White slip-covered love seat/sofa bed that my parents bought in England in 1988 that I inherited when I moved into my first apartment in 1997
Why: We never sit on it
What I did with it: Sold it on Chambana Craigslist for $100
Whew! Can I just tell you how good that felt? I spent nearly three hours in my daughter’s room Saturday, armed with a box of garbage bags and a steely resolve. I engaged Emmie in helping me decide what to get rid of and what to keep.
We tossed an amazing array of stuff — Emmie will no doubt show up on “Hoarders” one day — and I did let her keep some of the items I planned to throw away. She had sound reasoning, and after all, I did carry out two-thirds of the toys in her room.
Digging through all her stuff was like going on an archaeological expedition of her childhood. All the baby toys went; most of them were manufactured when the US was still letting toy companies paint the world the color lead.
Also tossed? A truckload of paper. Dear Pre-K: I do not keep every line she scribbles. Save us both a step and toss that, m’kay?
Of course, that made room for an awful lot of new stuff. It is, however, very organized. Well, at least for now. Behold, Emmie’s room:
What did you get rid of this week?
Up Next: Tackling the baby stuff
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I finally tossed 2 puffy boys coats that had zippers worn out.
I’ve been tossing as well. So far, several bags of clothing that my kids have outgrown, broken toys, and miscellaneous household items that we don’t need. What can be used by others is given away…what is trash is thrown away. I have a lot more to do, but I’m chipping away at it!
I have been cleaning out closets and getting rid of clothing. I was so excited that my husband actually joined in on the fun. He is a collector of everything! I can not figure out for the life of me why he thinks those dress socks which belonged to his grandfather may be valuable some day and should therefore be saved. Really? You can only imagine my delight when he started tossing clothes out of his closet and some that he has had since the 90′s. We have two bags of clothes to donate. We also started sorting through toys. Two boxes made it out of the house, but we still have more to sort through. It is a good start and feels great. Thank you for the inspiration!
We threw out a bunch of books that had been tore up. I also put up a lot (like almost all) of toys this week because my 4 year old has decided it is too much work to pick up- and I must say he has acted so much better w/o all the toys! I’m thinking we need to cut back even more.
Item #1: All 2006 Digital Camera Magazines. First reviewed them, tore out 3 articles, and put in recycling.
Item #2: 2 pair houseslippers, both mangey. Trashed
Item #3: 1 terrible looking orchid plant. trashed.
Item #4: 5 pair socks with holes, about to have holes, or keep slipping down.
Item #5: 1 Babe Ruth sofa pillow. Repurposed as a Stocking Stuffer. No Amy, I promise not to give it to Channing.
3 pairs of blown out sneakers, to the garbage. 2 pairs dress shoes that are painful for me, freecycle. A box of 15 three ring binders, freecycle. Roomba vacuum, given to book club organizer. Three garbage bags of boys infant clothing, given to book club member.