As I posted previously, this week's Change Your Life challenge is "Ditch and Donate."
I try to periodically clean out my closet and reorganize and/or donate my clothes because I find that many of my things get pushed to the back of my closet and never worn. I cheated a bit on this challenge and starting the day after Christmas (it officially began the 27th) because I needed to put my gifts and the things I bought that day (I mostly got gift cards).
Let me also say that I dream about (and often read blogs about), being a minimalist. Right now I know that there is no way I have the will power for that but I hope that one day (maybe when I'm finally living on my own) I can manage it.
That said, I love this challenge and am glad for the push to do. I love seeing the blogs and tweets of other people involved.
The first thing I did was to go through my closet and pull out the things I never wear and know I will not be wearing any time soon. I found shirts and sweaters that I bought years ago that still had tags on them! Some of the clothes got moved to the front of my closet but most headed to Goodwill. I took a very large garbage bag over there this week.
I didn't even think to take pictures until I was in a rush and about to leave to drop the clothes off at my local Goodwill. As I previously posted, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more and I'm learning things like "take pictures of everything you might blog about" are important rules in the blogging world!
A few days after I cleaned out my closest I decided to go through my boxes. Let me take a second to example that I am a bit of a packrat. I hate to throw out anything with any sentimental or emotional value so I have shoe box full of junk dating back to junior high. I finally forced myself to throw away the Christmas and Birthday cards that date back to 2006 (we're not talking about cards with nice, memorable messages or anything, just generic cards that say "Happy Birthday! Love, so and so." I also found a monstrous stack of movie stubs and concert tickets. The concert tickets went all the way back to my first concert (no joke, it was BBmak in 1999) and the movie tickets went back as far as 2001. Just about everything from those boxes when into the recycling bin or the trash can as they (clearly) had no real value to anyone but me.
I mentioned this when commenting on Monica's blog but I'm becoming increasingly concerned that I am only one serious emotional trauma away from being on "Hoarders." (And I'm only joking a little on that one.)
I also cleaned out my desk but found little to throw away there. That turned into more of a reorganization challenge!
My room still feels a little cluttered but I am planning to continue to clean things out every month or so to work on that issue!
After successfully completing the last challenge, it's time for the next one!
Who: YOU (and anyone else you want to encourage to participate!)
What: Get rid of AT LEAST 20 items that you own. Donate 10 and ditch (or throw away) another 10. Go for more if you want, but 20 is the minimum here, folks!
When: December 27th, 2010 through January 3rd, 2011
Why: Giving back is always important and meaningful to everyone involved, but this challenge begins right after the holidays. How many times do you get a slew of new gifts and realize you have no where to put them? This challenge will not only help you make room for your new goodies, but it will also encourage you to give back to those less fortunate who may not have gotten quite as many things for the holidays, if any.
Where: Your humble abode. Whether you're cleaning out your closet, dresser, pantry, that "everything" drawer you've got, your garage, it's gotta be something that you currently own but don't really need.
How: Go through your things throughout the week and figure out which items you own that you don't use or wear (or hell, maybe they don't even function anymore!) and set things aside. The challenge is come up with a minimum of 10 things that are still useable that you can donate to the less-fortunate and 10 things that aren't even worthy to be given away and belong in the trash. Obviously, this is the kind of challenge where "the more the merrier" and if you can come up with more items to donate or ditch, power to ya, we encourage it! But some of us may be a bit minimalist to begin with, so we decided to keep the minimum at 10.
Got questions about the "Change Your Life Challenge"?
Email changeyourlifechallenge@gmail.com with any questions or concerns you have.
Just the other day I was thinking I should clean out my closet before Christmas because I have so many things I don't wear or use. I did it a few months ago but I always find things that I don't need. If all goes according to plan next year, I'll be moving out of my parents' house in the Summer and there is no way I can take all of this stuff wherever I move into.
Anyway, I plan to do this (though I'll probably cheat a bit and work on it the day after Christmas because I have the day off) and everyone reading this blog should to! I plan to update more this time (the challenge last week fell during my finals, tons of work, and my cousin's wedding) both here on my blog and on twitter!
When I decided to do the Change Your Life Challenge I knew the first day would be the hardest. Not because it's the beginning but because Mondays are busy and long for me. I went with vegetarian because the vegan thing would be a lot more work during such a stressful week (my first final is coming up on Thursday).
I usually work 9-2, stop home for a bit then have class until 8:45 (which means I get home around 9:30). This typically means I eat nothing for breakfast, eat whatever junk I grab at lunch (especially during the busy holiday season), eat something little before class and end up picking up fast food after class.
I stopped at Publix on my way to work this morning (luckily I work right near one) and grabbed a few things. I picked up chocolate chip muffins (4 in the package, I shared with coworkers so I only have 1 left for tomorrow morning). I also grabbed a few lean cuisine meals that are veggie based.
Today I tried this one:
I liked it a lot but it wasn't very filling. Now I'm eating some tortellini with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.
The big challenge will come when I'm hungry after leaving class tonight!
I very much want to use this blog regularly but I often feel at a loss about what to actually write about.
Thanks to some of the lovely ladies on twitter, I have a new reason to post.
Every month, the group of us will be doing a different week long challenge and blogging and/or tweeting about it.
First up,
Who: YOU (and anyone else you want to encourage to participate!)
What: Eat vegan or vegetarian (your choice), every meal for a full week (ahem...that's seven days, not five!)
When: November 29th, 2010 through December 6, 2010
Why: The idea is not only to challenge yourself to eat differently for a week, but also to use this time as a mini-detox from the Thanksgiving festivities.
Where: Anywhere and everywhere you eat!
If you are ready to participate in this challenge, then email changeyourlifechallenge@gmail.com and expect a challenge email update soon.
Got questions about the "Change Your Life Challenge"?
Email changeyourlifechallenge@gmail.com with any questions or concerns you have.
If you accept the challenge, post the challenge logo on your blog and encourage more people to scurry over here and sign up for the challenge, too!
(Text modified from M and/or J)
