To start with, the 30 Day Decluttering Challenge we embarked on for the month of May, required an extra full 15 days of June. That said, it is complete! And we over-delivered the number of items that needed to be decluttered by a wide margin.
The challenge started last month with this POST. The goal was to eliminate a set number of things each day for the whole month. One day, one thing. Second day, two things. And so on. We gave ourselves the liberty to do the days out of order, because it isn’t always possible to have the time to knock out a big number on a day when you might have something else scheduled. Our May was busy with the end of our son’s senior year of high school and all of the activities that come with that, so it was good to have a little flexibility in the challenge (and an extra 15 days, in our case!)
Here is the list by NUMBER …
- – Bill Drawer / Cupboard
- – Birdhouses
- – 4th July Banners
- – Shoes/Hats (5+)
- – Baseball Hats
- – Nylon Bags
- – Sprinklers / Garden Hoses
- – Sports Memorabilia
- – Plastic Cups/Lids (15+)
- – Christmas Movies
- – Sporting Goods (Balls, etc)
- – Catalogs
- – Healthcare / Pills / Old Prescriptions
- – Kitchen Pantry
- – DVDs/Video Games
- – Work Binders
- – Baby / Kid Books (20+)
- – Paint/Chemicals (recycling)
- – Tools
- – Christmas Albums
- – Clothes Closet (MrsFS)
- – School Supplies (30+)
- – Cosmetics/Lotions (30+)
- – AV/Computer Cables
- – Business Books
- – Kid/Sports VHS (35+)
- – House Wiring/Electrical
- – Magazines
- – Music CDs (100+)
- – Clothes Closet (MrFS)
The challenge is designed to help you purge 465 things during the 30 days. While we went over on days, we also went over on things to declutter, finishing more than +100 items above the goal (helped a lot by a box of DVDs). Almost all of the stuff we decluttered went to the Goodwill donation center. Just a few things ended up in the trash (like cosmetics & homemade VHS recordings).
You can see by the list that it was a family effort with my wife, son, and I all willing up to give up things in the spirit of the challenge. My wife (who is a bonafide neat-nik), liked the challenge early on but wasn’t too pleased with my drive to the finish on the final day (June 15th). That said, she feels like we still have more to get to – including our office file drawers – but that they are best torn apart during the winter months when there is little to do in Minnesota outside.
Thanks to my good friend Maggie who put us up to the challenge when we had lunch back in April. Now we can get together for lunch again and you can tell me how you did with the challenge (she was a little “stuck” at about Day 20 the last time we chatted). It was also great to see other folks pick up the ball and post the challenge themselves, including this post by ApathyEnds.com, who put their own twist on the approach.
Anyone else started the challenge?
Image Credit: MrFireStation.com (R)
MrFireStation 
I haven’t taken on that challenge… but I would love to. We’re not big on buying junk, but somehow stuff just seems to accumulate. I do periodic runs of clearing out a closet or a room, but I think my wife would have a heart attack if I did the whole house. Once we hit FI though and I have more time… game on!!!
— Jim
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It was more energizing than I thought it would be. It really encouraged us to dig in.
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We haven’t officially taken on the challenge, but have been doing our part to declutter recently. Just makes life easier to have less stuff to store, clean, sort, etc.
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I don’t think I have missed anything we have gotten rid of yet. Most of the junk is easily forgotten.
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Nice work wrapping it up!
It feels good to get rid of a bunch of unused items that may help someone else – thanks for the shoutout as well!
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We didn’t finish on time, but got a lot done.
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We haven’t taken this challenege exactly but we have been working at decluttering out home over the last month or two. So far, we have gotten rid of at least a few hundred items (well they are separated and ready to go to Goodwill). We still have a lot of stuff to go through. It just shows how much you accumulate over the years!
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I wish I could say we NETTED -500 things over the course of the challenge, but you are right that more stuff is always coming in.
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I plan to start the challenge soon, but as strange as it sounds, I need to get a bit more organized first. I am going to build some new shelving in the garage and then I should be ready to get started. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Great to hear- I think you will really be happy when you do it.
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We have not started it officially but our constant purging of clothes, kids stuff, books, CD’s, has benefited local thrift shops and our town library. Your post is a reminder that we have a bit of work to do with some old paint.
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As you can see from the list, there are a lot of places around the house to dig into.
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Nice job finishing the challenge! We haven’t had time to do a full version of the challenge — or, more accurately, we’re prioritizing getting back into mountain climbing shape above essentially everything. 🙂 But we’ve done some declutters of our clothes and kitchen, and hope to get to the garage one of these weekends.
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Yes – I would prioritize my own health “Decluttering” above Decluttering my house.
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Awesome job guys! So motivating! We still haven’t started this challenge, but we still have it on the list. We may leave the project for winter where we are always on the go during the summer.
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Yes – we decided to put off more until the winter. The summer days in MN are too beautiful to be stuck in a closet.
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I’ve not done a month challenge, but have made a few conscious dives into the clutter since I retired. I live with someone who firmly believes “he with the most stuff at the ends wins”. So while I would love to donate the vast collection of CDs, DVDs, books, and vinyl (yes, he still has every one he ever bought), I might end up in divorce court. What I love about your list is all the possible places to look! I’m diving into the linen closet and “boxes I brought home from work” next rainy day!!
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It is definitely something you need to work together on. I forgot about vinyl albums until you mentioned it. I have s bunch of those to go through too!
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