100 Thing Challenge

[samiraalthores]

I started listing all my stuff in order to have some data. I don't see how this is doable. Guy Named Dave is smoking something. It must be nice to eliminate all the "family" stuff that you use anyway in this challenge, Dave. I have over 75 things in furnishings alone including artwork, 25 for the yard & garden, and 50 individual dishes/pots/

Comments

Yeah, Guy Named Dave is nuts.

[traceroo]

I love the "Clean Sweep" method from the TV show. I like to set limits in categories -- like T-shirts are a great example. I always ask myself, if everything started out clean, how long could I go without washing anything and without wearing the same article twice?

I give you this phrase:

Get rid of what you don't want to make room for what you do want.

If you're likely to accumulate even more chemistry T-shirts, your existing ones will have a lovely home at Good Will. :)

T.

Re: Yeah, Guy Named Dave is nuts.

[samiraalthores]

I'm not only practicing frugality but also simplicity. I think my closets are too full of stuff that I rarely if ever use. I'd like to have a bit of a plan to deal with it.

I think I'll start with clothes. Take everything out of my drawers and closet. Stack it on the bed and then start making choices and putting only the things I will wear back into the living area. Freecycle the rest of it.

Re: Yeah, Guy Named Dave is nuts.

[traceroo]

If your local library has a copy of Peter Walsh's book, It's All Too Much, I highly recommend it as wonderful inspiration in decluttering and leading a more purposeful relationship with your goods.

T.

[yarrowkat]

i like better the Compact, which is about not buying anything *new* except food. it doesn't focus on eliminating what you do have, but on getting anything you need from thrift stores, freecycle, trading/bartering, craigslist, etc, so as to reduce dependence on manufacturing by giving already-existing items another life. i have a hard time seeing the desirability of getting rid of what i already own --even if i acknowledge that i'm something of a clothes-horse (and i've had a standing policy for years that the volume of clothes coming into the closet must equal the volume of clothes leaving the closet, which keeps it under control)-- it still seems that if/when the world goes to hell in a handbasket, i'd like to have by me those things i'll need to survive and to improvise.

[samiraalthores]

This appeals to my stated objectives of frugality and simplicity. You have me thinking about what I buy - food, occasional clothing, books, artwork, lawn care, paper consumables. I'll think on it. I could probably go a year without buying anything new - now that I have new undergarments from my last shopping trip.

[yarrowkat]

i think there are Yahoogroups focused on it, called The Compact. i have a friend who did it last year and found it very thought-provoking and rewarding. there are a couple of exceptions noted in the guidelines--food and underpants, i think! artwork would be a really hard one for me...i work in the Art Dept, and my students have print sales annually, and it feels important to support them (not to mention i love covering my walls with gorgeous brilliant and inexpensive grad student artwork). though i do also attend their gallery openings, which is another kind of support. books i usually try to buy used, because otherwise i'd have a real cash-flow problem---you've heard that Marx bros quote, "when i have a little money, i buy books. if i have any left, i buy clothes and food." :) i *try* to spend books on books (trade in at used bookstores) to keep the collection under control. (of course, our livingroom is practically walled with books...) but sometimes a reference book presents itself as vitally useful and can't be found used