Finding Me

You KNOW it's getting serious when I start digging into the Obnoxious Yoga Pants collection, but in all truth it's not really my aesthetic anymore anyways - I've gone Basic White Bitch white, power blue, and light pink (and rose gold, OF COURSE). Newspaper (Yes, I kept all the ones from 9/11 but have decided that not only am I not going to ever reread them, talk about keeping negativity around.) 2 CDs - Still love U2 but have everything in the Cloud Nalgene bottle - don't need two, even if I ever do go backpacking/camping again. Photo Yoga pants - they're not my vibe anymore and are a little too small anyways. Screw (Every time I think the junk drawer has nothing more to give...) Barrette 2 Theater fliers Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total:   641 Items

Oh man, things are getting REAL. Hard decisions being MADE. Watering can 3 Photos Sticker Screw Phone cord CD Cardigan Stylus (The CD and cardigan were the tough ones but time to let them go.) Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 631 Items

Chug chug chugging along. Another day where I really had to look around to find ten items, but hopefully that means another day where I have a huge haul is in the near future. (At least that seems to be the pattern.) Sheet Can of paint Screw Essential oil 3 Photos 3 Newspapers/paperwork Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 621 Items

Sorry for the delay - had a big race weekend - prep, racing, and then recovering meant several days away from the decluttering effort. Anyway, we're back: Old tea Magazine 2 pieces paperwork CD Insole to old bike shoe 4 photos Nail polish Today's Total: 11 Items Overall Total: 611 Items

Well, we did it! Some scrounging around and BOOM - 25 items decluttered to hit that 600 item mark! It's pretty amazing - you STILL, yes STILL, can't really see the difference just looking around the house. Now, if you start looking in drawers and closets, that's where the difference is. I've always been able to keep the "showing" parts of the house pretty neat and decluttered, but hid everything in closets and drawers. My guest room and especially office closet are way, way emptier than they were. My kitchen cabinet for pots, pans, and small appliances is also much neater than it was (and I can actually close the doors easily!). 2 Hello Kitty tsum-tsums (Sending these to my niece who loves tsum-tsums as part of her birthday gift) Another DC Metrocard (it was my backup). Fish tank brush part Punch card to comic shop Hair band Essential oil sampler 2 Pieces paperwork Martial arts belt 2 Photos Organizational drawer I now no longer need (Yay!) ...

Actually got a fairly decent haul today. Yay! T-shirt - Yes, managed to discard a piece of clothing. Broken Christmas tree ribbon 2 Photos 2 Stickers 4 Credit/store cards Bag balm Underwear that wore through  (Not pictured. You're welcome.) Today's Total: 12 items Overall Total: 575 items. Can I find 25 items to hit 600 tomorrow? Let's find out!

Wow, about six weeks into this thing. Another tough day of scrounging around for ten items. I really need to start tackling the large items (grill, bike frame, small TV, etc.) that I want to get rid of. I also am having a hard time getting rid of any clothes, even ones I never wear. In all fairness, I did KonMari them twice in the past year, but I still own an awful lot. 2 Pieces of paperwork (that I hysterically photographed right side up the first time, exposing tons of personal data #InfoSecFail) 2 Photos Broken Christmas tree ribbon Bag balm Screw Filter for the litter box (never use them) Magazine article Essential oil sampler Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 563 Items

Today was actually a bit easier with finding things to declutter, which was nice. The struggle has been REAL lately. 3 Pieces paperwork Box and accessories from old cable modem 2 Magazine articles Visor to my aero helmet (never use it - makes me claustrophobic #BadCyclist) Stretched out hairband Old CBR I never use Brush for the dehumidifier (once again never use it) 2 Photos Old insert for an Achilles issue I had years and years ago Today's Total: 13 Items Overall Total: 553 Items  

Ugh, super-stressful day - the Monday-est of Mondays - so here is yet another quick ten: 3 Photos D.C. Metrocard  Telephone piece Paperwork (10 year old LT bike test - pretty sure THAT'S out of date, LOL!) Shoe bag Magazine article Notebook Gunky guest soap (used it up, so no picture) Today's Total:  10 Items Overall Total: 540 Items

Another big "All day in the saddle" day, but here's your quick and dirty ten items. Next week is race week, so I'll have more time to find stuff. 2 Magazine articles Navel ring that doesn't fit Single earring missing its partner for years Random hook Piece to an old vacuum cleaner CD 2 Pieces of paperwork Newspaper Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 530 Items

Another day scrounging around for that ten-item minimum, but got it done.: Race bib (I usually keep these but I actually won an award and already have the plaque on the wall.) Newspaper (Yes, it was cool to keep the paper from the Sox's first World Series win in over 80 years, but...I never even look at it. Maybe this makes me a bad Bostonian, but out it goes.) 3 Photos 2 Screws (Really scrounging the bottom of that formerly overflowing Junk Drawer that was stuffed with hardware.) Jewelry...bag, I guess you'd call it? Hoodie Pendant Today's Total: 10 items Overall Total: 520 items

After yesterday's huge push to get to 500 items, I don't feel too guilty about just doing a quick and dirty ten today: Rice cooker - Was excited to receive it as a give from my mother, but I think it was a lemon - all the water would steam out long before the rice was cooked, even when I put in 3 times the recommended amount. Fish tank cleaner - I have better brushes to use 2 Pieces of paperwork 2 Photos Newspaper Card Broken bike pedals Car polish Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 510 Items

Whelp, it wasn't easy but I did it: 500 items. We'll ignore the fact that there's 500 more to go, LOL. I am so happy I managed to find enough items to make it today! Wasn't sure I would, LOL. (Yes, yet ANOTHER blurry picture. Sorry!) *Takes a deep breath* So, the ginormous haul: Newspaper article Card Pair of socks Holder for sheet set Post It Notes booklet 2 Pieces of paperwork 3 Photos Magazine clipping Grout cleaner Bracelet Race bib (Usually keep them in a scrapbook, never scrapbooked this one, and have NO IDEA what race it was.) 5 Pieces of hardware Tape dispenser Running skirt Earrings 2 CDs Pocket watch Sticker Battery Coffee mug (not shown) Today's Total: 28 Items Overall Total: FIVE HUNDRED ITEMS! WOOHOO!

Definitely slowing down here, although I have several large items that either need to be sold or taken away, so obviously those are kind of on hold for now. Another quick and dirty haul. I promise this blog and its writing will be much more interesting post-Ironman, so bear with me: Screw 2 Photos 7 Pieces paperwork (I counted it based on documents, not separate pages, just FYI.) It's amazing how little paperwork you really need to keep! I'm basically down to very little outside of all my mortgage documents (Original with second mortgage and TWO refis, so it's a LOT) and tax documents (also a lot because I itemize so I keep my receipts). Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 472 Items. I am really, really hoping to scrounge hard and hit that 500 mark tomorrow. Would be great to be halfway!

...have I mentioned this is getting hard? LOL. Seriously guys, it's going to be coming down to some super-hard decisions soon. This challenge would have been MUCH easier if I had done it at the START of decluttering rather than after two partial rounds of KonMari. Anyway, here you go: Splenda (We don't use it anymore Playbill 2 Photos 2 Pieces hardware Yet another Allen wrench. Evidently I had a bunch that were all the same size. 2 CDs Piece of paperwork Today's Total: 10 Items Overall Total: 462 Items

Off to ride my bike for six hours, so here's another quick haul: (Yes, blurry once again. COME ON, iPhone!) 3 Pieces of paperwork (As Marie Kondo says, get rid of all the papers you can! I have ENOUGH mandatory paperwork to keep between seven years of itemized taxes and refinancing my mortgage twice.) 2 Ancient steak knives Triathlon medal (I'm going to sound like such an ass but I only keep the ones from Full and Half Iron distance races.) 3 Photos Essential oil Today's Total: 10 items Overall Total: 452 items. Almost halfway there!

Alright alright alright...it's FRIDAY! Quick and dirty haul for today: (Cosita approves of the cleanout.) 3 Photos Allen wrench (had two of the same size) CD Plastic cap to...something... Sticker 2 Pieces of old paperwork Gift soap (No pic - used it up!) Today's Total: 10 items Overall Total: 442 items

Started off having trouble finding things, but ended up with another good haul. Haul #1: Paper from elementary school. (On the ozone layer - I got an A!) Sealed college transcript. (I had TWO despite the fact that I'm almost 40 and probably will never need one in my life again. I still held on to the other anyone anyways. Ahem.) 2 Photos 2 Nails (And I think that really is the end of the extra hardware.) VHS tape of I'm not sure what - maybe my high school Tae Kwon Do belt tests? Marjaram - Yet another spice I bought for like one recipe and never use. Magazine Hello Kitty paper wrap - super cut but not big enough to actually wrap anything in. Haul #2: Telephone cord CD 3 Photos Playbill Notepad Magazine 3 Aerodrink bands Today's Total: 21 Items Overall Total: 432 Items

After yesterday's motherlode, today was one of those "Struggling to find 10 items" days. However, we persevered, and we succeeded with eleven more things out the door. Amish doll  Poster from The Patriot - Ummm....why? I mean Jason Isaacs set my loins on fire in that movie, but the picture is of Mel Gibson. Old photocopy of a yearbook page (LOOOONG story) Tongue scraper (haven't used it in AGES) Empty eyeglass case Unmarked mystery pill found in cabinet 4 nails/screws Hairpin Today's Total: 11 Items Overall Total: 411 Items

So...although (as I keep saying) it's getting harder and harder to find things to cull, I worked hard and found the 26 items needed to hit that 400 marker. (I'm going to ignore the fact that I'm not even at the halfway mark right now, LOL - Yikes!) As I've said at every 100 item milestone, you STILL can't really see much difference by just looking around the house. Wow. 5 Photos 2 Rubber bands Insole to a bike shoe I no longer have Expired coupon Glass lens cloth Lip scrub Aquarium filter piece 3 Pieces of hardware Travel bottle (broken) Aerodrink sponge (never use it) Old feedback form from a TKD test in high school Expired vitamins 2 Aquarium water testing tubes Old plane ticket stub VERY expired green food supplement Old drawing (yes I found yet ANOTHER one, LOL.) Crimping scissors (I am not the scrapbooker I thought I would be.) Cap to a medicine bottle we no longer have Today's Total: 26 items Overall Total: 400 items - WOOH...

Didn't get to do any clearing out this weekend (even Saturday's post was pre-scheduled - sorry) thanks to an insane amount of Ironman training - 4K swim Friday night, 6 hour ride/30 minute run brick on Saturday, and 2:30 run and 90 minute massage on Sunday. I was either training, eating, or sleeping. (Slept for 10 hours straight Saturday night, and then took a nap between my run and massage on Sunday!) Anyway, today's a total rest day - extremely rare under my new coach's guidance - and what would usually be extra free time from that has been taken up by my annual eye exam (bad time to go with how busy I am but I'm out of contacts and the prescription expired, so...), but still had time to cull a few things. Once again, it was HARD to find 10 items. 2 Photos 2 Aquarium filter pieces 3 Pieces of hardware Allen wrench (I keep them all but had two of the same size) Empty bubble bath I just used up Algaecide for the aquarium - always makes the fish sic...

WOW! As I keep saying, it's getting harder and harder to cull my belongings and I definitely am getting the "HOW AM I GOING TO FIND OVER 600 MORE ITEMS" feeling more and more, but we keep plugging away, even if it means making harder decisions. (Sorry for the blurriness once again.) 2 Cheap low-quality swim caps 3 Sponsor stickers 3 Name license plate souvenirs Ticket from Vancouver trip Biking skort And yes, I found ANOTHER childhood painting.  Today's Total: 11 items Overall Total: 364 items

Really tired from training and the weather sucks, so I'm not feeling very chatty today. So, here's today's haul: Scarf Vampire costume (I've worn it 3-4 times - time to say good-bye) Blank photo album page Envelope 3 photos Postcard 3 screws 4 rubber bracelets Today's Total: 15 items Overall Total: 353 items

We've made it to the one-month mark (or four weeks exactly). At this rate it will take about three months to complete the challenge. Right about the time I do Ironman, which is pretty cool in a way. In fact, I like the idea of wrapping this up at the same time I wrap up Ironman that I'm going to publicly put that date out there. By the time I race on Sunday July 23rd I will have discarded 1000 items. (Even though it gets harder and harder each day. Sigh.) So, today's anti-haul: Skirt (From my early-20s clubbing days - kept it for costumes but wouldn't be able to squeeze into it if I wanted to.) Eye cream - I have like 3 jars of the stuff, never use it (although I should), and I bought this in COLLEGE. EW. Wax paper. Almost NEVER use it. So WHY did I have two rolls of it? Magazine Petromalt treats that expired...in 2006. EW EW EW. Pillowcase 4 photos Heel guard for a foot problem I haven't had in 10 years 3 unidentifiable pills found at the bottom ...