2015 is set to be a very exciting year for me, with lots of planning but hopefully lots of fun too. In June I turn 30, in August I graduate from my (6 years in the making…) History degree and, in October, I am setting off on a 6 month backpacking trip of a lifetime (of which you’re sure to be sick of hearing about over the next few months!)
My travelling plans, however, will be requiring a lot of organising at home, as I’ll need to leave everything behind; living with the bear essentials of which I can happily carry on my back. So aside from 2015 being a big year of adventures, I sense it’s also going to be a year of BIG clear outs as well!
I already got a little warmed up to this idea when I got involved in Streetbank’s advent challenge last month. However, in the end I only managed to find 10 items I could bear to part with; so I know this is going to be a MASSIVE challenge. No matter how much I try to cut down on waste and not care about material items, so much of my belongings have sentimental value which can be hard to give away to someone on freecycle!
Being the queen of procrastination doesn’t help; where the only time I get around to any housework beyond the basics is when I have an equally dreaded essay deadline! I need order, focus and a kick up the butt if I’m ever going to whittle down to an amount of belongings that I can actually afford to store for 6 months!
But in comes My Zero Waste to save the day, who are encouraging people to do the January Zero Waste Challenge; in an effort to have a good old fashioned clear out (the green way, of course.) I like that the rules are loose and the sentiment is simple; it doesn’t matter how you do it, JUST DO IT! You could clear out one thing a day or blitz a whole area of you house in one afternoon.
But my issue isn’t so much where to recycle things – Freecyle, Streetbank, charity shops, carboot sales, community centers etc are all great ways to give things you don’t need. My issue is what to clear out, as I’m such a sentimental old fool who finds memories in the craggiest piece of cloth! So I’m going to start slow, with a practical head on. Simply asking myself: “When did I last use that?”. If I can work room by room over the next month, and clear out as much as I can; I’ll be happy. I may well need to do this a few times between now and October though!
Are you having a clear out too this month? Get involved and inspire others with your sorting skills by usng the #DumpYourJunk or #zerowaste hashtags on Twitter or letting me know how you get on in the comment boxes below. Wish me luck!!
A Lazy Girl Goes Green 
I have far too much stuff – having a good clear out sounds like a really good idea.
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Looking forward to hearing your progress on this project & your backpacking trip! I am going to be donating clothes soon and probably some other items to a local charity and I always like to just give things away to people for some reason. Once, I had a young family move into a place next door and after I allowed for the initial introduction, I learned that they were short on certain kitchen items. I’m a sucker for nifty kitchen gadgets but it wasn’t hard to part with a couple of pots & pans, plates and utensils to get them going. It felt good to help someone out in such a direct way but it did help me to get some clutter removed from the cabinets. Win, win!
Maybe this could assist in your clearing out endeavors?
Your always such an inspiration!
Cheers
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Fab idea Christine, It’s a nice ice breaker for getting to know neighbors and you never know, that utensil you gave them may well be returned in a clove of garlic when it’s most needed 🙂 x
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I’m looking forward to hearing about the backpacking trip. I recently backpacked in Australia and it was awesome having just a light pack and nothing else. Even several months later, I feel weighed down by my stuff. I did a pretty good purge and want to do more. After having some of the best experiences while backpacking, I realized that sentimental things don’t matter as much as memories. Good luck!
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Oh cool! Yes I have ambitiously gone for a small backpack so I can be more mobile and not so tied down by belongings. When we were in between homes last year we put all our stuff in storage. It really surprised me how little I missed everything and it was such a slog pulling it all back out from storage aftewards! Memories and experiences are way more fun than hoarding 😛
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HOW ABOUT STARTING WITH YOUR MAKE UP AND TOILETRIES,MAKE UP A BASKET OF LITTLE USED PRODUCTS AND OFFER FOR FREE. PEOPLE JUST STARTING THEIR ADULT LIFE OR ON A BUDGET LOVE TO TRY NEW PRODUCTS WITHOUT THE COST OF BUYING A BRAND NEW PRODUCT THEY MAY NOT LIKE. I STARTED MY NEW YEAR GOING THROUGH MY PRODUCT USING UP ENDS OF THINGS OR MIXING THEM TOGETHER TO CREATE NEW ONES AND MAKING SPACE IN MY DRAWERS. THAT FEELING OF CLEAR SURFACES ENHANCES YOUR SPIRIT
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I did a big clear out a couple of years ago and I honestly haven’t missed a thing. I find that having fewer possessions has opened up more head space for me, I think a lot clearer now.
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