I first read about the Seven Things project while listening to Cast On. Interested, I saved the page in my bookmarks, and then forgot about it for a few weeks. Then I was scrolling through my bookmarks, looking for who knows what, and pulled up "Seven Things" instead. I read the introduction, and decided I had to take the challenge.
The idea of the project, as I understand it, is to ultimately become more mindful when it comes to purchasing, owning, and disposing of things. Over the course of a year, the idea is to get rid of 7 things a week. Not throw away, because I think there is too much throwing away of perfectly good objects happening.
The plan: Starting 8/25/12 and ending 8/31/13, I will attempt to reduce my household clutter by 7 items a week. At the end of the year, that would theoretically mean that the amount of stuff in my home would be reduced by 364. Of course, that would require me to not purchase anything for an entire year, which isn't going to happen. I hope that this process will help me slow the accumulation of junk, though.
I plan to donate, sell, give away or recycle the items that I am getting rid of. I will keep a tally at the bottom of every related post, so I know how much stuff has found a new home. Each Saturday I am able, I will post a picture and list of what I got rid of, and any interesting details for each item - such as how long I've had the item, and why I've had it so long.
I hope other people will be interested in this project. If you decide to play along, too, please let me know where to find your seven (or whatever number you choose). You can even list your items in a comment to the blog.
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Now to the first two weeks:No photos this week because my phone doesn't want to play nice with my computer.
Week 1:
I was out of town last Saturday and didn't have the ability to blog (something about being at my friend's wedding...), but I did start the project before I headed out. A pair of my friends are expecting their first child - a boy - in January. They are fairly young (like me), and don't necessarily have the resources to get all the stuff that is necessary for a newborn. Conveniently for them, I have a collection of baby stuff left over from my children's babyhoods. My friends came over and looked through six boxes of baby clothes, and took half. The mommy-to-be looked through a box and a tote of maternity clothes, and took enough that rest fits easily in the tote. They also took two bottles, a bag of pacifiers, a stroller, a bassinet and a swing.
Also, I took an umbrella stroller to Michigan with me for another prego friend, who I hope to be able to offload a majority of the rest of my baby clothes to once she finds out if she is having a boy or girl.
Week 1: 4 boxes + 1 bag + 2 bottles + 4 big pieces = 11 things
Week 2:
My sister drove me home from Michigan last night, so I didn't have a lot of time to figure out what to part with this week. Luckily, she took a bath and that reminded me that my linen closet is nearly overflowing with stuff I am probably never going to use. My sister mentioned that she was tragically in possession of less than seven things of lotion. In her world, this is a problem. In my world, I wouldn't notice. I very rarely use lotion. I went to my linen closet and pulled out:
- A half-full tube of Jasmine Vanilla body cream from Bath and Body Works that I bought sometime in college when there was a big sale
- A nearly-full tube of Mango Mandarin body lotion from Bath and Body Works, origin unremembered, but it has been moved through at least three linen closets over 4 years
- A barely-used bottle of Midnight Pomegranate body lotion from Bath and Body Works. It was a Christmas present from my sister... I really liked the way it smelled, and even used it twice, but I am much more likely to pick up a bottle of unscented lotion than something smelly.
- A brand-new bottle of apple scented body lotion from the Body Shop. My friend Galena gave it to me for Christmas my junior year of college. I LOVE the scent of the lotion, but again, I haven't used it at all.
- A slightly-less than half-full tube of some Victoria's Secret lotion that I thought smelled icky - probably rose.
- One full and one nearly-full tube of Happy lotion - yummy, citrus scented lotion that I got from Jasmine. Love the scent, but I've had them for years now and doubt I will use them.
- A full tube of pink lotion that probably came in a gift basket. I don't know where it came from or how long I've had it, but I have never used it. It is probably floral scented.
Total for week 2: 8 things
Overall total: 19 things
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