Spring Clean on New Years Eve 2010

Yet more stuff removed

Well, we started the 100 Item Challenge in September, however we're still clearing out.  I am genuinely surprised at how much stuff we had in the back of the built in closets in the guest room.  We're taking off for our travels to Turkey in January so want to the apartment to be clean and empty for the incoming house sitter (tenant) for while we were away.

So the Volvo Estate was jammed to capacity for the umpteenth time for a trip to the tip and the charity shop.

The apartment feels as though it is breathing clearly, and strangely enough we're feeling unburdened.

This weekend we'll be doing the inventory of our full items, so watch this space.

Wardrobe Cull

   (before the cull)

Well I did it, managed another cull of the clothes, I have taken down over 34 shirts to just 14.  It wasn't too hard to do, for some reason I had accumulated a range of shirts that resemble deck chairs! My ex's mother did have a tendency to buy them and I some how adopted them, well they now have been donated to charity or now line the bottom of a bin bag ready to be carted off with the rest of rubbish.

As we are planing our year out next year, an elongated honeymoon, and I intend to go on a journey of weight loss and healthy living, so my wardrobe will completely change by this time next year.  Since September my wardrobe of clothes hasn't been added to, which was a habit that I knocked on the head, when we embraced the 100 Item Challenge.

I have stored away my business suit and four formal work shirts that will be popped into storage while we are away, however I am aiming at donating that to charity and treating myself to a tailor man suit when we come back in my new streamlined me.

(after the cull)

Living Life with the 100 Item Challenge

I have come across a blog site from a chap called Joshua Becker he writes for becomingminimalist.com and his hints and tips of living a minimal life are inspiring and do have parallels with our challenge.  He has a 10 point plan of living a minimal life.
Simplicity brings balance, freedom, and joy. When we begin to live simply and experience these benefits, we begin to ask the next question, “Where else in my life can i remove distraction and simply focus on the essential?”
Based on our personal journey, our conversations, and our observations, here is a list of the 10 most important things to simplify in your life today to begin living a more balanced, joyful lifestyle:

1. Your Possessions - Too many material possessions complicate our lives to a greater degree than we ever give them credit. They drain our bank account, our energy, and our attention. They keep us from the ones we love and from living a life based on our values. If you will invest the time to remove nonessential possessions from your life, you will never regret it. 
2. Your Time Commitments – Most of us have filled our days full from beginning to end with time commitments: work, home, kid’s activities, community events, religious endeavors, hobbies… the list goes on. When possible, release yourself from the time commitments that are not in line with your greatest values.
3. Your Goals – Reduce the number of goals you are intentionally striving for in your life to one or two. By reducing the number of goals that you are striving to accomplish, you will improve your focus and your success rate. Make a list of the things that you want to accomplish in your life and choose the two most important. When you finish one, add another from your list.
4. Your Negative Thoughts – Most negative emotions are completely useless. Resentment, bitterness, hate, and jealousy have never improved the quality of life for a single human being. Take responsibility for your mind. Forgive past hurts and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
5. Your Debt – If debt is holding you captive, reduce it. Start today. Do what you’ve got to do to get out from under its weight. Sacrifice luxury today to enjoy freedom tomorrow.
6. Your Words – Use fewer words. Keep your speech plain and honest. Mean what you say. Avoid gossip.
7. Your Artificial Ingredients – Avoid trans fats, refined grain (white bread), high-fructose corn syrup, and too much sodium. Minimizing these ingredients will improve your energy level in the short-term and your health in the long-term. Also, as much as possible, reduce your consumption of over-the-counter medicine – allow your body to heal itself naturally as opposed to building a dependency on substances.
8. Your Screen Time – Focusing your attention on television, movies, video games, and technology affects your life more than you think. Media rearranges your values. It begins to dominate your life. And it has a profound impact on your attitude and outlook. Unfortunately, when you live in that world on a consistent basis, you don’t even notice how it is impacting you. The only way to fully appreciate its influence in your life is to turn them off.
9. Your Connections to the World - Relationships with others are good, but constant streams of distraction are bad. Learn when to power off the blackberry, log off facebook, or not read a text. Focus on the important, not the urgent. A steady flow of distractions from other people may make us feel important, needed, or wanted, but feeling important and accomplishing importance are completely different things.
10. Your Multi-Tasking - Research indicates that multi-tasking increases stress and lowers productivity. while single-tasking is becoming a lost art, learn it. Handle one task at a time. Do it well. And when it is complete, move to the next.

America is downsizing the property sizes

Due to the economic downturn and the age of austerity it has been reported in USA Today that the trend for smaller houses is on the rise. 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2010-11-14-smaller-homes_N.htm

America is known for it's oversized homes, and now even though by UK standards they are enormous, the size of new properties below 2000square foot from the median of 2300 square foot.  Perhaps our American partners are embracing a version of the 100 item challenge without making a conscious decision.  The cost of heating a large home is huge, paying the mortgage for a large home is equally disenchanting, for those who want to have a family can they afford to give up a job? can they rely on the main wage earner to keep his or her job? or alternatively with our new mobile society and not necessarily living near family that can take the responsibility of child care there is that cost to cover as well.

The 100 item challenge has, for us allowed us flexibility and mobility.  Our modest 1100square foot loft apartment in Manchester adequately provides us with a home and plenty of storage for our 100 items.  We have sold off items to get down to our 100 items, and being in the fortunate situation of having no debt, not even a mortgage we have provided enough money from reducing our possessions down to allow for a year off in 2011.  We have taken an apartment in Turkey for 10 months and plan to travel around Thailand and America with the proceeds of decluttings.

We have downsized our life and been in the fortunate situation to provide ourselves with an exciting lifestyle, so the ethos of the challenge has worked, 'getting less hung up on possessions in your life and start living it'