One of my favorite non-healthy living blogs is Young House Love. Since they are moving soon, they are trying to purge their house of all the junk. Sherri just recently tackled a 100 Thing Toss project. She went room to room and found 100 items to donate to charity.
Last night, I challenged myself to do the same, but with 50 things (hey, I’m not tossing the Husband’s stuff, we don’t have a garage, and we don’t have a baby). 
I managed to find 69 items to donate to charity! I decided that trash-like items couldn’t really count to my total of 50.
- 5 books
- 2 pairs of shoes
- 1 bracelet
- 2 belts
- 5 jeans
- 3 skirts
- 28 shirts (ahh!)
- 1 new bottle of hand lotion
- 1 jewelry box
- 1 new box of gluten-free baking mix
- 2 dresses
- 2 dress skirts
- 2 dress pants
- 1 bath mat
- 7 shirts
- 1 broom
- 1 bra
- 3 new things of makeup that I’ll never use
- 1 incense holder
I challenge YOU to do this, too! It was so great to get rid of so much JUNK that I really did not need clogging up my closets and drawers.
Let’s see… I also attended a new yoga class at a gym that shall remain nameless to protect the boring. We basically sat on our mats for an hour and flexed our butt muscles (kid you not).
I’m hoping I’ll be ready to run tomorrow – ever since that weird knee flareup on Saturday, I’ve been playing it safe and remained inactive. I’d like to exercise again soon!
Lunch included a hummus sammie:
And I’m about to take this rice mix to my Dad’s house for Lunch #2.
In the mix: brown rice, black beans, grilled veggies. I’m going to top everything with salsa verde!
And I’m off. Today is media literacy day for Girls on the Run, and I’m excited to talk about these important topics!
Could you do a 50 Thing Toss? 100?
Thanks to everyone who donated to Solemates so far!! I appreciate it SOOO much.
Twitter
Operation Beautiful
Pinterest
Facebook
{ 109 comments… read them below or add one }
I definitely need to do a 50 thing toss…or 100…or maybe more! I have so much stuff since I moved back home from college I don’t know what to do with it!
I really need to do a 50 thing toss as well. But I’m a bit of a clutter bug and HATE getting rid of things. So I stash them away in my cluttered office/workout room/spare room which is non functional from all of the stuff piled in!
I did this about a month ago. My trunk was completely packed with items to donate! Fortunately, there is a donation drop off center in my office complex.
Feels so good!
I think I could do a 50 things toss, and I bet my husband would love it. I’m going to try this out when I get home.
I did the 100 Thing Challenge, where you get rid of all but 100 of your personal possessions. I didn’t count “family” stuff (furniture that I share, kitchen appliances that everyone uses), but it is still really hard to whittle down all your clothing and belongings to only 100 things. It was great to purge all my stuff and to donate it all.
It feels so good to purge your junk & donate it!
I was reading this on young house love too & plan to go through some junk drawers in my house this weekend. I’m sure that between makeup, clothes, and hair products that I dont use or wont use… I can get rid of a bunch of stuff!
I think our culture uses stuff in an unhealthy way. Things should bring joy to your life, and when they no longer do… they should be given away or trashed. Life is too short to live a life full of clutter that weighs you down!
Have you read any of peter walsh’s books? They’re fantastic
I have not read any Peter Walsh stuff but I’ll check it out.
I agree re: clutter.
“to protect the boring” hahahaha!
I do this periodically and it feels WONDERFUL! When I moved last year I was moving in with my boyfriend and 10 years of living alone meant I had a lot of crap I didn’t really need if I was combining a household with someone. I took truckloads of stuff to Goodwill. It felt fantastic to downsize.
I saw that on their blog and have been itching to do it as well but my husband always gets upset when I get rid of stuff. He thinks we may be able to use it or something I guess. It’s hard for him to part with things since we don’t have money to go buy new things but the point of getting rid of stuff is to not really replace it! He doesn’t get it. I might do this while he’s gone in January for three weeks. Muhahahahaaaa!
He won’t even notice, I bet!
i totally do have 50 things to send off… I should get to it at some point.
procrastination monster!
I can’t think of anyone better to talk about media literacy than you!
Gym yoga classes tend to be pretty boring. I hate feeling like I wasted an hour.
omg, i totally need to do tha 100 item toss in just my clothes closet alone… i am hoarding clothes right now, its ridiculous!!!!
I’m on it! We are moving soon, too & I’ve already been through a lot of stuff & donated a ton of it… but it’s time to tackle some more rooms & do the same!
I LOVE throwing stuff away/giving away, it makes me feel so much cleaner and calmer. Since we are moving we have gotten rid of a lot of stuff but I know there is still more we could get rid of so when we unpack boxes we will purge again before putting things up in the house!
I could definitely toss 50 things, but 100 might be pushing it.
awesome idea! I recently did a clothing purge and donated quite a few items to St Vincent de Paul
I am definitely doing this today! I need to purge my apartment of all the crap I have. I have so many little trinkets from conferences that need to go away. Quickly. They take up so much space it isn’t even funny!
Love this idea! I need to look up our closest Goodwill and just make a pile – not sure if I’ll actually count, but decluttering needs to be done!!
They are collecting food and children books at school for christmas baskets (given to those in need). Every year, I get really excited because I love giving for those!
I also go through my closet 1 or 2 times a year and give the clothes I don’t wear anymore.
I kinda did this yesterday! I just lost weight and many of my clothing no longer fit and I want to get rid of or tailor the items to fit my new, permanent size. I had them cornered off in the closet to go through later but after laundry I was out of hangers. I forced myself to take 6 items off the hanger and put them in the donate pile. It has been hard looking at EVERYTHING in my closet and realizing that it almost all has to go but going through things little by little helps.
Since I seem to move every year. I get to do this activity quite frequently. It’s amazing how much JUNK a person can acquire in just one year.
One thing I’m doing this year: wearing all those iffy clothes I’m not sure about. If I wear it all day and decide I’m not a fan…it goes to charity.
Good for you, I do believe we, as American and other modern countries, have too much stuff. Consumerism at it’s finest.
I’ve challenged myself to reduce what I own by 1/3 before New Years. It’s been easier than I thought, of course I only started on four days ago. Want to see how it’s going check out http://www.Foyupdate.blogspot.com.
It feels so so good to get rid of junk. I’m a pretty messy person, but when I do clean up, I’m really good at getting rid of stuff I don’t use anymore or giving clothes to Goodwill. I just hate having extra stuff around!
In your veggie bowl… how did you grill the veggies? G.Foreman? What are your thoughts on that kitchen appliance?
Be well,
Carolyn
I constantly go through my things to get rid of stuff – I can’t stand clutter, and I use the excuse of getting rid of clothes so I can buy new stuff!
This is such a good idea — thanks for posting! I have been helping my mother in law clean/organize her basement and this would be perfect for her — just find 50-100 things to donate. I could see it being “fun” to pick out the things.
I could definitely find 100 things in my house!
Um, in my parents’ house you could do a toss 1,000 things project and still have 9,000 items left over, I kid you not. They’ve lived there for 21 years…and there’s an attic, a basement, and entire FLOOR (for real) of just…stuff. Craziness!! My apartment is pretty bare-bones, but I want to do this in my room at home!
I LOVE this idea!!! And I love Young House Love…I want them to come renovate my house, ha!
I do this all the time. Theres a bin for clothing, and a bin for books just down the street from me. Every 6 months or so I go through all my stuff and donate what I dont wear anymore. Its SO handy to have the donation bins so close!
I didn’t count everything, but I’m pretty sure we did a 50 or 100 item toss when I moved in June. Nice work!
I am cracking up at “I also attended a new yoga class at a gym that shall remain nameless to protect the boring. We basically sat on our mats for an hour and flexed our butt muscles (kid you not).”
LMAO!!!
IT WAS TRUE!!!
We’re a family of 5, so I’m hoping to find AT LEAST 200 things to get rid of. We are in need of a major purge!
at least your bum is nice and relaxed now!
I am going through my daughter’s old baby stuff and getting things organized for when the new baby arrives. I have FOUR ginormous tubs full of baby girl things that I will be donating/consigning sometime in the next year. I think I met 50 x 100 on that challenge. LOL
I’m actually moving in three weeks, so I’m totally challenging myself to the “Everything that I don’t feel like moving 1,000 miles toss”.
One of my biggest pet peeves is a boring yoga class! I went to one recently where we basically did neck rolls the whole time. I spent the hour daydreaming about downward facing dogs and cobras. Lol.
That sounds like my personal idea of hell.
I need to do a 50 Clothing Item Toss. I hang onto clothes for way too long. My closet shudders when I bring a new top home. Still, I figure I might wear that old T-shirt one day. (Yeah right.)
I could certainly afford to do a 50+ item toss! I find I need to be in the mood for these things though… having said that, I’m beginning to feel the clutter in my room getting to me, so maybe it’ll be a project for me this weekend!
To keep the clutter down we have a “one it one out” rule of thumb in place. If you buy a new shirt, you give a shirt away!
Thats a good rule. I likey!
I could toss 400 things..no kidding! My house is a state!!
My hubby and I did a massive cleanout this weekend and it felt AWESOME. He agreed!
My husband and boys are pack rats…I could easily do 200 things, but I think I would get into a lot of trouble!
I try to toss things before we move each year! (sadly, we usually have to move each year to save money on rent out here in Los Angeles!) It feels SO GOOD to get rid of extra stuff– and to donate it to others who will appreciate it more!
Have you been icing and elevating your knee? I know you’ve used that method in the past but it really is such a big help if you’re just looking at overuse issues. That and running shoe/insert issues. I’m 7 weeks from marathon #1 and so nervous of injuries. My ankles were sore during my first 17 miler (started after mile 16) but were fine when I stopped so I’m hoping they just need to adjust an get stronger for the distance. Fingers crossed! Hope your knee is on the mend.
I have not tried icing and elevating. I’m going to run tomorrow and see what goes down. Hopefully it will be OK!
I say, no. I could not. Only because I’m big into purging excess stuff and do it every couple of months so I never get that much of a build up. It feels SO good, especially since I have such a small house! (Like, I do not even own 5 pairs of jeans to begin with, hahah.)
When we first moved, my mom did that with me. She made me throw away at least 10 things a day until I was down to stuff I really *really* wanted to keep. It works!
i really should do the 50 things to toss…i have such a problem throwing things out. my bf says i’m going to be on the show Hoarders when i’m older. hahahaha!
I like this challenge. I am allllll over it this weekend!
I LOVE donating things and getting rid of stuff! I do it about 5 times a year, so I don’t know that I’d be able to do 50 items all at once. But congrats on doing it!
This is so inspiring! Speaking of great challenges, I’ve been reading your blog for a while, and our blog is running a holiday recipe contest. What do you do to keep healthy over the holidays, when butter and cream and sugar are such a big part of the celebration? You can see the recipe entries so far at http://www.classesandcareers.com/education/2010/11/03/the-busy-moms-holiday-recipe-contest/. Thanks!
Argh! It’s so frustrating going to a yoga class when you are expecting to WORK and instead you spend the hour just sitting/laying around. I’ve had this happen to me, too. I try to focus on the positive and use it as some time for quiet and meditation….almost as a stress-relief. But I always leave feeling shorted by the fact that I didn’t get a good workout!
Also – I love the purge idea. I am still a renter, so everytime I move (about every year), I always try to do a big purge, too. Feels so much better to get rid of dead weight (excess stuff) and especially when you’re donating to a good cause!
It’s always a bummer when a yoga class turns out to be a dud. I hope your next one is fantastic enough to make up for it!
Ahahaha! I, the minimalist, will challenge my boyfriend to this, specifically even to the area of unused electronics and clothing! I will join in just because I love getting rid of stuff, but probably should keep enough clothes for the horrid Minnesota winter…
Thanks for the post, I love it!
69! WOOOHOO I’m the most mature person here
I have some huge bags waiting to be donated to goodwill. I always put stuff aside to donate when I switch my closets over from summer to winter and vice versa. And I try to donate warm clothing, such as coats, fleeces, and blankets to the homeless when I can.
I tried to find a 70th item just for people like you
I did this yesterday with the mass amounts of toys we have, I got rid of 4 bags full. *Barf*
Love your hummus sandwich, I think I’ll have that for lunch tomorrow, your rice bowl looks tasty too
Jen
I could totally do it. I could probably do a toss of 500 if my husband weren’t trying to do his best impresion of a hoarder!
Love the idea of cleaning out and getting rid of old stuff. It’s amazing how fast things can accumulate. I actually am planning to clear out a large and quite full closet soon.
And sorry about the yoga. I hate when that happens. I’ve yet to find a class near me that is actually decent.
My husband and I throw out stuff all the time. We have a tiny NYC apartment and keep our belongings to a bare minimum. We usually exchange experiences instead of gifts (lift tickets, hockey game tickets, etc) and always ask family not to get us anything at Christmas. It keeps my mind free of clutter, too!
I love this idea! I could definitely go for a good house cleaning! I think this will be my project this weekend
What a coincidence! I was and still am tossing & donating stuff around the house. I can’t wait to be clutter free, especially by giving away stuff that I don’t use to charity.
I love getting rid of stuff. When my husband and I moved cross country we sold everything we had except the stuff that could fit into our Jeep. We had a huge Yard Sale and then donated what didn’t get bought to charity. It was so freeing and it was great to see my stuff getting used by people instead of sitting in my closet!
If you haven’t checked out Makeunder My Life (http://makeundermylife.com), you should! I started doing a weekly exfoliation at the beginning of this year thanks to MML, just by going over my stuff and getting rid of a few things at a time so that I don’t have to do major overhauls as often. Plus, I love her idea about loving everything you own, and the term “exfoliation” is perfect!
Also, LOVE LOVE LOVE YHL!
What a great idea! As we are about to move house soon – this is a wonderful idea!!!
50 things wouldn’t be a problem for me. I am in the process of dejunking our house in the hopes that we will be moving in the spring. I’ve gotten rid of 6 bags of clothes between my closet and my youngest son’s. My oldest son’s outgrown clothes were stored for the youngest. It feels great to have less stuff sitting and hanging around the house.
I HAAATE clutter so I doubt I could even find 50 things to toss! I always throw/give away stuff as soon as I decide I don’t need it. It is a bit of a problem sometimes – when I do need something I’ve often thrown it away already! :/
I play a game by myself just about weekly that I call “52 pick-up” (no not with cards). The goal is that I have to deal with 52 things in an afternoon. This can be mail, laundry, and inevitably it gets down to sorting through books, clothes, shoes etc…just to get to the magic number. works like a charm
That is awesome!
I also set my oven timer every night for 10 minutes and run around picking up/cleaning as much as I can in that time. When I’m done I’m done. It’s amazing how much you can get done in 10 min.
Cleaning has to be a game or I will NOT do it.
Just end up with three feet of water in your basement. You’ll find a lot of things to toss then! I also like to do the “one thing in, one thing out” game. If I buy a new pair of shoes, well, that means an old pair probably needs to go!
While reviewing documents for a conference, I saw you will be speaking at my alma mater tomorrow! I will be participating in a panel as well. What a pleasant coincidence!
I love this idea! Something about getting rid of clutter is therapeutic.
ps… which was it, 28 shirts or 7?!
It was 28 shirt and then 7 more LOL
THis is a great idea! I’m definitely going to need to do this in the upcoming weeks– before i start organizing to pack. I’ll be moving to Austin in 2.5 – 3 months!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!
I have a TON of stuff to give away in my tiny NYC apartment. I give boxes of crap to Salvation Army every year, yet I always find ways to accumulate more and more.
That rice mix looks SO yummy, btw.
I was in a relationship with a man for 5 years, which ended a month ago. Last week, I moved 1,400 miles away from him, taking only what would fit in my little Cavalier. I definitely threw away more than 100 items!
I need to do the 50 things challenge. I have so much stuff taking up space that I really don’t need.
Sorry your yoga class was a bust! At least both of your lunches look delicious
Hello Caitlin, I’ve been reading for a few months and finally decided to join the conversation! I think I could find 50 things to get rid of, and it’s a great idea to do it! I did just bring a load of children’s clothes to Once Upon a Child yesterday, so that helped a little.
The yoga comments make me chuckle.
Hello!
I envy your 50-item toss. I need to do a 100-item toss, really! I have a bag of clothes that I picked out of my drawers to donate, I could probably put together another bag. I have a hard time getting rid of clothes that fit, and there isn’t something wrong with them, but I just don’t wear them (this is the case more with things given to me by parents, etc. at Christmas from a few years ago). I need to get over that guilt!
So true! On the news tonight they were saying how the average family has $25,000 of unused items in their house. Wow, if we could all just manage to donate or sell our stagnat stuff!
Since I quit my job 2 weeks ago, I have donated 8 jumbo trash bags full of clothes and shoes and 2 boxes of books to Goodwill. It feels good to cleanse the home a little, and I only hope that the things we no longer need go far in helping make someone else happy.
I have complete empathy for you, as I am recovering from my second knee injury & my second knee surgery. If there is one thing I learned, it’s this: Don’t push it! I definitely pushed it too much and ended up worsening my condition. I have spent over 6 months paying for it. Hopefully though, you’ll be fine!!!
I’ve piled some things to donate, but didn’t count them. If the number is less than 50, I will dig deeply room by room in the coming weekend.
Without clutter, life is healthy.
I love tossing things (I think I am in the minority there!). I just recently gave a bunch to good will and a lot of old clothes (still in excellent condition) to my fiances younger sisters. It feels good to cleansE!
I think Sherri ultimately tossed over 200 items! She did some serious damage. I’m moving in a couple weeks, and I already have 3 bags of clothes that are going to Good Will. That’s probably 50 items right there!
I could do a 20 things toss … maybe … the hubby makes me toss things a few times a year, because I tend to accumulate
I really don’t think I could do a 50 thing toss. I’m a minimalist with a small apartment and don’t tend to accumulate things I don’t use.
When my husband and I reached our first major milestone in our weight-loss journey we also kind of hit a plateau and did a huge clean out of the house and got rid of so much stuff, including all our old clothes that were massive on us. They were our safety net clothes that we hid in for years and it was so therapeutic to get rid of them.
Also, lightening our load around the house made us feel productive even while experiencing a plateau!
My boyfriend and I recently moved across the country in a Honda Civic. We had to get rid of soooooo much stuff. Lots and lots was given to charity. Literally like 3 car-fulls! And we sold some at a yard sale too. It was a wonderful feeling to pare down to what we REALLy need – amazing how little that is! Of course, once we reached our destination we had to buy new furniture and stuff, but it’s definitely a good feeling to clean out the house!
I love cleaning my closet and do it constantly, there’s always a box in the closet to collect the give-aways. I host a “naked lady” party every few months where women all bring their items together and trade. It’s awesome! I got a pair of Express jeans that fit perfectly last time. The leftovers go to the thrift store. It’s economical, environmental, social, and a good excuse for a ladies party!
I moved house about 6 months ago and donated alot to charity, its a nice feeling. It was mainly clothing, an entertainment unit and some books. Although I was abit ruthless with my clothing, thinking I don’t need that, well now that summer is hitting, I actually did need some of the dresses, but, oh well, it has gone to a good cause.
I love doing this! My closets have been packed for awhile. There is so much I don’t wear/use and I’m just itching to get rid of it. A ‘New Year Cleanse’ may be in order for me…somehow January is just around the corner!
I think that a 50 thing toss is definitely due for my study. It’s cluttered with way too muhc stuff! And clothes, too…
I NEED to do the 100 things toss; maybe next week when I have off from work. And “protect the boring”~ too funny!
No, I couldn’t do a 50 thing toss because I’m constantly cleaning out my closet
It’s an obsession.
I have recently been doing a house purge in stages, though I don’t read Young House Love. I have gone through several rooms, purged everything that needed to be thrown out, and bagged up the rest to donate. I don’t know where to take donations to in Tokyo yet, so we have huge bags of stuff sitting in our bedroom corner for the time being! I’m sure there close to or more than 100 items in those bags already.. mostly clothing.
Last night I also tackled the kitchen cabinets looking for expired pantry items. I’m a hoarder when it comes to dry goods and I’m disgusted to say that a lot of things have been forgotten and wasted up in my overhead cabinets. My goal is to no longer stock up on pantry unless I know I will use them to cut down on waste.
Also, I tried out a Yoga class at my gym last week and was similarly underwhelmed. It was a 10 am class, though, so probably aimed at the elderly morning members.
Caitlin – I read your blog daily and was wondering if you could share with us what other healthy blogs you read daily. I’d love to find a few more.
Sure!
I read:
mealsandmiles.com
katheats.com
carrotsncake.com
ohsheglows.com
hangrypants.com
thefrontburner.com
rhodeygirltests.com
bendoeslife.com
Thanks
Caitlin – thanks for all your support on twitter yesterday for my new blog – the launch day went well – I had over 1500 hits in the first 3 hours! Lets hope everyone keeps coming back.
Loving this idea for a charitable clear out. Once I have some time I will definitely give this a go. I actually have a heap of clothes on my office floor “ready to ebay” – they have been there 2 weeks! Maybe they are the ones that should get the 50 things treatment!
Thanks
Julia x
http://www.bridesupnorth.com
I’m so relieved to see that you donated all those items to charity and didn’t just “toss” them!
Also, that hummus sandwich is so simple yet made me CRAVE hummus and alfalfa sprouts on whole wheat! Thanks for the lunchtime inspiration!
{ 2 trackbacks }