The Great Purge of 2017

Things. We have too many of them. And they are taking over our lives.

A simple Google search of "getting rid of stuff" returns over 3 million results. As a society, we recognize the fact that we have too much--so much that our possessions are getting in the way of more important parts of our lives. Yet we also live in a very consumeristic, materialistic society that always wants more.

Since this is the beginning of a new year, I recently sat down and looked at my purpose statement, mission statements, and long-term and short-term life goals (that will have to be a different post). For my home, my mission statement reads as follows: Maintain my home as a refuge and sanctuary where my family can thrive and grow and others can be refreshed and encouraged. My someday goal for my home reads this way: Live minimally and with organization and systems such that the care of the home is a joy and not a consuming burden.

How many partial bottles of dried paint do I need? NONE!

In order to fulfill my mission and reach my goal, I need to seriously deal with the THINGS. The STUFF. Not that I haven't been trying to do that the past few years, but this year I am going to make a noticeable difference in my house. The plan requires a two-fold approach. First, we are going to control what comes into the house. Second, we are going to get rid of at least 2017 things this year. Thanks to my friend Debbie for this idea!

As I write this, we are five days into the new year, and I've already gotten rid of more than fifty (50!) items! Throughout the year, I will post updates on my progress here on the blog as well as on our FB page. If you would like to join us in our quest to reclaim the space in our homes and the time in our day, please comment to let us know. The communal encouragement will help us all be more successful.

These are the ones I got rid of. I counted every
three as one item.

BTW, one of my favorite articles about getting rid of stuff can be found here.