I got rid of a few more things today, on the last day of the Clutter Busting Challenge.

• 3 CD’s
• 1 inch stack of papers and old instruction manuals I cleaned out from our file cabinet
• 1 pair of running shoes, last worn in a mud run

I just added up the amount of clutter I’ve cleared from my house this month. It’s mind-boggling to say the least, and a bit embarrassing. As I worked my way through the challenge the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, by Jen Hatmaker, kept coming to mind. I read it last year and it completely challenged my thinking concerning just HOW MUCH I have.

Less=MORE?

On a practical note, having less clutter around really equals more. Less time cleaning and organizing, and more time doing other activities that don’t involve trying to straighten up the same old, unused stuff day after day. I can’t say I miss anything I’ve gotten rid of this month, and love having a simpler, less cluttered home. It’s also making me pause a little more before I decide to buy something while out shopping (especially at Target!).

Ready to Drop Off

While quite a bit of my stuff went to the trash can or recycle bin, the rest is getting donated. I never did get around to dropping it off a few weeks ago, so I thought it was fitting to drop everything off on the last day of the challenge. I just finished loading everything up and I know my husband will be thrilled to see it leave his garage.

And this month’s grand total was?

351 items AND 8 inches of scrapbook paper, stickers & supplies AND countless amounts of misc. paper and broken parts.

I’m thankful for this challenge and the motivation it gave me to take a little bit of time every day to clear out a little bit of things we don’t need. Doing just a small bit everyday was much more manageable than doing it all in one day.

Thank-you to Money Saving Mom for hosting the Clutter Busting Challenge!