Spring…it’s coming soon, although it may be hard to tell after that monster snow storm we just got.
I love spring. I long for it after the doldrums of winter start to set in around February. And at the first hint of some warmth in the air I also begin to long for simplicity. A chance to purge, deep clean and shake out the cobwebs that form after a long winter.
About a week ago I ran across the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge on the White House Black Shutters blog. I was hooked. There is nothing I love more than a good purge, and I think it is one of the reasons that I haven’t minded moving so much. Every time we’ve moved it has allowed me to de-clutter and get rid of things we don’t use. So I decided to jump on board with the challenge!
The basic premise of the challenge is this:
A forty day period in the spring (coinciding with the 40 days of Lent) where you focus on cleaning one area per day. In this one area you challenge yourself to declutter, simplify, decrapify, and get rid of things you don’t need. The goal is one bag a day but you can have more or less.
You can read even more about the challenge over at White House Black Shutters and score a free printable to help you keep track of your progress.
I haven’t been following the challenge exactly, as I started late and have been doing a room or two every couple days. I’ve chosen to do shopping bags and focus on deep cleaning each room as I go. I will be the first to admit that I HATE to clean and our house desperately needs it!
A few questions I ask myself when I think about getting rid of something:
1) When was the last time I (we) used this, wore this, etc?
2) How often have I used it in the past?
3) If it’s paperwork, is it something I need to keep or can I scan it and keep a digital copy?
4) When looking at toys- is it something that my kids really need? Do we have toys that are similar? When is the last time they actually played with it?
So, want to take the challenge and do some de-crapifying??
I will be posting some photos on our Instagram account (@bvtmomsblog), so feel free to follow along and post your own photos using the hashtag #40bagsin40days and tag us in the photos. We would love to cheer you on!
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Challenge accepted…maybe by the time I’m done de-crapifying my house it will be time to put on some clothes for warmer temps…maybe.
Oooh I like this! The printable progress sheet looks really helpful, too.
This is great. I often think to myself “If I just do one thing per night…..”. Setting a 40 day goal is great! Kid toys are hard. I find something that #1 played with and think that I need to save it for #2, but in reality, she has her own things and will be getting more for birthdays, holidays, etc. Less is more for sure! 🙂