Diaper Swappers

wordbox · 01-13-2013, 06:25 PM

The Mini Minimalist Challenge runs each week from Monday-Friday. Weekends can be used as catch up days, and would be a great time to drop off donations. Before & After pictures (or any other progress photos) are encouraged!

I will post the entire 5 days all at once, in case you would like to plan ahead or work out of order. Keep in mind that not all challenges will be relevant for every person or every home. If you find a challenge that does not need to be done, or is in an area of your home that you do not have, either consider it a day off or focus on an area that you really do need to work on.

If you're feeling extra motivated, this is also a good time to wipe down surfaces or vacuum areas that don't usually get much attention. You can consolidate items, eliminate packaging, or reorganize while working on the challenge in that area... but it's okay if you don't!

The goal will be to purge 5 things from each area. You may find more and you may find less, but you want to aim for at least 5 whenever possible. If you stick to just the minimum, you will purge 25 things from your home every week! Comment with your progress and to encourage others, and share with us your successes and struggles.

If you are new, feel free to jump right in where you are! Don't feel like you need to backtrack or catch up to us.

Week #3

Monday 1.14.13: Purge 5 items from your own closet. Clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. This would also be a good time to dust shelves, reorganize a bit, and tidy up in there.

Tuesday 1.15.13: Purge 5 items from your living room.

Wednesday 1.16.13: Purge 5 items from your entryway area (or wherever you keep jackets, shoes, hats, etc.).

Thursday 1.17.13: Purge 5 items from your car! This would be a good time to bring in anything that doesn't belong, to restock anything you like to keep in there, and to give the interior a quick wipe down (and even vacuum it out) if you find the time and motivation. Maybe a new air freshener?

Friday 1.18.13: Purge 5 items from a non-clothes closet (such as a utility closet, hallway closet, linen closet, or pantry).

BONUS TASK: Finished everything else and looking for something else to do? Pick one room and wipe down the windows (don't get too picky, just what you can easily get to) and then dust the sills.

TypeAMom · 01-13-2013, 06:38 PM

Seriously, thank you for posting these! I think this is going to be a difficult week for me.

1/14: my desk's in my closet and I got rid of a 6" stack of coupon inserts from last year, a few papers, 3 empty CD cases, 1 suit
1/15: 3 pillows, 1 huge blanket, 1 unused candle
1/16: 1 pair of boots, 1 board game, 1 empty box, 1 dowel (how do these things end up here?)
1/17: 8 kids books and 1 kids toy
1/18: 1 ripped pillow case, 4 blankets
Bonus: I FINALLY took down inner screens from kitchen windows and cleaned all of the gunk out of the window sill that was between the screen and the window. If you hadn't posted this bonus task, this would have stayed dirty until next year when the screens were taken down.

wordbox · 01-13-2013, 06:40 PM

You're welcome! Good luck with them, just do what you can.

Our local shelter is always looking for blankets, towels, etc. Hopes yours will take them!

TalkinBoutMyGirl · 01-13-2013, 08:42 PM

I love this week!!

TypeAMom · 01-13-2013, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordbox

You're welcome! Good luck with them, just do what you can.

Our local shelter is always looking for blankets, towels, etc. Hopes yours will take them!

I worry they won't want them b/c they're not washable. I'll call and ask them this week.

ETA: they didn't want them, but now I know and this is no longer pending.

moonlightblonde · 01-13-2013, 09:42 PM

This will be a tricky week =) which is a good thing! We don't keep anything in the car except our gps, phone charger, green bins, car seats & a box of kleenex so I wont be able to do anything there. & I just got rid of 140 something items from my closet/dresser so I'm not sure that I'm at a point where I can take that down much more.

joeslittlewoman · 01-14-2013, 09:06 AM

Excited for today's challenge! I've had my closet on my to-do list for weeks....

Hard to take pics of my closet. Here are before pics. Between the move, not being able to find our hangers, and storing all outgrown/baby clothes for this little one that is baking, it is kind of insane.

And after. I still have too many shoes, but we have a lot of work functions/vacation and I hate having to buy stuff again. Purged 3 pair of shoes that aren't in good enough shape to donate. Also found some clean laundry hubby had hidden in there that I am about to put away. Office supplies made their way to the office. Baby clothes organized by size and stored in separate totes. Clothes I can't wear, but probably can shortly after the baby is born also stored in a tote. Almost a full tub to donate, filled with queen sheets (we have a king now), clothes I cleared from the boys' room last week. And a shirt of mine.

Edited: once I did hubby's closet, I 1) found a lot of my clothes, and 2) realized his closet is so empty it should hold the baby stuff, lol. Updated pics:

Hubby's work clothes and shoes

Hubby's sweaters, dry cleaning, and baby totes up top

My skirts/pants/dresses and purses/bags on higher bar, dressier shoes (tops on lower bar)

Dirty laundry, hats, casual shoes, transition clothes and a few other items up top

Donation pile from our closets

wordbox · 01-14-2013, 10:34 AM

Funny, we go through our closet very regularly and I just did it last month (I think?) but we already have a pile of stuff to go. I'll update later, but DS is napping so I don't want to finish up just yet.

joeslittlewoman · 01-14-2013, 10:46 AM

Plan on tackling hubby's closet today too. And maybe the spare closet in the master.

browneyedgirl · 01-14-2013, 10:51 AM

I'd love to join in!

(how bizarre is it to hang around a diaper board when all of your kids are potty trained? Lol

01-13-2013, 06:25 PM	#1
wordbox Registered Users Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2,843 Ratings: 13 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Mini Minimalist Challenge: 1/14-1/18 The Mini Minimalist Challenge runs each week from Monday-Friday. Weekends can be used as catch up days, and would be a great time to drop off donations. Before & After pictures (or any other progress photos) are encouraged! I will post the entire 5 days all at once, in case you would like to plan ahead or work out of order. Keep in mind that not all challenges will be relevant for every person or every home. If you find a challenge that does not need to be done, or is in an area of your home that you do not have, either consider it a day off or focus on an area that you really do need to work on. If you're feeling extra motivated, this is also a good time to wipe down surfaces or vacuum areas that don't usually get much attention. You can consolidate items, eliminate packaging, or reorganize while working on the challenge in that area... but it's okay if you don't! The goal will be to purge 5 things from each area. You may find more and you may find less, but you want to aim for at least 5 whenever possible. If you stick to just the minimum, you will purge 25 things from your home every week! Comment with your progress and to encourage others, and share with us your successes and struggles. If you are new, feel free to jump right in where you are! Don't feel like you need to backtrack or catch up to us. Week #3 Monday 1.14.13: Purge 5 items from your own closet. Clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. This would also be a good time to dust shelves, reorganize a bit, and tidy up in there. Tuesday 1.15.13: Purge 5 items from your living room. Wednesday 1.16.13: Purge 5 items from your entryway area (or wherever you keep jackets, shoes, hats, etc.). Thursday 1.17.13: Purge 5 items from your car! This would be a good time to bring in anything that doesn't belong, to restock anything you like to keep in there, and to give the interior a quick wipe down (and even vacuum it out) if you find the time and motivation. Maybe a new air freshener? Friday 1.18.13: Purge 5 items from a non-clothes closet (such as a utility closet, hallway closet, linen closet, or pantry). BONUS TASK: Finished everything else and looking for something else to do? Pick one room and wipe down the windows (don't get too picky, just what you can easily get to) and then dust the sills. __________________ Mommy to Grant (July 2010) and Greta (July 2012) Blog: O for Owl I purged 2,920 items in 2012! Working on 2,013 items for 2013. Progress: 855/2,013

01-13-2013, 06:38 PM	#2
TypeAMom Registered Users Formerly: Diae Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New England Posts: 1,116 Ratings: 4 Feedback: 100% My Mood:**	Seriously, thank you for posting these! I think this is going to be a difficult week for me. 1/14: my desk's in my closet and I got rid of a 6" stack of coupon inserts from last year, a few papers, 3 empty CD cases, 1 suit 1/15: 3 pillows, 1 huge blanket, 1 unused candle 1/16: 1 pair of boots, 1 board game, 1 empty box, 1 dowel (how do these things end up here?) 1/17: 8 kids books and 1 kids toy 1/18: 1 ripped pillow case, 4 blankets Bonus: I FINALLY took down inner screens from kitchen windows and cleaned all of the gunk out of the window sill that was between the screen and the window. If you hadn't posted this bonus task, this would have stayed dirty until next year when the screens were taken down. __________________ I'm a wife to my sweetheart ('07), a bio-mom to my little girl ('10)(who I've waited years to meet!), stepmom to my teenage boy and a slave to my 2 kitties. Last edited by TypeAMom; 01-18-2013 at 06:51 AM.

01-13-2013, 08:42 PM	#4
TalkinBoutMyGirl Registered Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 12,249 Ratings: 255 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: Mini Minimalist Challenge: 1/14-1/18 I love this week!! __________________ Anna-Child Passenger Safety Technician, mama to H(4) and so much more. My ISO/IHA Earn easy cash back through EBATES Want FREE money? Swag with me!

01-13-2013, 09:42 PM	#6
moonlightblonde Registered Users Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 3,036 Ratings: 29 Feedback: 100%	Re: Mini Minimalist Challenge: 1/14-1/18 This will be a tricky week =) which is a good thing! We don't keep anything in the car except our gps, phone charger, green bins, car seats & a box of kleenex so I wont be able to do anything there. & I just got rid of 140 something items from my closet/dresser so I'm not sure that I'm at a point where I can take that down much more. __________________ Amber:: WAH Mama to Brooklyn Marie 7/10/08 & Team green turned PINK Rebecca Rose 4/19/2012

01-14-2013, 09:06 AM	#7
joeslittlewoman Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,511 Ratings: 54 Feedback: 100%	Excited for today's challenge! I've had my closet on my to-do list for weeks.... Hard to take pics of my closet. Here are before pics. Between the move, not being able to find our hangers, and storing all outgrown/baby clothes for this little one that is baking, it is kind of insane. And after. I still have too many shoes, but we have a lot of work functions/vacation and I hate having to buy stuff again. Purged 3 pair of shoes that aren't in good enough shape to donate. Also found some clean laundry hubby had hidden in there that I am about to put away. Office supplies made their way to the office. Baby clothes organized by size and stored in separate totes. Clothes I can't wear, but probably can shortly after the baby is born also stored in a tote. Almost a full tub to donate, filled with queen sheets (we have a king now), clothes I cleared from the boys' room last week. And a shirt of mine. Edited: once I did hubby's closet, I 1) found a lot of my clothes, and 2) realized his closet is so empty it should hold the baby stuff, lol. Updated pics: Hubby's work clothes and shoes Hubby's sweaters, dry cleaning, and baby totes up top My skirts/pants/dresses and purses/bags on higher bar, dressier shoes (tops on lower bar) Dirty laundry, hats, casual shoes, transition clothes and a few other items up top Donation pile from our closets __________________ Wife to Joe. Proud, tired mommy to Captain Destructive (6/09), Sir Screams-a-lot (8/10), and another little miracle due 3/13. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. Last edited by joeslittlewoman; 01-14-2013 at 02:45 PM.