Throwing out 50 things, part 1

I've read a lot of books on organizing and decluttering, though you'd never know it from looking at my house, which is intensely cluttered with everything from Star Trek action figures to the remnants of old hobbies and interests to, well, books on decluttering. My most recent read in this genre — which I borrowed from the library so it wouldn't end up creating more clutter! — was Gail Blanke's Throw Out Fifty Things.

The basic premise is that you have to decide what you want your surroundings (and your life) to be like, and start weeding out things, habits, and attitudes that are not contributing to, or are working directly against, achieving your vision. Explicitly keeping a list of at least the first 50 things you throw out helps you see progress and motivates you to keep going.

A bit of clarification is in order for the definitions of "throw out" and "things": "Throwing out" encompasses all methods of letting go and getting rid of stuff, like selling and donating; and "things" can include negative thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes as well as tangible objects. Also, when it comes to tangible objects, a group of similar items counts as only one "thing", e.g., a stack of old magazines, or five pairs of jeans that don't fit, is just one "thing". This is to keep you from pitching five years worth of Consumer Reports and declaring your 50-thing goal accomplished. Uh-uh, not that easy.

And I'm working on it. It started with my yard sale and continued with a trip to the Salvation Army thrift store (for donating, not buying), and I'm still making slow progress, working around my job and my online class. So I thought I'd post my progress to date, i.e., the first 20 things on my list. All tangible stuff, too — I've got more than enough of that without getting into the intangibles.

There are actually some things missing from the list, because I didn't keep a list of everything I sold at my yard sale, but I've included some of the more substantial sale items that I could remember. Unless otherwise indicated, BTW, these things went straight in the trash.

1. Inkjet printer bought in 2002 and never out of the box (sold)
2. Metal bed frame (sold)
3. Pile of jigsaw puzzles (sold)
4. A couple dozen reusable ice packs from food shipping coolers (sold)
5. Hedge shears (manual), never used (sold)
6. Pair of ratty old throw pillows
7. Beanbag hassock (donated)
8. Bedrest reading pillow (donated)
9. Leather belt with unraveling edge-stitching
10. Paint-stained coveralls
11. Two worn-out T-shirts (turned into cleaning rags)
12. Ancient digital alarm clock that didn't like to be reset after a power failure
13. Two wool blankets (donated)
14. Pair of drapes from two residences ago, don't fit any of my windows (donated)
15. Four bags of clothing (donated) [I could have milked this for more "things" on my list by breaking it down into sweaters, pants, shirts, etc., but I didn't bother. I know I'll get to 50 without it.]
16. Stack of duplicate Lord of the Rings TCG posters and sell sheets (recycled)
17. Two blocks of floral foam
18. Four — count'em, four! — assorted mouse pads
19. Half a dozen nylon dustcovers for early Macintosh computers
20. A pile of old Dr. Scholl's sneaker inserts

I am fascinated and appalled by some of the incredible junk I've been harboring. Who knows what I'll unearth next?