40 Bags in 40 Days

March 14 was a fairly big day in my life.  My co-parent had just moved out of the nest into his own place and I was now the sole owner of the house.  After sharing it with him for almost five full years I was ready to make it my own.  But first, there was a whole lot of cleaning to do.  Fifteen years of "stuff" had accumulated.

I looked into many options.  Did you know there are services that will come and just take everything out of your basement?  They just haul it all away.  There are also services that will help you clean, such as Just Simplify Me, a business that will help you clean out your house at whatever level you need. 

I decided that what I really wanted to do was clean out, at least this first round myself.  At that time, lots of people on Facebook were talking about the 40 bags in 40 days concept – commit to filling a garbage bag each day for 40 days.  To me this seemed like a good first step.  Get a handle on the clutter and the extent to which I must clean out. Make a bit of progress, and see what I was in for to getting the whole house completely weeded out.

How did I get it all done?  Well there were times when I would give an hour and see how much I could put into bags.  Other times I just grabbed a bag and started filling.  There were times when I just wanted to clear out one closet.  For instance, when the mood hit me I walked into my closet and bagged anything I had not worn in a year or more.

What went into the 40 bags?  We stuffed them with lots of garbage, old projects that previously could not be parted with (by me or the children), toys, and other chotchkies.  I have a new found respect for those parents who do not allow Happy Meal toys or birthday party favors in their home.  Each of us saying goodbye to our treasures that were important long ago and now helped accomplish a goal. 

Where did the 40 bags go?  I called the Vets, dropped a few things off at Homefront, threw lots away, and gave a few things to friends.  At times we left bigger pieces of furniture out on the street and they were scooped up each day by dinner.

We made substantial progress and still have lots to do.  Next, we move onto the basement…we should putt Hefty on alert and buy their stock – we are going to need a whole lot of bags for that one.