unclutter | New Year, fresh start

So I tried to declutter a couple of times last year and while improvements were definitely in evidence, overall things got the better of me and the process ground to a halt. I took advantage of the Christmas break to pack up a few things *grin* and today actually managed to get them out of the house and down to the charity shop and optician.

As there were so many I won't bore you with all the details, but I took all the old pairs of glasses that I could find down to the optician (7 pairs) where they donate them to an overseas group that give them to people in need of similar prescriptions who can't afford or don't have access to proper optical care. There were four large boxes of general stuff (DVDs, CDs, unwanted ornaments and toiletries amongst other things) that we took to the shop that raises funds for the local hospice. In all, 216 items went out of the house.

I have also made a decision to use up as much of the wool that I have accumulated as possible. With that in mind, I have turned 12 balls into scarves and 2 balls into a handbag. I will only count these as they are given away as presents. It's going to be a slow process but with more birthdays coming up, that's another scarf that will go soon and if I can put the finishing touches to the handbag, that's something else that can go as soon as I find someone suitable.

I shall balance this against the 21 items that came in at Christmas, 1 DVD bought since and 3 window blinds that I bought today.

So Out 217
In 25
balanced against 1-14 Jan which would require another 14 to go out.

Overall Grand Total of Outs = 178.

Not a bad start. I've already figured out what to tackle next - a bag of blankets that I think I might wash and give away if they're in good enough condition, if not, I'll throw them out.