Forty Bags in Forty Days

Just before Lent began, I saw this challenge going around Facebook.  Several of my friends said they were going to take it on.  At first I just ignored it, but finally I actually opened the blog and read it and thought, "I can do this."  So I have been.

Though it corresponds with the season of Lent, I wouldn't necessarily consider it a spiritual thing, though in some sense it is: letting go of "stuff" I don't need.

The idea is to take on one project per day, one area of your house, for the 40 days of Lent (taking Sundays off), clean it and get rid of one bag (any size) of clutter.  This can mean throwing it in the trash, giving it away (Goodwill or otherwise), or setting it aside for a garage sale.

I haven't been overwhelmed by it, though it has kept me busy.  Actually, it (along with the warmer weather) has energized me, and I'm accomplishing much more than I thought I would.  My husband loves it (he actually (lovingly, of course) called me a "hoarder" when I told him I was going to do it, which further fueled my fire).

I have cleaned closets, desktops, my garage (which had to be broken down into several separate "projects"), cabinets, my freezers, my car and more.  I have gone through some boxes of old papers and gotten rid of a lot of them.  I have organized Cooper's clothes and toys, getting rid of some that he has outgrown, and traded out his changing table for a chest of drawers someone gave us, that has been sitting in our garage.  I have yet to run out of ideas and don't think I will before the project is over.

My house is cleaner and more spacious, and I feel lighter knowing it's all gone.  Plus, I have gotten to take several trips down "memory lane" as I come across old things, and have even shared some toys and books from my childhood with Cooper.

I hope to do this every year, though I doubt future years will be as dramatic as this one, since I have already gotten rid of a lot.  I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be done during the season of Lent, but that's what works for me.

This is a project that I would recommend to everyone, especially to other "hoarders" like me.