Week #1 Decluttering & Low Spend Challenges Done with Photos

First the Low Spend Challenge.
Week #1 I spent only on food.....$91.17 through today, Tuesday.
We had take-out once....Subway sammies on Sunday.

Because my mini vacuum broke while cleaning my room as part of the Decluttering Challenge we went out to window shop for a new one on Monday.
I thought I'd blow Low-Spend next week because of having to buy a new vacuum. 8-(

But before I had Hubs take the old one out to the trash can last night I told him to plug it in and give it a try One. More. Time.
And it WORKED!lol  A miraculous healing.  Am I the Ernest Angley of the Vacuum Cleaner World?

Oreck Pro Mini Vac.....you are HEALED!!!
Praise the gods of suck......

Or I am now the Vacuum Whisperer.....

Think like a vacuum.  Understand the signals your vacuum is sending out.  Speak the vacuum's non-verbal  language.  Use your body to show dominance over your vacuum.  Be the leader of your vacuum pack.

Whatever!
At least now I don't have to shell out major $$$s to replace my "precious" mini vac.

Onward to the Decluttering Challenge Results.
I'm reposting the BEFORE photos along with the AFTER photos.
And away we go.....


Shot 1 BEFORE

 Shot 1 AFTER

Things have been moved and the sewing projects thrown in the corner between the sewing machines have been purges and what is left has been folded and put into the blue tub of projects.  The current projects are on the back of my sewing chair.  The box under the ironing board will stay there, as it has a twofold purpose.....holding gifts/Xmas presents and it keeps whatever I am ironing/working on from dragging on the floor.

Shot 2 BEFORE

 Shot 2 AFTER

You will notice the cedar chest is CLEARED OFF...yay!  I also weeded through the sewing projects(in the blue tub)and said tub is tucked at the foot of the bed now.  The 12-packs of soda will leave as soon as #2 son comes home and can move them for me to the garage(except for the 2 I will hide in the closet).  My rocking chair aka Hubs clothes rack is HUB'S to deal with, not mine. lol  And I made my bed.....!


Shot 3 BEFORE

 Shot 3 AFTER

My dresser and nightstand are cleaned off and items put away in the correct places.  Papers and photos are filed away.  I can actually get into those little drawers on top without an avalanche of stuff falling on the floor. lol

Shot 4 BEFORE

 Shot 4 AFTER

  The boxes against the wall are sewing notions, patterns.  There is a box of dolls I have kept from my youth that are important to me.  There is a Yellow Submarine Lava Lamp.  I am still undecided on what to do with it.  On top of the white drawers is my stack of uncut fabric for projects.  I've draped a Spongebob towel over the lot to keep what is under it from getting dusty.  This way the fabric doesn't get dusty and I can shake out or wash the towel on a regular basis.

Shot 5 BEFORE

 Shot 5 AFTER

 My challenge here was not about getting rid of clothing, since I do that twice a year when I change out clothes for the seasons.  I got everything off the floor so you can walk around in there without tripping.  I also straightened the shelves and organized it a bit.  I ran out of time to take it all down and reorganize but things are with "like things" now and easier to find.


 And here is everything that left the room.....

The Holiday decorations that never got put away.

Bags of Rite-Aid pillaged booty that were hiding in my cedar chest, can now be put away with all my excess toiletries in the "toiletries dresser" in Daughter's old room.

Box full of children's keepsakes can be put into their respective boxes for each child, which are stored in closet in Daughter's old room.

Books I've read can be put away on bookshelf elsewhere in house(2 of them)or given away(1 of them).

Food and other things that need to live in the kitchen.

More foodstuffs for kitchen pantry or stockpile in garage.

 2 large plastic zippered cases(from comforter purchases).  To be repurposed to hold out of season bedding or thrown away.

 A bag of new/unused cosmetics I am not going to use to put with the toiletries stash or with Giveaway loot.

3 bags of items to take to Salvation Army or give away or sell.

 Bags of trash.  There was another full bag that Hubs put out last night for pick-up before I took these shots.

 Empty shopping bags for the bag stash in the garage for reuse.

 A box of beanie babies to sell or donate.

A stack of 2 year old magazines.  I'll skim them for recipes and then out in the garbage they go too!

The box lid and box on the bottom are sell or donate items.  The white box is old letters I need to go through and sort.  I'm hoping to get that pile condensed and filed away with my other old letters.

So I have many items leaving the house from that room.  Hubs just got home and came downstairs after changing his work clothes and remarked on how empty the bedroom is.  8-))
I still need to get in there and use the mini vac some more.

As for the small mini-challenge of a food bank donation......
I like to make large food bank donations so instead I made up a small bag of items for my BIL-who lives on the edge of "having enough" in this world.  It's some food items, paper goods and toiletries I pulled from my stockpile for him.

3 tubes of toothpaste
2 bottles of shampoo
2 packs of tp
2 boxes of spaghetti
1 big bottle of ketchup
1 packet of taco seasoning

Not much actual food because they don't eat a wide variety of foods.  None of the canned veggies or rice or dried beans or flour or stock or marinades or peanut butter or canned tomatoes or spices I have are things they will eat.  They only eat convenience foods or raw foods as they don't "cook".

So that's the Results of my Week of Challenges.

How did everyone else do?

Sluggy