Week #4 Low Spend & Declutter Challenge....I'm Done!

I have officially finished CARLA'S FEBRUARY DOUBLE CHALLENGE MONTH.....yay!  Here are my results with photos for Week 4.

First the Mini-Challenge....which was to put yourself FIRST!  Do something for yourself for a change.
And I did but with mixed results.
I spent a whole $1.99 on myself and rented a movie I had been wanting to see.
The movie?...."The Help".  I also want to read the book but will do that through the local library.

While I didn't feel guilty for spending the money and taking the time to watch it twice in one sitting(lol), I do, in a way, regret watching it.
Loved the movie, loved the fine acting.
But it made me ball like a baby!
Seriously.
Boo.
Hoo.

Even now I think about the story and I start getting weepy.
I am trying for the life of me to figure out WHY it affected me so.
I am not someone who cries at movies.....
Weird.

Onward to the Low Spending Part--
Feb. 22....spent $26.25 taking #2 Son out to Red Robin.  His meal was free! ;-) Went to Rite-Aid but no actual money was spent.
Feb. 23....no spending
Feb. 24....Went to Rite-Aid but no actual money was spent. Hubs & I got take-out, spent $19.50.
Feb. 25....$13.61 spent on groceries.
Feb. 26.... no spending
Feb. 27....$3.98 spent on groceries and I filled my car with gas-$48.01.  ouch....*sigh*
Feb. 28....$4.90 spent to mail our federal taxes.
I'm adding in Feb. 29 and I am staying home and don't plan on spending anything that day either.

No frivolous or unconscious spending this week....food, gas, taxes.  While the eating out is not a NEED, we can afford this little bit and budget for it, so the week is all good. 8-)

Onward to the Decluttering Part--

This final week was the DREADED CHALLENGE.
At my house, that is the garage.
We don't park cars in the garage.
I use it for storage.  With a large food & toiletries stockpile and selling toys now and again(which also means I need storage for shipping boxes), I have a lot of crap in my garage.  Add in storing certain household goods out there, a christmas tree, Hubs tools and workbench, window air conditioners, extra paint and flooring and anything else the kids & Hubs throw out there, my garage is quite a beast to tame.

Here are the pics I took BEFORE and then AFTER spending an hour or two out there 5 of the last 7 days.

From the middle of the end of the garage driveway BEFORE.....

And AFTER......after putting things away, putting things back where they belong and moving the tubs of toys into the living room...ugh.....

The left side of the garage from the driveway BEFORE......

And AFTER.....not much moved but straightened....

The rightside of the Stockpile BEFORE.....

And AFTER rotating some, putting bags away, organizing some.....

The right side of the garage near the door into the house BEFORE.....

And AFTER, not quite showing the same spot....the boxes are empties for shipping stuff and the tubs are our recycling storage set-up.  I did get rid of enough toys to empty 2 plastic tubs, which I can now freecycle.....

The other side of the Stockpile, standing at the back of the garage looking out BEFORE.....

And AFTER.....a little can straightening and a lot of shipping supplies straightening....

Standing in the same spot, shooting to the right instead of the left BEFORE.....

And AFTER......shipping stuff is organized and shelving taken apart but still deciding what to do with it....

 By the door into the house  BEFORE....

And AFTER-2 different shots because I didn't stand in the same spot for this After shot.....bags of food put away, boxes relocated or emptied, etc.....

Hubs workbench area is still a disaster but it's not MY disaster so I didn't show it. lol
I still have work to do out there but the garage is much improved and easier to find stuff.

I am glad for participating in this Challenge mostly because it got me moving on some things I've been putting off or ignoring.  Having to be accountable helped me just DO IT!
Now it's on to MARCH and to decide what to undertake going forward.

So how was your February?
Did you get some task started or completed that you've been putting off or dreading?

Sluggy

"My Personal Space" Decluttering Challenge....The BEFORE

I'm taking part in Carla's February Challenges which you can find HERE.

Week 1 in the Decluttering Challenge is about cleaning up a "Personal Space".
I chose my Bedroom as that space.
Though it grieves me to do this, here are the BEFORE Photos I snapped.
It is NOT pretty, so don't view them on an empty stomach......

Here's from the right at the door.  This is my sewing area with my machines and ironing board.  Hubs dresser is on the right of the shot.  You can see a hint of all the crap on his dresser.  Next to the overlock machine is a tub of sewing projects, an air cleaner and a humidifier on the floor along with a bolt of fabric.  You can't see the large box of merchandise under the ironing board or the child's rocking chair and sewing projects piled onto it in the corner of the room, behind the sewing machine....

Here's from the right at the door looking further toward the back of the room.  My rocking chair which Hubs has filled with clothes at all times! Argh  Notice the romantic ambience of the 12 packs of soda(keeping them in here so they are out of the reach of #2 son).lol  The pile of stuff at the foot of the bed is hiding a cedar chest/bench.
And no, I didn't even make the bed!

Here's moving left over on the other side of the bed on the back wall of the room.  That's my nightstand, my dresser on the left(piled with crap).  I have a set of plastic storage bins that are all nice and organized, holding important photos and papers and stuff but piled onto and next to them are fabric lengths, plunder from Rite-Aid that never got put "away", a box of beanie babies and stacks of Christmas stuff and extra gifts that didn't get "given" this past Holiday.  Doesn't everyone's nightstand hold a rack of sewing patterns, an Alice Cooper car toy, a stack of books, extra Christmas cards, an extra wallet, a very tall lamp and nose spray?

And here's the same shot but standing back to the door....
You can see all the crap on my dresser clearly now!  A craftsman vase we bought 20 years ago at an art festival which is jammed full of plastic shopping bags(mostly from Rite-Aid), packages of unopened cosmetics and lip gloss(more Rite-Aid plunder), fabric scraps from 2 different sewing projects(1 I finished 2 years ago, 1 still undone), a bag of combs, a Pfaltzgraf serving bowl I won at a Chinese Auction about 10 years ago(it was previously in the hall linen closet and got moved when I cleaned that out the end of last year), 2 bamboo cutting boards(Hubs and I bought 2+ years ago for Xmas presents when we were in Rehobeth DE on one of our mini vacations, but we haven't figured out WHO to give them to!lol), my jewelry boxes, a Tom Clark gnome that was my brother's but it was dropped and the head came off so it needs to be repaired,  a set of Presidential Election Pins(from 1996)from the Hard Rock Cafe in Philly, 2 Fenton bowls I call "crap catchers" because anything bowl shaped around here ends up with crap tossed into it, a Brita pitcher still in the shopping bag sitting randomly on the floor, papers that need to be filed in the other room.......and on and on.

That was sort of a 360 view thing if you missed it. ;-)

And here is the closet.....

The clothes(to either side) in here are fairly organized and purged already.  The shelving unit in the center(on the back wall of the closet)needs some work.  It holds all my family's photo albums plus all the scrapbook type photo albums I inherited from my mother(I am the family records keeper it seems.). My gift stash was/is also on the shelves, as are my tubs of sewing supplies(threads, buttons, notions).  I need to rework this space....

You may have noticed I don't have things hanging on my walls and bunches of tchotchkes(knickknacks, geegaws, etc.) sitting around to decorate.
I used to but not since I developed some bad allergies which left me with sinus infections that necessitated seeing an ENT doctor for my sinus problems after #2 son was born.
He convinced me that the best way to conquer the problem was to remove allergen holding items from the bedroom, as this is the easiest room to control and the one place where you spent the most time per day/night.
So carpeting was banned(well, I do have a small rug under the rocker now so the bamboo floor doesn't get ruined), curtains also(I do have a valance now) and bedding is enclosed in allergen barrier cases.  Blinds are easier to keep allergen-free because you just have to wipe them down.  We also run a cool mist humidifier which not only helps with the dryness in Winter when the heat is on, but also knocks down any dust floating around the room so it's less likely to be inhaled. We also have an air cleaner.  I don't decorate since pictures needs to be dusted and is just more places dust can hide/cling.  We did have a set of original artwork on the walls but after we painted, they don't go with the new room color.  I may end up putting something on the walls again, but it will have to be cleaned every week. 
Or maybe I won't since I'm too lazy to keep after the dust like I'd have to. ;-)
These steps can't make your bedroom allergen-free but it sure helps. 

So having piles of clothes, fabric and general crap laying around the room is NOT good for my health!  I really need to get this room ship-shape again.
Bring on the challenge!!

I'll be back early next week with photos of the result.
Stay tuned......

Sluggy

Doing the Double Challenge Month over at Carla's Blog

CARLA over at "My 1/2 Dozen Daily" is hosting a “Double Challenge Month” for February!! After holding a January Low Spend Challenge, she's doing another “Low (no) Spend Challenge”, and a “Decluttering Challenge”! You can join in both challenges, or just the one you’re most interested in!
Go check it out HERE .



Here’s how the Low (no) Spend Challenge will work:

1. Choose a financial goal for the month!
 
Other than food/HBA spending, some eating out, and bills, I just don't spend money each month! So if bills & food shopping aren't 'spending' then I just have no demons to tame here.
I don't shop for fun, heck I don't even go to the mall!lol  My money isn't running out a faucet like some people's seem to do, as I have a tight grip on that spigot after the years I spent in my youth wasting money on junk!
I spend so little on wants these days that a "Low(no) Spend Challenge isn't a challenge to me. ;-)  Since I give myself practically no discretionary spending anyway, my goal setting will work differently than most.....see below.


2. How will you achieve your goal this month?

But I still want a financial savings goal this month so here's my approach to this....

I went through the usual February bills we seem to always have(using last year's bills as a guide)and when I take those away from our projected February income it leaves about $1,600 in 'unspoken for' income.  I'm giving myself $200+/- for unforeseen bills and another $200 for #2 son's birthday which leaves $1,200 for a financial goal to put toward my 2012 Savings Challenge.
So my target to save is $1,200 in February.  This $1,200 will go into my Savings Challenge ING Account that was set up 3 years ago to hold these funds.

If I see ways to cut back on the February bills I will put this money in with the $1,200 I am targeting.

**And before you hate on me for having such a big target, remember that I have no debt at all....no credit cards, no student loans and my house has been paid off for almost 5 years.  Once you get into this position, you too can save money at an amazing rate no matter your income as long as you have discipline and don't blow large wads of cash on crap. ;-)

3. How will you allot your spending this month?

We are paid every 2 weeks.  After payment comes in, I pay bills as they come in and/or until I run out of the current payment.  In which case, I wait for the next income check to hit the bank and continue to pay the bills.  Bills are paid via check or directly online to the company from our bank account. Eating out and gasoline purchases are put on the credit card.  Any unexpected purchases are also put on the credit card.  Most importantly the credit card is paid off EACH MONTH no matter the amount.
As for food/HBA purchases, I take cash from the bank and all food/HBA purchases are covered with this.  Hubs also takes cash each month to cover his incidental purchases like lunch, coffee, picking up milk on the way home, paying for son's music lessons, etc.

4. Track your purchases!

I track all my spending anyway.  Every receipt goes into my notebook and each transaction gets listed and posted on my blog at the end of each month.
I try to get Hubs to save his receipts so I can see where his cash withdrawals go but it doesn't happen on a regular basis.  He resents being held accountable...... 8-(

5. Are there any “exemptions” for the month?

The only unusual purchase will be #2 son's Birthday cash and meal out, which I have accounted for in my Financial Goal above.

Here’s how the Decluttering challenge will work:
1. There will be 4 main challenges for the month. I pick the theme, you pick the challenge!

Since I am still in Decluttering Mode this year,  after the Great Purge of 2011, I am all in on this Challenge too!

Week One: Personal Space Challenge--This week will be all about my bedroom.
Week Two: Family Space Challenge--This week will be all about the den.
Week Three: Productivity Challenge--This week will be all about the living room/dining room.
Week Four: The “Dreaded” Challenge--This week will be all about the garage.

The Tossing/Selling/Donating 29 items part?
Oh, I have this down in SPADES!lolol
I'll probably toss/sell/donate that many items A DAY!

I'll be documenting all via photos.....both befores and afters.  Good times!

So go see Carla and sign up for one or both of these Challanges!

Sluggy