3.04.2014

40 Bags in 40 Days {Lent 2014}

Tomorrow is the first day of Lent, which mean starting tomorrow, I will be doing a 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge, like have done the past 2 years.

 The idea of 40 Bags in 40 Days is that during Lent (40 days) rid your house of 40 bags of "stuff".
This "stuff" can be things you don't use... junk, clothes you don't need/wear, clutter, old toys, garbage, etc.

To me, Lent is a time of prayer, self-reflection, sacrifice, self-control and renewal.
To me, a good home de-cluttering can go hand in hand with the Lenten season, just like our houses/blogs may look put together on the outside, on the inside we are a mess and need an intervention & de-cluttering ourselves.

In 2012 when I did 40 Bags in 40 Days for Lent,I gave AWAY 24 bags of stuff to Goodwill.
I threw AWAY 28 bags of stuff.
That is 52 bags of stuff we didn't use, need or wasted.

Last year, In 2013 when I did 40 Bags in 40 days, 
I gave away 18 Bags of stuff to Goodwill.
I threw AWAY 26 bags of stuff.
That is 44 bags of stuff we didn't use, need or wasted.

So, over 2 years we have gotten rid of a total of 96 bags of STUFF (aka "CRAP")
 
EWWWW.

I learned a lot the past 2 years doing this project.
I always keep my house pretty clutter free, but doing this project makes me realize we still have a lot of stuff we just don't need.
 I realized how much CRAP we have.
I realized how MUCH we have.
It has made me think about what I buy & what I bring into our house.
I ask myself, "Do we need this?" or
"Is there room for this?"
It has drastically changed my thinking, and for that I am thankful.
But, I am still a work in progress.

And, YES....I am doing this project again this year.
Because there is STILL more stuff I know I can clean out & get rid of.

Here is my 2014 List:
This printable was created for me last year by Jenny.
You can download it HERE on her blog!

I've got my list ready, I've my bags ready.

I will some more tips in the next few days to help you with this project.

Take a Deep Breath.
You can do this.
LESS is MORE.
Let's get rid of STUFF.
 Are you in?

18 comments:

  1. I found out about the 40 Bags in 40 Days earlier today. I am super excited that my husband and I are going to be participating this year. We have our list all ready to go. Tomorrow, it begins! :)

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  2. Such a good idea, Mel! Getting my bags ready to purge too!! -Audra @ keepinupwiththejahns

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  3. I think I'm going to try this next year. All of our stuff is in storage at the moment, so it would be a bit difficult to attempt this year.

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  4. I've got 2 bags already! YAY! Vets left a bag today and I already had two bags needing a place to go. Off to a good start! :)

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  5. Every year when you post about this I say I will participate next year. We moved 5 months ago but we could still use a good purge. If I provided wine and chocolate would you come

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  6. Hit send to soon!
    If I provided wine and chocolate would you come help me get started. ;)

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  7. I'm in! I'm doing 40 bags in 40 days this year, too! I am posting about it in the morning. It is very fitting with the pope's theme this year!

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  8. Yay!! I loved this series last year!! I'm going to try and do it myself this year too! Wish me luck!

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  9. I'm in :) I say this link on an organizing site.

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  10. Love this idea! Can't wait to start today...with THAT kitchen drawer! :)

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  11. I am in need of a huge purge at my house. Going to do it this year!

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  12. I should totally do this!!!
    We have entirely too much stuff

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  13. I just did my first bag - this feels great!

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  14. The tip about the hangers is genius! Leave it to Oprah! I am going to start doing that ASAP. I think everyone in my family tends to pick the same few outfits so we probably have lots of clothing we could be passing on to someone who needs it. I have had the unfortunate experience of not using a black trash bag when purging items from my children's playroom. Glad to passed the tip on to others. I also have a holding area. I sell toys during fall and spring consignments sales and always want to make sure they're really not playing with them anymore before I let them go. I did my first bag today and am excited to complete this Lenten project!

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  15. Shay mentioned this idea on her blog today, and I love it! I'm so glad that she shared, so I could stop over to your blog! I'm definitely doing this! In fact, I went through baby clothes this weekend to get rid of, and my daughter's room last week, so i'm sort of ahead of the game- right?!

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