40 Bags in 40 Days has helped thousands of people jump start their plan to declutter their houses, lighten their load, and create a more peaceful, functional home for themselves and their families.

It is a forty day period when you declutter one area per day, and commit to getting rid of at least one bag of stuff each time.

This year we officially begin March 1st!

I participated in this online event a few years ago, and I'll be honest, I didn't officially make it through the entire forty days.  I missed a few days and got behind, but I did continue to declutter until I had tossed or donated forty bags of stuff!  And I'll tell you what...it was AWESOME!

The feeling of unburdening our home from unnecessary things was as if a literal weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I felt lighter.  My home felt lighter.  I felt accomplished and less overwhelmed by a large home with five members who had way too much.  By the end of my 40 Bags in 40 Days journey, I felt renewed and ready to tackle the big stuff (like our garage)!

It was empowering.

Having too much stuff will be a lifelong trial for me.  I've always been sentimental about my possessions, attaching memories to clothing, papers, childhood toys, and the like.  I've also always been frugal and prone to saving things "for a rainy day".  The combo has amounted to incredulous amounts of clothing for both myself and my children, more piles and boxes of school papers and magazines than I care to count, completely unorganized decor and holiday items, and frankly, a house that just isn't functional.

It's too much.  Too much wasted time trying to organize chaos, too much wasted money from buying more than I need, too much space taken up by things that we don't use, and too much stress from constantly feeling overwhelmed, trying to clean, organize, store, and maintain IT. ALL.

So, here we are again, and I'm ready for another kick in the pants!

1. Master bedroom (drop zone for randomness and things that don't have a home)

2. Master closet (too much clothing, needs better organization)

3. Kids' clothing (need to donate extra, and store and clearly organize items for future use)

4. Make-up (I have more than I use, and still have boxes of personal care items unpacked from when we moved...three years ago!)

5. Basement (tons of boxes yet to be unpacked and sorted)

6. Large items to sell (big ticket items around the house need to be sold online or get donated)

I think the biggest impact will be to rid ourselves of all the excess clothing and sell big ticket items like rugs and furniture that we no longer like or need.

Simplifying our daily routines and creating a home that feels like "us" will be a big part of our family goals for 2017.  I was already making plans and had begun working through our decluttering process when I came across #40bagsin40days again on Instagram.  What better way to simplify my life and get through all these crazy piles than with the support of thousands of other people just like you and I who need a swift kick and lots of smiley face and thumbs up emojiis?

Whaddya say?  Are you with me?  *thumbs up, cheesy grin*


1/18/17