My Advent calendar - a trash challenge

This year my daughter chose a ready-made, store-bought Advent calendar, with her, for the moment, favourite tiny toys. Goody-goody, I thought, I happily provided it as it let me off the hook very easily.

This got me thinking, however, that I could make a calendar for myself,

 but, then again, no,

more stuff coming in would only increase the problems of this house

(which is too much stuff).

It ought to be the opposite;

I should have a calendar that got rid of things.

So that's why I've decided on my very own special Advent calendar

- a trash challenge.

I challenge myself to each day till Christmas fill a bag with stuff from this house

and trash it,

either to the dustbin or recycling or charity, but it has to leave the house.

I believe without a doubt that our house could loose 24 bags of stuff without seeming too empty!

This first day of December I went looking in the downstairs hallway for stuff to loose.

This is my least favourite room in the house. I's tiny, but has three doors and a staircase, is always cluttered, and since it is the entrance to the house there's no way of avoiding it.

  

 

  

I started by emptying it for clothes, shoes and clutter.

My daughter helped by trying on clothes and shoes to see if they still fit. Out with what didn't and back in with what did.

Before

 

Trashed

After

After

Stuff that had been left in the hallway but didn't belong there was removed.

The only things that were let back in were things we use and that belong there.

Except for a couple of items I put in for decorating purpose.

And so the downstairs hallway is so much more welcoming.

And I've lost a bag of trash!