2021 was my first year to participate in the 2021 Things in 2021 challenge. Rachel Jones at Nourishing Minimalism introduced me to this powerful project. She offers a spreadsheet to fill in boxes with Xs, but I decided to just post a simple tally sheet on my refrigerator. Check out my video below on to see how I ended 2021. Now I’m focused on 2022, and I invite you to join me!
The challenge is a great thing to do as a family. In our home, it is mainly just me doing this, but I ask my husband to let me know when he gets rid of things so I can add them to the count.
This simple tally sheet has really kept me motivated to continually declutter around our house.
I usually stop and count my tally marks at the end of each month. I was super excited to find that, at the end of June, I had removed 1530 items! Woo Hoo! (Update: I reached by 2021 goal by the end of August when I cleaned out my bottle cap collection that I had been saving for craft projects!)
Would you like to join me?
You can start your tally sheet anytime of year! Set your goal at whatever number you wish to start. If you can get others in your home to join you, different people can use different color markers. You could make it a fun family contest! Or if it’s just you, treat yourself to something special when you hit a certain number(s) along the way. (A pedicure or massage is my treat 😉 )
Mark a tally for each item that leaves your house: either by donation, recycle or trash.
- You can count the mail that’s been piling up on your kitchen counter as 1 pile, or 25 pieces – you decide!
- Go through your pantry and get rid of outdated foods.
- Clean out your medicine cabinet – there are probably outdated items in there, too
- Declutter your kitchen utensils – how many wooden spoons and pot holders do you really need?
Start anywhere! Once you get going, you’ll be looking for things so that you can add a few more tallies to your sheet!
Come On And Join Me! And then – let me know how you are doing!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel, The Road to Simple.
