I’m Challenging Myself
For the past several years, I have been trying to destash/unhoard/minimalize my house. It is still a work in progress, especially my 2nd bedroom, which is also my office/craft room. I have gotten to the point where I just can’t take the “stuff” in there anymore. I have already donated almost half of the room to the Goodwill and other local thrift stores. I am now ready to go through the rest of it and, if I need to, trash everything!
Consumerism/FOMO
Consumerism
I’m pretty sure many of you can relate to my situation. I stand in the middle of my room, look around, and think, “Where did all of this stuff come from?” “Did I really buy all of this stuff?” Unfortunately, YES! Sure, there are a few items here and there that I have been gifted or picked up for free along the way, but 95% of the “stuff” that I have I bought with my own money. Ahh! The wasted money!!!
I feel like a lot of our consumerism is thanks to the internet, most importantly. . . INSTAGRAM. I too love scrolling through my Instagram feed, looking at all of the brand new Target Dollar Spot items or the new line of Hearth and Hand goodies. But, I have found that is my trigger, which in turn makes me switch over to my Target app and swipe a few items into my cart for pickup.
FOMO
In the crafting community, and especially in the planner community, it isn’t so much what we see that makes us buy but our FOMO. No, FOMO is not a dirty word, although it looks like it. FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out. It is that email we get from The Happy Planner, telling us their latest spring line is being released and if we want to get the items before they sell out we have to buy it NOW! Yep! I’ve been a sucker for those emails too. Not anymore!
One of my challenges this year has been to work my way through my email subscription lists and unfollow the ones that trigger me to buy. These would be any companies that send “sale” emails on a regular basis. Some of the ones that I have already deleted are: The Happy Planner, Lion Brand Yarn, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Joann, Michaels, Loft, Furls Crochet, Coach, Kate Spade, Nordstrom. . . you get the point! I feel for me the best rule of thumb is out of sight, out of mind.
Now to deal with the mound of “stuff” that I already have.
The 5 Month Craft Stashdown Challenge
There are a lot of destash/stashdown challenges floating around the internet. This is one that I came up with that will help me dwindle down my stash, while forcing me into a routine of a no-spend or low-spend month(s).
My personal challenge is simple: From April 1-August 31 I’ll be destashing five craft items/categories. Once the five months are up, the items that I didn’t use will be either kept, donated, or trashed.
- Happy Planner Stickers: There are a few books that I already use regularly, so I’m not including those. Only the sticker books that I have used once or twice. The sticker books that I haven never used, I think I might sell some of those on Etsy.
- Yarn: This one is going to be tough! I have a lot of used yarn. I’m thinking of not including my Vanna’s Choice yarn. It is my favorite and getting harder and harder to find.
- WIPs (Cross-Stitch, Crochet, and Sewing): This one is a little different. I won’t be donating these. What I think I’ll do is either keep it, frog it, or throw it away. I have some cross-stitch projects I don’t think I’ll finish in five months, but at least if I can organize them with the coordinating thread I’ll be happy.
- Pens, Markers, and Colored Pencils: I think this category will be the easiest. I have a ton of pens, but there are a lot of them that I really don’t like. I might knock this one out in a month.
- Similar Colored Sheets of Felt: Like #4, this one will be easy. I have a ton of felt but don’t need all of it anymore. I’ll see if I can donate it to my church for Sunday school.
Now for the kept items. After the five months, I will only be keeping 25% of each of the items/categories. For example, for item #4 – Pens, Marker, and Colored Pencils, I’ll be keeping 25% of each of those items.
Are You up for the Challenge?
If you would like to join the challenge, check out my steps or “rules” below.
This stashdown challenge can be worked two ways:
- One Item a Month: Choose one item or category per month and work on only that category for the month. When that month is over, you will have destashed that item or category. This is a great choice if you want to see your accomplishments every month. You can also plan to make a Goodwill run at the end of every month and donate your destashed items.
- Five Items for all Five Months: This is the challenge I have chosen. Choose five items or categories to destash throughout all five months. At the end of the five months (August 31) keep, donate, or trash your destashed items. See above on how I am dealing with my kept items. With stress levels at an all time high, this is a great choice if you don’t want to feel rushed. You can work on whatever item or category you want over the next five months.
You can use my five steps for your challenge or you can tweak them how ever you would like. Make this challenge work for you! Below is an example of each way you can work through this challenge:
Let’s Get Started
I’ll be starting the challenge on Friday, April 1, which will have me ending on August 31. If this is too soon for you, put it off a few weeks or even a few months until you are ready. Or, if five months isn’t enough, extend it a month or until December. Just make a deal with yourself that you will finish the challenge by the end of 2022!
And, don’t feel bad if you only get through a few items throughout the challenge. Every little bit helps! This challenge isn’t meant to upset you or make you feel down about your stash or the money that you have spent. It is to make you be better organized, relieve the stress and anxiety about your stash, and help you make better decisions about your future purchases. I know for me, remembering how difficult this process has been will make me think twice about stocking up on that yarn that is on sale.
Leave a comment below or on my Instagram post if you are joining the challenge and what you have chosen for five items or categories.