496 Things in 31 Days: A Possession Purge

496 Things in 31 Days: A Possession Purge

For some time I've been following a couple of guys and their website. The Minimalists www.theminimalists.com, to put it simply, promote living with less to live more, an idea that seems almost un-American in today’s society. Fortunately, an increasing number of people are realizing that less can truly be more.

On March 1^st they posted a challenge to their readers to get rid of things in their lives. It didn't matter how (whether trash, recycling, donations, etc.), it just mattered to get rid of things that were weighing you down. The caveat to this was how to go about getting rid of things. On March 1^st it was 1 thing. On March 2^nd it was two things. You get the idea, so that by March 31^st you would get rid of 31 things on that day. In total you would get rid of 496 things in 31 days.

I found this challenge intriguing to say the least. I've always thought that I had so little compared to others, a fact I took pride in. I was a little concerned that I had dropped a significant amount of stuff at DI (the Utah equivalent of Goodwill) just the week prior, and initially I thought that would negatively impact my ability to get rid of close to 500 things in 31 days. (Spoiler alert: it didn't).

Living in a national park makes any living situation different. I live in a 15’ x 15’ dorm room with small attached closet/dressing area and a much coveted private bathroom. As I began to go through my things, it shocked me. I had way more than I thought I did. I kept questioning why I had initially thought keeping something would be a good idea or why I even got it in the first place. During the process I felt like such a hypocrite. I thought I lived simply, but I really didn’t.

With the project I was rather ambitious, and finished on March 22^nd. Every day I looked forward to spending some time getting rid of things. Moreover, some things that I still valued at the beginning of the month I did not value the same by the end of the month. Moreover, there were several times I had to get creative with what I was getting rid of, like with the emails. Even though they are intangible, holding on to them for no good reason was just as much a burden as something physical.

On day 2, I began keeping a list of everything I got rid of for this project.

March 1^st

● 1 bag of recycling

March 2^nd

● 1 bag of plastic bags ● 1 non-BPA free Camelbak waterbottle

March 3^rd

● 1 empty metal Carmex container ● 1 nearly empty Tommy Bahama perfume I stopped using ● 1 thing I absolutely cannot remember

March 4^th

● 2 Shape magazines ● 1 empty plastic container ● 1 crappy pedometer

March 5^th

● 2 necklace chains ● 2 dish towels ● 1 spatula

March 6^th

● 2 necklaces ● 2 pairs of pants ● 2 blouses

March 7^th

● 1 hideous matted picture of Zion ● 1 miniature whisk ● 1 knife sharpener ● 4 knives

March 8^th

● 2 books ● 1 lavender sachet that no longer smells ● 1 black camisole ● 1 package of chopsticks from Hong Kong ● 1 pair of old glasses ● 1 glasses case

March 9th

● 1 HP computer media player remote for my old laptop ● 1 Old Navy jean jacket ● 6 crappy plastic hangars ● 1 used battery

March 10^th

● 1 mostly empty bottle of red puffy paint ● 5 old Aleve pills ● 1 stretched out hair elastic ● 1 old eyeglass lens cleaning cloth ● 1 old pair of glasses with clip-on sunglasses ● 1 empty shampoo bottle

March 11^th

● 1 old foot powder I never used ● 1 bottle of expired allergy medicine from Target ● 1 shoe box liner ● 4 formally white tank tops ● 3 exfoliating bath gloves ● 1 St. George area coupon book

March 12^th

● 12 crappy panty liners

March 13^th

● 2 turquoise hair clips ● 1 Self magazine ● 2 seasons of Psych on DVD ● 1 yoga mat holder ● 1 eyeglass case ● 1 cracked and failing Saturn windshield screen ● 1 old laundry bag ● 1 copy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy ● 1 pair of glasses ● 2 pairs of black Gap trousers

March 14^th

● 2 pairs of jeans ● 2 soda bottle caps ● 2 plastic plates ● 1 plastic bowl ● 1 plastic toothbrush holder ● 1 empty Cheerwine glass soda bottle ● 2 purple plastic pocket-sized combs ● 1 big bag of shredding ● 1 Velvet & Vine blood orange and hibiscus body butter ● 1 empty Altoids container

March 15^th

● 1 obsolete bent key ● 1 Michael Graves computer bag ● 1 Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer ● 1 less than accurate tire pressure gauge ● 1 envelope of St. George area coupons ● 1 Christmas card ● 1 map of France & the Benelux countries ● 1 wine cork ● 1 plastic allegedly unbreakable comb ● 1 Walgreens March 2014 coupon book ● 1 Walgreens vitamin supplement booklet ● 4 Zions Bank deposit slips

March 16^th

● 8 Zions Bank deposit slips ● 1 expired AAA membership card ● 1 Women’s Health magazine ● 1 envelope of shredding ● 1 2012 work ID ● 4 books

March 17^th

● 4 books ● 2 People magazines ● 4 PETA stickers ● 2 Protect Zion stickers ● 1 3M bubble mailer ● 1 2013 health insurance open enrollment brochure ● 1 metal tin ● 2 expire coupons

March 18^th

● 2 expired coupons ● 1 Wells Fargo 401K re-enrollment letter ● 1 Happy 30^th Birthday card I forgot to give 2 different people ● 1 Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance newsletter ● 1 wedding announcement for a wedding I didn’t attend ● 1 Minnesota DMV vehicle registration renewal letter ● 1 Wells Fargo 401K booklet ● 1 plastic sheet protector ● 2 Wells Fargo ATM cards ● 1 Walgreens Balance Rewards card ● 2 ticket stubs from The Hobbit Part I ● 1 brochure about Columbus, Indiana’s Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor ● 1 2011 NPS National Parks Pass ● 1 Barnes & Noble plastic bag ● 1 2013 calendar

March 19^th

● 217 Zion Adventure Company business cards

March 20^th

● 1 paper bag from the Springdale Candy Company ● 2 business cards ● 1 plastic bag ● 1 dicey adapter bought from a ghetto back-alley street market in Batumi, Republic of Georgia ● 1 dead travel alarm clock from Israel ● 2 pieces of glass from picture frames ● 1 pair of ripped tights ● 2 horrible bras ● 5 magnets ● 1 non-BPA free Nalgene water bottle ● 3 priority mail envelopes

March 21^st

● 9 priority mail envelopes ● 1 pair of black leggings ● 2 healing balms for muscle pain ● 1 container of aspirin ● 1 Bath & Body Works face mask ● 1 foot spray ● 2 books ● 4 crappy hangers

March 22^nd

● 2 hangers ● 1 cardboard box ● 1 box of pastel chalks ● 1 stack of Z-Arts paperwork ● 1 expired coupon ● 1 postcard ● 2 ugly pieces of cardstock ● 1 pair of broken earrings ● 1 Altoids container ● 1 empty Ziploc gallon size bag ● 1 dress ● 10 Crayola markers

March 23^rd

● 8 Crayola markers ● 1 ball point pen ● 14 crappy pictures of Zion and Georgia

March 24^th

●13 crappy pictures of Zion and Georgia ● 1 Christmas card from 2012 ● 1 Zion National Park Map and Guide ● 1 copy of my resume ● 1 empty Radisson Blu Batumi sugar packet ● 7 random paper scraps from my travel journal box

March 25^th

● 6 sheets of tissue paper ● 1 cracked Ziploc plastic container ● 1 empty plastic bag from under the car seat ● 1 bin of recycling ● 1 pedometer fitness guide ● 1 stretched out hair elastic ● 1 Grand Circle postcard ● 12 gross caramels ● 1 almost empty bag of trail mix

March 26^th

● 2 expired containers of plan Greek yogurt ● 1 Trader Joe’s Creamy Peanut Butter that froze in the fridge ● 1 box of fridge baking soda ● 11 credit card receipts from the car ● 1 2003 Utah Driver Handbook ● 2 napkins ● 1 empty Carmex lip balm ● 1 damaged U2 cd ● 1 expired Utah vehicle registration ● 1 2011 Road Runner oil change document ● 3 expired Progressive insurance cards

March 27^th

● 1 expired Minnesota vehicle registration document ● 3 more expired Progressive insurance cards ● 1 BYU Cougar cookbook ● 3 receipts ● 1 empty box ●18 more Zion Adventure Company business cards

March 28^th

● 1 temporary Utah driver’s license ● 2 obsolete Wells Fargo account cards ● 7 random business cards ● 1 used Verizon Wireless rebate card ● 2 Walgreens receipts ● 2 plastic boxes ● 1 empty cardboard box ● 2 ticket stubs to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ● 1 Crayola marker ● 1 postcard from Café Diablo ● 1 Kierkegaard quote from a British Christmas cracker ● 2 sheets of paper with friends’ contact info ● 6 random scraps of paper from the travel journal box

March 29^th

● 1 empty bottle of lotion ● 1 book ● 1 bath body brush ● 1 bottle of terrible apricot facial scrub ● 1 friend’s return address label ● 1 bottle of expire SPF30 sunscreen (girls from Minnesota need something much stronger) ● 1 old emery board ● 1 empty Springdale Candy Company bag ● 1 plastic plate ● 1 plastic bowl ● 1 nail clipper ● 12 email drafts ● 230 messages in my email inbox

March 30^th

● 31 emails in my Gmail promotions box ● 6 gardenia-lotus fragrance packets that did not smell ● 1 ball point pen ● 7 earrings without a matching pair ● 1 nail buffer ● 2 random business cards ● 3 random CDs ● 3 crappy Jack Johnson CDs from my embarrassing Jack Johnson phase circa 2005 ● 2 expired Greek yogurts ● 3 sticks of butter left over from housesitting ● 1 broken necklace ● 1 coffee mug

March 31^st

● 7 unusable wine corks ● 1 plastic food storage container ● 1 notepad ● 6 Starbucks Refreshers packets which were WAY too sweet ● 3 packets of sodium laden instant soup ● 1 random plastic lid ● 6 plastic combs ● 1 book ● 2 toe separators for pedicures ● 1 Turkish Airlines goody bag for economy class ● 1 obsolete day planner ● 1 unused journal ● 1 copy of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Looking back on the experience, it is curious to consider the item I got rid of that brought the greatest release. Getting rid of literally hundreds of my left over business cards from Zion Adventure Company removed this huge weight from me. I've not worked there in 4 years, yet I still had all these cards. Looking back I’m not sure why I kept them, perhaps as a tangible reminder that I was a part of that organization. But I have other, better reminders of that time such a as my Marmot fleece jacket that has been to 9 countries with me and international airports in 3 others. When I put those in the trash I finally was able to let go of whatever it was I still held on to. In all honesty, I did keep 2 which are in my journal.

Getting rid of so much was liberating. I've been in that situation before when I got rid of an immense amount of stuff before I went to Georgia. I’d forgotten what that can feel like. Now that I don’t have these things in my life I feel like I have the ability to do so much more because I’m not distracted by things of no significance. Some of the things I got rid of actually caused me anxiety because of their presence in my life; consequently, the feeling of being overwhelmed by these things is gone now. Moreover, it has helped me to rediscover the value of the old adage “you get what you pay for.” I’d rather pay more up front for something that will last then to buy the same thing 5 times. Also, initially I struggled with how to address things that had been gifts. Some of those gifts I cannot part with like the autographed copy actually dedicated to me of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle my brother got for me by the author, Avi. With other gifts I decided if it had served its purpose, such as the Tommy Bahama perfume from day 3, that I could easily get rid of it without feeling guilty. Finally, I believe getting rid of these things that were weighing me down is the first step to helping me get rid of the weight that I carry so needlessly. Unfortunately, my physically weight can’t be gotten rid of as easily as the other things can.

My next big project is to deal with that one specific thing.