Take the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge and De-Clutter Your Life!

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    Are you guys ready? Ready for what you might ask. Are you ready to simplify your life, control your clutter, and overall make your house a much more manageable home? Yes! Awesome! Me too!

    If you are at all like me, you are drowning in stuff. Kid stuff, husband stuff, pet stuff, stuff, stuff and more stuff. I absolutely hate clutter and yet it seems everywhere I look I see more and more. While my house is nowhere close to dirty, most days it is borderline messy. I feel as though I can never stay on top of the mess and it is overwhelming. I want less stuff. I need less stuff. I am publicly declaring my devotion to less stuff!

    When researching “spring cleaning tips” I came across a ton of blog posts about 40 Bags in 40 Days. Intrigued, I scanned through articles and found a movement I could get behind. Starting on March 5, the first day of Lent, and going through Saturday April 19, you commit to purging your home of 40 bags of stuff. Trash, clothes, shoes, toys, whatever you need to get rid of. Many bloggers are on their third or fourth years of 40 bags in 40 days and have documented their success stories. I will be doing the same forty days from now (fingers crossed).

    How To Start

    I made a list of forty areas in my home I want to de-clutter. There are some great printables you can use to help you get started on your own list. I easily could have listed fifty places in my home, but I didn’t want to get carried away and end up feeling badly later when I failed to organize my wrapping paper closet. The point of the list is to prioritize areas that need attention and work towards making those places more manageable.

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    Bag It Up!

    Get yourself some BIG, hefty trash bags. Of course, the idea is to use forty. I don’t know how many I will actually use, but I can tell you I have already filled two this very morning. One of “trash” and another of my husband’s old shoes to donate.

    Take A Picture

    ‘Scuse me? You want me to document my crap? Yes, yes I do. Many bloggers recommend taking a picture of your mess to motivate you. Seeing your closet as others would see it, if you ever dared to show them, will encourage you to attack and purge!

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    A kitchen cabinet, sideboard, play room and desk desperately needing to be de-cluttered

    What Do I Do With The Bags?

    Dump, donate, trade, whatever you feel is necessary to get it the heck out of your house!

    40 Bags Sounds Overwhelming

    I know 40 bags in 40 days sounds like a lofty idea, but it is a starting place. Maybe your house is less in need of a purge and more in need to organizing? The goal is to simplify your surroundings by getting rid of the things you no longer need or use.

    I Didn’t Start On March 5

    No problem! Your start day is whenever you begin! And don’t worry if you skip a day, maybe you tackled three areas yesterday so you are good to go! Normally people take Sunday as a rest day, but do whatever works for you!

    I Got Your Back!

    You know working out is easier with a buddy, and so is cleaning house! Join me in the challenge! Catherine has hopped on the 40 Bags train as well!  If we can do it, you can do it. We are here to help you. Send us your questions and your successes stories! I will be uploading my pictures on twitter and Facebook and would love to see yours!

    Have you taken the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge? Do you have any tips? Will you join me in de-cluttering your home/life?

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    Ashleigh
    Ashleigh always knew she wanted to be a mom, but a stay at home mom, not so much. At 26 she found herself trading in her lipstick and high heels for Burt’s Bee’s and nursing bras. The first of their core group of friends to have kids, Ashleigh and her husband Eric strive to maintain their fun loving lifestyle while simultaneously raising their toddler daughter. Luckily, Tiny Girl is an adorable extrovert who loves getting out and about as much as her parents. On weekends you can find the threesome strolling the aisles of Target, road tripping it to Charleston, or hosting friends in Irmo for epic board game battles.

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