Project Create & Use or Be Destashed!

      This is the month where the challenge, "Project Create & Use or Be Destashed!" will take place in my life. Over the past decade, I have spent so much money and accumulated many materials for projects that I had dreamed of accomplishing, but never actually gotten around to even starting. Instead, the bad habit of impulse-buying took priority over my project aspirations and consumed my life. The spaces in both my childhood home and my current apartment have quickly filled up over the past several years. Before my wallet became paper thin, I knew that I needed to tackle the spending first. In the past year, I was able to get a better hold of my spending habits with the use of budgets and have been spending significantly less. This in turn permitted a lesser amount of items coming into my life. Simultaneously, I have decluttered my childhood room so that it is more breathable and walkable. (There used to be piles of boxes all around and the only way to get from one place to another was a thin pathway around these piles.) However, I still have many materials that I could not bring myself to donate, which are now still occupying so much of my living spaces. The issue that I would like to address this month and following year is the need to accomplish projects faster. 

My apartment drawers, closet, and bedroom side full of fabrics and art supplies.

My childhood room and closet full of more fabrics and clothes to-be-refashioned.

More of my childhood space and drawers as well as the living room.

The worst is the basement, where it's full of containers of yarn, fabric, books, journals, and clothes to-be-refashioned.

      Many of the materials around me are art supplies (paints, yarn, sewing materials, art subscriptions), books, and clothes. I have seen many Youtube videos and listened to podcasts about the 30-Day Minimalism Game, the ways of Marie Kondo, Project Panning, as well as challenges to use up sewing scraps or art materials. Despite my hopes to inspire me to work on my projects faster, I found myself spending more time watching Youtube videos rather than actually creating (I also found the topics to be too specific for me). So, I decided to create a monthly challenge for myself that incorporates all of the materials I have around me:

Goals for the Challenge

• To finally create the project that once was just an idea.
• To use the materials previously stored away to make more space.

Rules for the Challenge

1. Every month, at least 31 items need to be used up or donated/returned.
2. All items chosen for the month need to be put into a box.
3. Whatever is still in the box and unused by the end of the month will be decluttered.
4. When it comes to clothing/kitchenware/tools: these items must be worn or used at least 3 times that month in order to be kept if that's the final decision.

Incentive

• For every additional 5 items used, a new item may be bought or brought into the living space for the next month.

My next post will be about the items in my box and the project plans that I have for the month of November. Stay tuned!