Once upon a time I had read about Dave Bruno’s 100 Thing Challenge, so I went to his website to revisit the idea.
Hopping around some links also led me to Courtney’s Carver’s Minimalism Misconceptions including a link to mini-missions, which are baby steps to changing not only stuff but thinking.
I don’t know that I ever would have 100 or fewer possessions. I know that as a tween I had more than 100 elephants, and while I don’t have them all anymore I know I’ve gained others, and so “elephant collection” would have to be one item.
On the other hand, I’m pretty good about clothing. This is partly because my home and work wardrobes are so similar, and partly because I don’t enjoy shopping. Jewelry, on the other hand, especially earrings … those would be another group, I rationalize.
Much of this thinking I already had absorbed from FlyLady, who taught me about decluttering and that I only needed to keep items that were useful or meaningful. Those extra dozen or so coffee mugs didn’t qualify, so they’re boxed up in the basement. I’d have given them away, but I have late-teen children who will move out in the next few years, and they’ll need something for their morning joe. Tossing now and buying later would be wasteful, and not being wasteful is precisely what led me to this train of thought in the first place.