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We played the 30-day minimalism game and released 962 things

As an editor for household advice from GH UK, I am no stranger to the interference. I cleared my bedroom with the ski slope method and removed all the non-Wesensenschaft with the help of Swedish death cleaning from my living room. But nothing could have prepared me for my next challenge; The 30-day minimalism game.

Because it is a game, I had to make some of my team members participate. At first we were all very interested in getting stuck, but in the end we could undoubtedly see the challenge! Here is what happened when we played this competitive opening game.

What is the minimalism game?

The 30-day minimalism game was created by a trio by experts, which were called minimalists. Host of the minimalist podcast and the stars of the 2021 Netflix documentary The minimalist: Less is now. The concept is simple; For every day for over a month, discover the number of articles after the date. So they vent an object on the 2nd You remove two and so on. It just sounds enough, but trust me when I say that things will be difficult towards the end of the month!

General garbage does not count and they cannot count tiny, but plenty of objects such as toothpicks or hair clips. You also have to make sure that the articles are removed from your house every day, whether donations, sale or throw off. The winner will be the most in the month or you share the victory when you reach the end together.

My colleagues, Bethan and Bobbie, both played the game together with me; Here is what happened:

Bethan Rose Jenkins – Deputy Features Editor

Date reached: 23RD

Total number of elements released: 266

Remarkable articles: 37 magazines, 46 documents and receipts, 52 cosmetics

I would describe myself as generally a very decent person, but in real Monica-fromFriends Fashion, I am guilty of having overfilled wardrobes and fabric drop boards that hide all my sins. At first the discovery challenge was fun and, honest, easy to be. I was able to loosen up by just opening a drawer near me and grabbing a few old chargers to see if they were still working and tick slightly from list 2, 3, 4 things.

I knew that my worst crime was the storage of magazines that forced me to sort and prioritize the stacks of them in my apartment when the days of the 'teenagers' hit. The challenge began in the 1920s because I really had to try to tackle the areas in which I least wanted to open a can of worms – beauty supplies and clothing. I was staggered by the number of products that have not been used by long -forgotten gift sets as well as snap -haired boobs, broken flip -flops and boots that I had forgotten.

I was staggered by how many unused products there were from long -forgotten gift sets

I tended to declared every few days than daily and increased the numbers in pieces and enjoyed it to get into the swing of things when I targeted every area. I gave away a few parts and bob to friends, recycled everything I could, and the strange thing that really couldn't save. The rest in a box that is intended for the local charity – from plates and shoes to brand new clothing and unread books.

The upward trend for me? I can finally close my wardrobe, my drawers closed without strength and I found possessions that I forgot. As a reward, I intervened in a bar car to organize my now streamlined glasses and bottle collection that has released my newly released bookshelf – now with enough space to be organized properly according to genre.


Minimalism

Bobbie Edsor – Social Media Manager

Date reached: 21st

Total number of elements released: 231

Remarkable article: 1 smart speaker, 4 boots, 16 teaspoons

As someone who lives in a tiny apartment with a bedroom, I was honestly not sure how I would make it on the 10th day of the minimalism game. Fortunately, my competitive power came up pretty quickly when Bethan, Katie and I compared the objects that we exposed every morning in the office.

The easiest way to tackle a small area as possible every day. The closet under the television? 12 half -related tea lights. The cutlery drawer? 16 teaspoons from our overcrowded cutlery divider. The bathroom shelves? Three half -related skin care products that just didn't work for me and were thus passed on to my sister.

Fortunately, my competitive nature quickly entered

On the sixth day I accepted the bedroom and pushed to a haven of boots that I wanted to list on a second sales page. One of the couples that I have literally retained for two years have moved consistently without a good reason. I listed them all and on the tenth day they were all on their way to their new owners with an additional 150 pounds in my pocket.

When I realized that not everything either had to be thrown away or handed over to a charity, I also found the process easier. I started building small stacks in my living room, where I would offer friends and family members objects before I would add them to the “donations” or “trash can”. For example, my mother was very enthusiastic about taking over my additional teaspoons (it turns out that teaspoons are either something in which they drown or never have enough – who knew it!).

Overall, I found this game a really motivating method for disappointment. My bathroom cabinets and living room stacks stopped for the first time since our moving more moved two years ago. I might not have made it to the end of the game, but I am still overjoyed to remove over 200 unnecessary objects from home – especially those that I could pass on to a grateful person!


Minimalism

Katie Mortram – editor for household advice

Date reached: 30TH

Total number of elements released: 465

Remarkable items: 22 candles, 11 glaze kins, 20 boxes with expired medicine

I decided to start with my cutlery drawer, mainly because it has been overcrowded for some time. I managed to spend the first week of only clearing this room and the drawer that was filled with different objects. Among the things I relieved, we had three bottle openers (left over Christmas crackers), a package with expired stamps and an additional set of measuring spoons. I even found a portable speaker that we no longer used. I decided to stay in the kitchen as soon as I was done here and went to my cupboards at the beginning of the second week.

I didn't know that I had so many cups that seems ridiculous when you consider that I only use over three of them! I released six of them together with 11 glass casserole, which I kept next to the room and reorganized the rest of the room so that I could easily see and use what was left. I also found so many plastic and paper bags stored in my kitchen (19 more than I needed); These have built up over the years when I was caught without you, but when I realized that they could be recycled (see Recyclenow.com), I felt less guilty to let them go.

As soon as my kitchen was organized, I started in the bathroom, I didn't think there would be a lot here to get me through the days. I didn't know that I had 20 boxes with expired medication and 4 expired medication for the cat and 7 expired covid tests. In these cupboards alone I filled the days 11 to 16.

I didn't notice that I had 20 boxes with expired medication

When I reached the 20s, I moved to my office. I have a jewelry box here that was a literal gold mine of disorder. Since these objects were small and abundant, I had quick enough to fill the days. An article that threw me was a small dolphin tag that my parents bought for me when I was small. I didn't have my heart to get rid of it, but I had forgotten that I had it at all. I decided to offer my niece that she liked to accept. Now it is more valued than before and I see it more than ever!

I have also built a collection of candles over the years. While I loved them earlier (which is why I often gave them as gifts), I no longer feel comfortable when I illuminate her with my cat. So I decided to let them go and offer them to friends and family.

I can mention all types of different objects that I kept in the house that I worked quickly. 9 CDs, 28 old Grüßkarten, the packaging for game consoles, smartphones and tablets (we will never sell them so that it has no sense to be kept) and 14 DVDs. At the end of the process, my living room floor was filled with objects that should either be donated, sold or thrown away.

This was by no means a smooth process. I tried to maintain the discovered day after day, especially towards the end, but that was not always possible.

At the end of every day I didn't get rid of any items because I wanted to see the extent of what I removed. But that would certainly make the process even more difficult.

There is also the fact that you have to check others in the household who are satisfied with what you relieve. This can feel like it is slowing down, but it is important. My partner wanted a few souvenirs from our travels from what I hadn't tried to do, but what does not mean much for them may mean more for someone else.

The difference to my home is sensational. My pots and pans are stacked according to size, my medicine cabinet is ordered by process data and my office work blades effortlessly insert and slip. I can't believe what has done a month for a month, even though it is an exhausting process to express it the least! Let's just say, I was pleased that it was only 30 days in September!

Verdict

The 30-day minimalism game is an effective way to declare your home. The competitiveness motivates them to deactivate both as well as the challenge of getting as far as possible, but this can cause you to remove objects that you could regret later. So you have to be ready to take the time to find suitable objects for disappointment and you need to know when you have to stop if you can no longer find.

I will say that if you plan to fill the days, it can be difficult to find time at the end of the month. For me, the last few days felt more as a stress than a fun game. However, if you manage to stick to it, it can make a big difference for all possible areas in the house in the house.

Stamp

As an editor for household counseling, Katie takes care of all things that have cleaning and interference with advice. It started 10 years ago as a junior tester at the Good Housekeeping Institute, so she tested many devices during her time, including dishwasher and washing machines. Nowadays, she focuses on keeping our cleaning content up to date and testing carefully, testing relevant products and learning the latest methods and trends on the way.