Dreampepper - getting everything down to six boxes

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July 2009


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	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 02:35 pm

getting everything down to six boxes

via neat-o-rama:

Dave Bruno looked around his San Diego home one summer and realized just how much of his family’s belongings were cluttering their lives. So he decided to do something about it, in a project he called The 100 Thing Challenge:

By my thirty-seventh birthday on November 12, 2008 I will have only 100 personal items. I will live for at least one year (God willing) maintaining an inventory of only 100 personal things. This challenge will help me "put stuff in its place" and also explore my belief that "stuff can be good when it serves a purpose greater than possession alone."

Lisa McLaughlin of TIME Magazine covered this story:

Excess consumption is practically an American religion. But as anyone with a filled-to-the-gills closet knows, the things we accumulate can become oppressive. With all this stuff piling up and never quite getting put away, we’re no longer huddled masses yearning to breathe free; we’re huddled masses yearning to free up space on a countertop. Which is why people are so intrigued by the 100 Thing Challenge, a grass-roots movement in which otherwise seemingly normal folks are pledging to whittle down their possessions to a mere 100 items. [...]

"It comes down to the products vs. the promise," says organizational consultant Peter Walsh, who characterizes himself as part contractor, part therapist. "It’s not necessarily about the new pots and pans but the idea of the cozy family meals that they will provide. People are finding that their homes are full of stuff, but their lives are littered with unfulfilled promises."

Dave’s progress blog, guynameddave.

Tags: neat, projects, stuff

wyldkyss

野生キス

	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 10:13 pm (UTC)

As a person with an over-stuffed closet, I can appreciate this project!

porphyre

Bloody Foxtongue

	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 11:49 pm (UTC)

I need to do a sweep of the house, if only because my pile of returnable bottles is growing again.

ambilevous

Christine D.

	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 11:13 pm (UTC)

I'm pretty sure *I* have more than that.

porphyre

Bloody Foxtongue

	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 11:49 pm (UTC)

I somehow think, however, that you count, as you can still carry everything you own.

ambilevous

Christine D.

	Mon, Jun. 16th, 2008 11:53 pm (UTC)

It's not elegant, and it's exhausting, but I can do it.

(Man. It's almost tempting to get some kind of a camp bed that I can carry when I move out of this apartment thing. Just because.)

ambilevous

Christine D.

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 02:21 am (UTC)

(Actually, It's almost tempting to get some kind of a camp bed so I don't have to deal with trying to get a bed delivered on the same day that half of Montréal is also moving. If I need to get a bed at all. Once I know where I am living in July.

I should plan some things a little better.)

skonen_blades

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 12:04 am (UTC)

I guess it depends on how one defines a 'thing'. Does one box of two hundred comics count as one thing?

I love that last paragraph.

porphyre

Bloody Foxtongue

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 12:05 am (UTC)

I would consider it only one thing if there was only one box, I suppose.

michel_lacombe

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 04:38 am (UTC)

No, that's cheating.

Don't forget to count your staples and thumb tacks too.

plaidalicious

All Things Plaid

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 04:47 am (UTC)

I would only be able to do this if I counted each costume as one thing.

Otherwise I think I'd cry.

Some of my costumes have 8 pieces to them, some of which I wear monthly, but don't assemble the whole costume except once a year...(gypsy!)

Damn Larp habit making me want to keep all my old clothes as long as they fit...

I need to go through my stuff, although I've recently done a book and fabric purge which needs to make its way to the value village - doesn't the local diabetes foundation do pick-ups of donations?

foxgrrl

Foxgrrl

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 06:57 am (UTC)

For several years, I've been wanting to de-mass my life. Not so much get rid of things, but to get them to where I can carry them in a backpack. Most of what I own are books, magazines, and music CDs… and photos from when I still shot on film. I still want this stuff with me, as I wander around the country having magical adventures. And then I also won't have to deal with all of the logistics of having a room or something to store my stuff in, and then periodically move it around to another room, or have to worry about people taking it away, or setting it on fire. (And paying high rent on the space it occupies.)

My entire CD collection now fits into my pocket. All of my photos from late 2005 to present fit on a hard drive. But my books still occupy at least 100 cubic feet.

A side effect of this, is that I can make backup copies of everything I own, and store them in safe locations.

vgibson

	Tue, Jun. 17th, 2008 09:03 am (UTC)

Try getting 100 things on a motorcycle ...

In my own attempt to escape from the responsibility of stuff, I am packing my bike. I will count the things I take. I would like to purge my house of things, but for now, I will just take the necessities and ride for the warm weather.

Great party Jhayne,

Love Mum

lafinjack

‮.ecived noitatolf a sa desu eb ot toN‮

	Wed, Jun. 18th, 2008 10:15 pm (UTC)

It's interesting, when I left Texass I started shucking things I didn't want or need. I left behind a bunch of stuff in storage (that's still there, heh...) and only brought along some clothes, pillow and a blanket, and some general stuff in two trunks. Even the junk in the trunks I barely touch, except to dig through when I'm looking for something I was pretty sure I didn't leave in storage. I haven't seen most of the things I own for nearly two years, and I'm not all that put out about it. It'd be nice to have some of it, sure, but it's also going to be nice to see how much eBaying it will garner me. Being able to grab a few things, stuff some stuff in a bag, and be able to take off for anywhere I like while not leaving behind much is very attractive.