apartmentpants: 40 bags in 40 days.

ever since finding out my local goodwill gets clearance cast-offs from target, i had been going once a week to see what i could score. like a lion hunting some poor gazelle, i would stalk through the racks of crystal serving platters and chipped cookie jars for the new-in-box target goods that i couldn't wait to get my hands on.

well, the seas parted and the skies cleared when i found MULTIPLE BOXES of these babies:

brand new, undamaged sets of 4 geometric gold and white appetizer plates. be still my beating heart. how cute are they? i asked myself. i must have them. they must be mine.

like a crazy person, i ~~threw~~ carefully placed 5 boxes in my cart and hovered over my cart like that character gollum in lord of the rings for the duration of my shopping trip. these plates were MINE. i decided i needed them, and a quick ebay search led me to this auction, where the plates were listed for $69.99 for a box! and i had 5! and i only paid $3 for each! score! i am a goodwill champion! i can sell them! i can use them! i can give them to a friend as a last-minute gift! they are so cute! everybody needs plates, right?

i got home, so excited to show matt my find. he gave me the look he always does when he sees i come home, foaming at the mouth, overflowing bag from goodwill in tow.

"what did you get?"

"plates!"

"plates?"

"plates!"

"we already have plates."

"yea but these ones are white and gold and are from target and are so cute."

he amused me and helped me stack the boxes on the shelf in the closet in the second bedroom. where i promptly forgot about them, until we used them to barricade the edges of the bed from the cats.

it then hit me. i might be on the fringes of becoming a hoarder. i get enchanted by a deal on something cute that is a steal or a bargain. i might not be totally in love with it and might not need it in my life, but it was only $3. or it was free!

however, looking around my apartment when i get home from a day of work, i frequently get overwhelmed. i'm surrounded by stuff. stuff people i love gave me that i feel an obligation to keep and incorporate into my life. stuff i keep meaning to spray paint or stain or hang up. stuff that i got for a steal that i might sell in my non-existent etsy store or on craigslist. stuff i have because i think i'll find a way to make it work or that i might make work someday. are you seeing my keyword here? stuff. it's overwhelming. and our house is supposed to be an oasis, not a place where your dining room table is piled high with stuff that belongs in the bathroom or christmas decorations that belong in the rafters of our garage.

my pinterest home decor boards are full of light, airy, minimalistic spaces with thoughtful decorations. it's time to attempt to make this a reality.

i've decided to start with a challenge i came across on the white house black shutters blog: get rid of 1 bag of things every day for 40 days. i believe her challenge is supposed to coincide with the 40 days of lent. i am late to the party and not religious, so today will be the day i begin. starting at 5:00 pm, i will violently attack my first area: the dining room table.

my motto: if i don't love it, why let it take up room in my home?

to keep myself accountable, i plan on taking before and after pictures, as well as detailing my process, how and what i decided to keep and get rid of, how i am going to go about getting rid of things (donate, sell, recycle, throw away, re-gift?), and what i learn in each area. i plan on taking a lot of advice from ann marie's blog. she's been doing this challenge each spring for a few years, so i think she has a good process down. hopefully this will teach me good habits about shopping and keeping organize for the future. i'm excited!

well that was word heavy. here is some inspiration about what i hope our place will look like after 40 days: