2013 in 2013 Decluttering Challenge

Do you want to make a dent in the amount of possessions you have?

Are you ready to get rid of 2013 things this year?

Would you like to see less of this?

Come and join the challenge!!

Subscribe to the Nourishing Minimalism Mailing List and receive a free printable chart!

Each time you get rid of an item, put an “X” on a square (or black it out, depending on who’s helping check the boxes!!)

And more
of this?

The rules are your own: If you have a stack of magazines to get rid of, you may count it as one item, or you can count each magazine as an item. The point is just to get rid of it.

Keep the chart on the front of the refrigerator or a cupboard where you can watch your progress and keep motivated.

If you have children, get them involved! Let them mark the boxes. Use different colors for different family members so they can see how much they contributed!

Plan out a celebration after each hundred is reached.

Join the discussion on Facebook and tell us what you have been able to get rid of! Let’s be each other’s cheerleaders!

Don’t forget: Subscribe to Nourishing Minimalism newsletter to receive your free printable chart!!
Let me know in the comments that you are going to take the challenge! Tell your friends so they can join the challenge too!

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Nourishing Resolutions Carnival.

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.

About Rachel Jones

Hi there! I’m Rachel Jones, and I founded Nourishing Minimalism in 2012 at the beginning of my minimalist journey. If you're looking for encouragement in your journey, I created a FREE Facebook Group - feel free to join me there: Nourishing Minimalism Facebook Group and I share videos each week on YouTube

29 Comments

  1. rachelle | tinkerlab on 12/27/2012 at 7:01 pm

    This is a brilliant idea. We did something similar last year, but without the inspiring and motivational chart. Looking forward to what it may bring! Happy new year.

  2. Anonymous on 12/29/2012 at 7:11 pm

    Brilliant. I subscribed.

  3. molly on 12/29/2012 at 9:50 pm

    i’m all over this!

  4. Rebekah Castleberry on 01/01/2013 at 11:37 pm

    I’m in! We’re moving in a few days so I think that right now is the perfect time to get a great start on this! We had a fire about a year ago and lost almost everything which, in all honesty, was sort of a mixed blessing. Perhaps God was reminding me once again what is really and truly important?? :- ) Anyway, I sure miss you and will make sure I keep you updated on our “2013 in 2013” progress!! – Rebekah and family

    • Rachel on 01/02/2013 at 12:21 am

      Thanks Rebekah! Glad you’ve joined me here! So sorry you had a fire! I have some friends here that had a fire too, and I know it was tramatic for them, but I honestly was a bit jealous- it would avoid all the sentamental garbage we deal with when trying to get rid of stuff. I hope you can weed out a bunch with your move!

  5. Anonymous on 01/03/2013 at 5:11 am

    I’m in!

  6. Aminah LUQMAN on 01/03/2013 at 5:39 pm

    I already have a bag full-ready to toss..didn’t count anything..oh well… “One… ” 😉

  7. Aminah LUQMAN on 01/03/2013 at 5:39 pm

    I already have a bag full-ready to toss..didn’t count anything..oh well… “One… ” 😉

  8. Heather on 01/04/2013 at 11:59 pm

    Totally in. It was already a goal to purge my basement this year (on the heels of 5 moves in 2 years followed by a year standing still to recover). This is just going to ante up the game. I already have stuff in my living room packed and ready to go, so this is just in time! Reposted, too. 😉

  9. Gizelha on 01/07/2013 at 6:53 pm

    Adorei eu queria tambem a lista

  10. Jeannie Sweeney on 01/11/2013 at 1:34 am

    Sounds like a fantastic idea!!

  11. Anonymous on 01/15/2013 at 6:00 pm

    i signed up and cant figure out how to get the printable. I clicked on my email to confirm and it just brought me back to this site?? thanks.

  12. Laura on 02/01/2013 at 9:21 pm

    Perfect timing! We just moved from a 900 sq ft house to a 3000 sq ft house (we are a family of 6) and I mistakenly thought this alone would create a simple and decluttered home. But we had jammed SO MUCH STUFF into our little place! I want to enjoy our new space, not just cram it up with stuff again!

  13. Anonymous on 02/16/2013 at 11:51 pm

    I am in for the challenge!

  14. StellaStar on 03/06/2013 at 2:46 am

    I just subscribed and can’t wait to start the challenge 🙂

  15. Unknown on 04/24/2013 at 3:59 am

    Any ideas for encouraging young children to de-clutter? My 4 year old and I both see things not just as things, but we see the person who gave us that item and when. I have slowly broken out of the hoarding/saving mentality I grew up with and don’t want her to grow up the same way.

    So far, the only thing she seems ok with is giving her old clothes to her new baby cousin, so I guess that’s a start!

    Ideas appreciated!

    • Crystal on 09/07/2013 at 4:25 am

      Try this: Divide your youngersters toys into piles one pile might be soft toys another pile might be cars another pile dolls another books. When you do this you realise you have alot of the same things. Make a rule like your child may only choose two toys from each pile. This tells your child they have far too many of one thing. If they want to keep more make a date say in a months time to do this again so you know what they play with in that month will stay the rest will go. This way you find out what your child truly treasures without your influence let the child make final decision all they want is to be the one who descides what happens to their things.

  16. Amy on 04/26/2013 at 5:52 pm

    I love decluttering challenges, but if our family got rid of 2013 things we’d be naked and have an empty house.

  17. Anonymous on 04/28/2013 at 8:41 pm

    My family is going to do this!! It’s April already, but we have plenty of ways to catch up. Ha! Thank you so much. I’m excited I found your blog.

  18. Crunchy Mom on 05/24/2013 at 4:42 pm

    I subscribed but haven’t received my 2013 in 2013 tracker. I wanna start! You’ve inspired me! When might I expect it?

    • Rachel on 05/24/2013 at 8:39 pm

      Great! When you subscribe to my mailing list, you will get a confirmation email, you will need to “confirm”, then you will receive a welcome email with the link to get the 2013 in 2013 chart.

  19. Anonymous on 09/14/2013 at 12:28 am

    Going through a divorce! Can I count getting rid of my soon-to-be-ex’s stuff? 🙂

    Thanks for this-seriously. I have a ton of stuff. And I love it! I do! But there are ways I’d like to cut back and simplify — this is a nice “simple” way that I think will help!

  20. Megan Alba on 10/07/2013 at 2:52 pm

    This is awesome! Wish I’d started counting when we began selling / tossing / donating for our big move. I bet we’re over halfway there without realizing it!

  21. BritMcG on 11/07/2013 at 5:31 am

    I’m starting late, but I aim to accomplish 2013 things in the next 2months before 2014.

  22. Anonymous on 11/11/2013 at 12:51 am

    I’m in! I started late, too, thinking I’d just take 14 months and get rid of 2014 things in 2014. But I got rid of 118 things on the first day and now I wonder if I can seriously get close to 2013 by 2013! I have 7 kids and have been seriously stressed under all of my clutter and not knowing how to help with theirs. We all had fun marking off the boxes. Thank you!

    • Rachel on 11/11/2013 at 6:05 pm

      Great! Glad to have you on board. Get all those kids working on it, and you probably can get 2013 before the end of this year!

  23. Justine on 12/31/2013 at 3:55 am

    Thank you so much for this! My kids and I have one day to go and have decluttered 1978 items. I’m pretty sure we can make finish it off tomorrow and then start 2014 in 2014. I know staying decluttered is an ongoing process, but I am very hopeful that after 2014, we won’t have to focus on it so much. I feel so much lighter already!

    • Rachel on 12/31/2013 at 4:01 am

      That’s wonderful Justine!

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