Yet Another 200 Items I Parted With

 

Hello again, friends. For the past three weeks I have documented the numerous items my family no longer lives with as minimalists in my post The 100 Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist,  The 100 More Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist, and 100 Additional Items I No Longer Own as a Minimalist. In each post, I discussed that my end goal for becoming a minimalist was not simply to disinfect my home of

In each post, I discussed that my end goal for becoming a minimalist was not simply to disinfect my home of affluenza, but to rid my life of distraction, discontentment, and to create my own version of Joie de vivre. I did this by challenging myself to go the contrarian route and list the items that I am happy to say I no longer own. 

This post wasn’t simply a list of things that I have gotten rid of because I wanted to immolate the life of anyone else, but a chronicle of the things I parted with in life to help me keep down from the Joneses. And I must say that it felt so cathartic to be able to document this personal minimalist progress in my life! 

And so here is a list of yet another 200 additional household items my family happily lives without:

1.  Old Apple Chargers- Donated.

2.  Hangers from the dry cleaners- Returned to dry cleaners. 

3.  Bug Repellents- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

4.  Electric blankets- Donated. 

5.  Half-finished craft projects- Donated, all of it! 

6.  Humidifiers- Donated. 

7.  Old emery boards- Replaced with a glass file. Tossed. 

8.  Old paint- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

9.  Cloth Diapers- Sold on eBay. 

10.  Bills, taxes, paperwork over 7 years old- Shredded and recycled. 

11.  Dishwasher Detergent- Unused, unneeded. Donated.  

12.  Measuring cups- We kept one Pyrex glass cup. Everything else donated. 

13.  Embroidery hoops- Donated. 

14.  Wingback chairs- We no longer have a formal living room. Sold last Autumn. 

15.  Furbies- Sold on eBay.

16.  Figits – Sold on eBay. 

17.  Tea light candles – Donated. We only diffuse essential oils now.

18.  Take out menus- Recycled. 

19.  Chair cushions- We no longer own a dining room set. Donated

20.  Outdated Vitamins- Donated to Veterans Home. 

21.  Old sneakers: Recycled through Nike. 

22.  Plastic cutlery: Recycled. 

23.  Bamboo Drawer organizers- Donated. 

24.  vTech Toys: Donated. 

25.  Broken Flower pots- Used as drainage shards for remaining clay pots in raised flower beds. 

26.  Board games: Paired down to 6. Games with missing pieces recycled.

27.  Scrunchies- Donated. 

28. Crib- Sold this winter. 

29. High Chair- Sold this winter. 

30.  Excersaucer- Sold this winter. 

31.  Desk heater- Donated. 

32.  Kitchen rugs- Donated. 

33.  Decorative kitchen towels- Donated. 

34.  Ice Cream Maker- Sold last Autumn. 

35.  Extension cords: Paired down. The rest donated. 

36.  Chenille throws: Paws tear them up too easily. Donated. 

37.  Chargers- We no longer hosts large dinner parties. Donated. 

38.  Holiday silverware services- Donated. 

39.  Paychecks older than 2 years- Shredded and recycled. 

40.  Stretched out hair ties- Tossed. 

41.  Matches- Donated to neighbors. 

42.  Old newspapers- Recycled as Guinea Pig and Sugar Glider cage liners. 

43.  Glitter pens- Donated to my husband’s school.

44.  Extra pillows- Donated. 

45.  Ticket stubs- Digitized and recycled. 

46.  Halloween makeup- Unused and donated to be used as face paint for local charity. 

47.  Clothes that are more than 2 sizes too small- Sold to Thredup for store credit. 

48.  Outdoor Turkey Fryer- Sold last Autumn. 

49.  White-out- Donated. 

50.  Unneeded notebooks- Donated to my husband’s school. 

51.  Pens and pencils- Kept one cup full. Donated the rest to my husband’s school

52.  Little shampoo bottles from hotels- Donated to women’s shelter. 

53.  Pool noodles- Used to make wreath forms. 

54.  Cords- Donated if unused. 

55.  Loose screws, nuts, bolts, etc.- Donated to Habitat for Humanity Store. 

56.  Cheese cloche- Donated. 

57.  Cupcake stand- Donated. 

58.  Cake pop stand- Donated. 

59.  Glass Cake Stand- Donated. 

60.  Turkey Platter- Donated. 

61.  Easter deviled egg tray- Donated. 

62.  Halloween candy bowls- Donated.

63.  Easter decor- Donated. 

64.  Omelet pan- Donated. 

65.  Tree Swing- Donated to Boys and Girls Club. 

66.  Paint pallets- Donated to husband’s school. 

67.  Rubber loops- Donated to husband’s school.

68.  Unidentified frozen vegetable-based foods- Composted. 

69.  Plastic watering cans- We kept one vintage metal can. All others were donated. 

70.  Shopping totes from the mall- Donated.

71.  Multiple pairs of scissors- We kept one pair of vintage metal sheers. All others donated. 

72.  Earbuds- Each person kept one pair and a spare. All others donated. 

73.  Curling irons- My hair is already curly. Donated. 

74.  Crimpers- Donated. 

75.  Travel mugs- My husband kept one, and all others donated. 

76.  Baseball card sleeves- Donated. 

77.  Samples of any kind – Donated to local women’s shelter.

78.  Wooden soap dishes- Donated. 

79.  Tape measures – Keep one and tossed the rest.

80.  Styluses: Donated.

81.  String: Kept two rolls, donated the rest. 

82.  Glass pie plates- Donated.

83.  Glass meatloaf pan- Donated. 

84.  Under counter compost bin- Attracted flies. We take out compost outside daily. Donated. 

85.  Duplicate kitchen scrapers – Donated. 

86. Cookie cutters- Donated. 

87.  Mickey Mouse cake pan – Our bakery supply store rents them for $2.00 a day if needed.  Donated.

88.  Old teeth whitening trays- Tossed. 

89.  Hard candy- Composted.

90.  Food injectors- Tossed. 

91.  Half used chapstick containers – Tossed. 

92.  Nursery Glider- Sold this winter.

93.  Papasan chair- Sold last Autumn. 

94.  Lighting strips- Donated. 

95.  Electric candle burner- Donated.

96.  Expired sunscreen- Tossed.

97.  Staple remover – Donated.

98.  Travel alarm clock – Donated.

99.  Stress balls- Donated.

100.  Plug in air fresheners without a refill- Recycled.

101.  Scentsy warmers- Sold last month. 

102.  Extra USB flash drives – Donated all but one.

103.  Promotional swag- Donated. 

104.  Key chains you don’t use- Donated. 

105.  Recipe books you don’t ever use- Donated to the public library. 

106.  Push pins- Kept a handful, donated the rest to my husband’s school. 

107.  Cone coffee drip maker- Donated. 

108.  Lanyards- Donated. 

109.  Carabiners – Donated.

110.  Lotions, face washes, serums that we won’t be using- Donated to local women’s shelter. 

111.  Unused batteries: Donated. 

112.  Paper bookmarks – Recycled.

113.  Combination locks – Tossed. 

114.  Sidewalk chalk- Donated to husband’s school. 

115.  Completed coloring books- Recycled. 

116.  Markers- Donated. 

117.  Goodie bag toys from previous birthday parties- Donated.

118.  Pasta boat- We no longer own a microwave. Donated. 

119.  Pasta maker- Donated. 

120.  Old wedding invitations- Recycled. 

121.  Travel brochures- Recycled. 

122.  Tissue paper: Donated. 

123.  Unused sticky notes: We use a small white board instead. Donated. 

124.  Extra shoe laces: Donated. 

125.  Stickers: Donated to my husband’s school.

126.  Unused wreaths: If not for sale on ETSY, donated. 

127.  Chopsticks – Composted. 

128.  Old prescription glasses – Donated to the Lions Club.

129.  Old sunglasses – Donated. 

130.  Worn out flip flops- Tossed.

131.  Honeypot- We use mason jars. Recycled.

132.  Posters- Donated. 

133.  Hedge clippers-Donated. 

134.  Phone books- Shredded for cage liners.

135.  Broken holiday lights- Donated to Craigslist; a community member loves them!

136.  Notes/gifts from old romances- Burned in fire pit. 

137.  Hats- Donated except for husband’s two baseball caps. If I need a winter cap I’ll knit one. 

138.  Bubble wrap- If not needed for ETSY, recycled. 

139.  Twisty ties- Recycled.

140.  Chip clips- Donated.

141.  Craft supplies for unfinished projects- Donated on Freecycle.

142.  Paper plates – Used up and not re-purchased.

143.  Loyalty cards – Changed over to phone number verification in-store. Recycled.

144.  Gift cards – Used for holiday gift buying for husband or re-gifted.

145.  Touristy knick knacks- Donated, donated, donated! 

146.  Business cards – Keep an electronic excel record. Recycled.

147.  Puzzle books – Recycled.

148.  Old textbooks- Sold on Half.com or donated to local library.

149.  Unused vases- Donated to the thrift shop. 

150.  Stockings with runs in them- Recycled as Type 6 recycling is offered in my area.

151.  Fancy serving bowls- Donated to the local thrift shop.

152.  Language CDs- Donated to the local library.

153.  Old boombox- Donated to the local thrift shop.

154.  Piles of “scrap paper”- Recycled.

155.  Unused Gym bags- Donated to the local thrift shop.

156.  Catalogs- Recycled and subscriptions ended. 

157.  Christmas garland- Given away on Freecycle. 

158.  Unused sheet music- Donated to the local high school choral program.

159.  Cloth sacks- Donated to the thrift shop.

160.  Instruction manuals – Most are online now so they were recycled.

161.  Calculators – I use the one on my iPad and iPhone, thrift.

162.  Remotes that have no purpose- Donated to the thrift shop.

163.  Emergency sewing kits – Donated to the thrift shop.

164.  Dry erase markers- Kept two for my office dry erase board and donated the rest to my husband’s school.

165.  Pencil sharpeners – Donated.

166.  Rusty tools- Cleaned and donated to Habitat for Humanity store.

167.  Lawn and garden pesticides- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

168.  Unused Fireworks- Donated on Freecycle last 4th of July. 

169.  Dried up super glue- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

170.  Old t-shirts- Donated to local animal shelter for reusable bedding.

171.  Hair accessories you don’t use- Donated to thrift shop

172.  One orphan earring- Recycled.

173.  Dried flowers- Composted.

174.  Extra photo prints- Scanned and recycled.

175.  Gifts you don’t love- Re-gifted (shh!)

176.  Unworn Scarves- Sold on Thredup.

177.  Damaged/stained clothing- Cut up and composted.

178.  Plastic children’s plates- Donated to the local thrift shop.

179.  Junk mail- Unsubscribed and recycled.

180.  Address labels – Recycled.

181.  Extra folders- Donated to husband’s school.

182.  Old cell phones – Sold to Gazelle. 

183.  Old fortune cookie fortunes- Recycled.

184.  Used ink cartridges – Recycled to Office Depot for a small store credit. 

185.  Old men’s ties- Donated to the thrift shop.

186.  Outdated computer software- Donated to the thrift store.

187.  Old wallets- Donated to the thrift shop.

188.  Pocket knives- Donated to the thrift shop.

190. Old tires in the garage- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

1.  Unused picture frames- Donated to thrift store.

2.  Old Crossword puzzle books- Recycled.

3.  Unused Kitchen knives- Donated to the local thrift shop.

4.  Volleyballs- Donated to husband’s school. 

5.  Broken or chipped glasses- Recycled. 

6.  Cork coasters- Composted. 

7.  Keebler Electric Pie maker- Sold last Autumn. 

8.  Hole punch: Kept one in-notebook one, others donated. 

9.  Fancy Cloth Napkins- We no longer have a dining room set, donated.  

10.  Ruled notebook paper – Donated to husband’s school. 

Well, that’s it folks, yet another 200 common household items we no longer live with as a family. Items donated that help us step one foot closer to realizing our family dream of small, sustained, affordable minimalist living. 

Please note, these lists are not a guideline for minimalist living. These are just the 500 items that we as a family chose to no longer live with. These are items that we have not once missed. These are items that have gone on to a new home, met purposes, and new uses. Items that are hopefully now benefiting other people. At the heart of minimalism lies the ideal that life should provoke thought. I hope this series has proven as such for others.

Here’s to living with less,