I'm a weird combination of hoarder and purger. I'll hold on to a lot of random stuff, but once I get on a purging streak, there's no stopping me and nothing is safe. Sometimes I even regret letting certain things go in my rush to throw out all the things. Cue the outbox — I get the satisfaction of ridding my space of clutter, but there is time to assess what stays and what goes in a no-pressure way. Outbox it!
I had no trouble deciding what my first outbox addition would be. A set of three tealight holders hung above my outbox, and I'd hated them for years. There's nothing really wrong with them; they just bore me and never really were my style. So off their nails and into the outbox they went! Boy, that felt good.
Over the next month, my battle cry will be "Outbox it!" I will tackle things I don't love or need, banishing them to the outbox, out of my space to await their fate at the end of the month. And if something makes it into the outbox that is missed, it can always be welcomed back into my home.
I'm already envisioning an upgrade to this little nook of a hallway that leads to my living room. Maybe an extended entryway? We'll see what happens later in the month!
What was the first thing you outboxed?
JANUARY CURE LINKS:
• Day 2: Set Up Your Outbox
(Image: Tara Bellucci)
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Four-P...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
After taking the photos out, I put 6 glass frames into the Outbox. Pretty sure I'm going to let them go but there's a chance I might keep them.
I'm outboxing several pairs of heels. I haven't been able to wear them in a couple of years because of a bad ankle and don't anticipate wearing them again even after I get surgery in February. My sister will be very excited!
I've outboxed a number of leftover Christmas cards from Christmas card box sets. I've had them for years and am clearly not interested in using them as every year I pass them over for other options when picking cards to send out to family and friends.
My ouybox is a wood cabinet for another period of my life. It dont fit in my new appartement, it have been in everyroom, for no good, and i cant stand it anymore.Im' pretty sure it's going to be in Craiglist and made somebody happy: i'll give it away for nothing.
First items in my outbox are 8 green cloth placemats. I donated another 12 to Vietnam Veterans just yesterday. I didn't even realize I still had these. I have lived in my small (downsized) house for 14 years and have never used them in this house. Out with the old (from my former house).
Feels good to get started!
A crate of art books on katsinas, Papua New Guinea & Africa. Son can choose amidst and then I'll ask the art museum's library, then public library for sale... Feels GREAT.
Downsizing by 2/3rds as soon as house sells, so need this!
Six square mirrors from a style I thought I liked. They were hanging in a hallway at the end of stairs. I kept seeing myself walk down the steps and would get freaked out. Have hung a "Family Rules" picture up instead. Also, an undershirt that's just too darn small. 8 cookbooks I've wanted to use for many years and moved several times. Many clothing items, and two pair of shoes. I think I've been wanting to do this for a while.
We already have an outbox, so I can call today's task done ;) We have 3 1970s suitcases, a wreath, a tub of stuffed animals my dad oddly saved for me (all stained and gross), some random curtains, and an old food processor (we got a new one). Just needs to go to Goodwill!
We live in a charming farmhouse style mountain cottage that we've owned for 22 years. We bought it to move into full time when my husband retired 12 years ago. It was decorated and furnished when it was used as a vacation home, but after more than 20 years and inheriting numerous household items and memorabilia from two sets of parents as well as our former home furnishings, things are in utter chaos. I've been trying to get rid of things for 12 years and I have already established an out box, but it's going very slowly. Today, I've added twenty more books to my library out box. I've been trying to get rid of many books and got a Kindle for Christmas. I really look forward to this exercise. My list is overwhelming. I will try to edit it today. My problem is that every room needs painting, flooring and window treatments replaced. The whole place needs redecorating. My guess is I just need to keep decluttering and otherwise focus on cleaning and repairing.
I really appreciate the rules for the outbox, I'm sure they will help speed up the process.
This outbox idea worked pretty well. So far I've placed shoes, a pre-lit christmas tree and the poles to a rolling storage bin I was going to repair (for three years). The most difficult part of the task was just finding a location where it could stay for a week. Clutter is overrunning my apartment right now.
I already had a donation box, but scattered around the house are lots of things I want to sell rather than take to Goodwill. Yay outbox! I'm going to gather all that stuff on a shelf right where I can see it and start photographing and posting it all on Craigslist and Ebay.
I'm doing the top of the bedroom closet this afternoon. First thing purged was a bunch of stuff I thought I would one day frame. Another is a box with fancy Egyptian style tissue and matching wrapping paper that I was talked into buying for some kid's school fund raiser 10+ years ago. Why I've had that up there so long we'll never know! Some hoarder that shops our Goodwill will enjoy it. :)
What's in the outbox thus far? Unflattering sweaters, all 3 Steig Larsson books snd some other never to be read again novels, couple pairs of heels not worn in years. It's a motivating start. Thanks, AT, for providing the impetus!
I'm pretty sure I could empty all my books into our outbox (office closet). When I do get around to rereading the ones I keep I often think, "yeah, okay, I guess that was good. Not good enough to keep."
I too am a weird combination of hoarder and purger. I am ruthless when it comes time to purge, and find that I often regret certain items long after they're gone. But there's other things I can't seem to get rid of (most noticeably project supplies that have yet to be used after being stored for several years, and half-finished crafts). Hopefully I'll find the right balance this year!
AT, what are you doing to me? I actually put BOOKS in my outbox! Quelle horreur!
Shoes and clothes that don't fit, vases I don't use, cookbooks I've had for years and have never cooked from. I'm excited about this!
First things I put in the box were the stuff I bought before Christmas. The Vileda Virobi is useless. Pajama that was torn after the one wash. Cashmere sweater that seem to be a bargain but turned out to have the shoulders down my elbows.
I now see the irony that I often rush getting out of stores due to my hatred for shopping, only to find myself going back for return and exchange because I hadn't spend enough time looking carefully.
The first thing I outboxed was a couple of random decorative dishes I had laying around, some patches of felt from a never finished art project, and an assortment of thrift store artwork I had stowed away ages ago. So much more will be entering this box in the coming weeks. It feels too good to stop haha.
Instead of a box we have a large shopping cart that we are using for items heading out the door. It really feels great to know that this stuff is leaving!
First thing in my outbox was stuff my inlaws sent home with us after our Christmas visit. Everytime we stay with them it's like an excuse for them to fill our car with their junk. Some of it is nice, and we do keep it (heirloom stuff of course) but most of it goes straight to the local thrift store.
Next thing will be a lot of duplicate kitchen stuff, my sister will be glad to have it!
I'm sitting at work mentally filling my outbox with clutter. Does that count?
had a giant purge before christmas so now I just have an old shirt and some posters. I keep everything in bags in my guest bedroom closet until it gets full or I have houseguests. I can't think of anything I've "saved" once its in the bag.
"I'm a weird combination of hoarder and purger. I'll hold on to a lot of random stuff, but once I get on a purging streak, there's no stopping me and nothing is safe."
Since we're moving to a new apartment next week, my life is basically a constant outbox. We have 4 trash bags and a box full of stuff to take to Goodwill. Once we move, I'm going to focus on those dresses and the white linen suit I've worn twice. However, I'd like to say that I'm not sure I've ever related to two sentences more than the above. That. is. me.
What is going in my outbox? A (never worn) teddy and thong set (!) from a dearly departed friend who thought that it would make a nice anniversary gift for me to wear with my husband. 3 years later, it's still in it's god-awful pink tissue paper in my dresser. Lisa, I love you, but it has to go.
It's so hard to be on the West Coast and working full-time - I get these e-mails just as I'm getting to work, and I can't start my assignments for 9-10 more hours! I guess it gives me more time to mull things over.
Maybe those exact same tea light candles? :) I never light them anyways.
I'm still at work, but as soon as I get home, I'll be putting together my outbox, which I think will be an area in the corner of our office room. I already routinely keep one bag of clothes to try and sell at our local consignment shop and another of things to take to Goodwill, so I'll go ahead and put those in my outbox area.
Having a Kindle is great. Donated all my books. Now that's a lot of weight gone!
This past weekend I spent 2 whole days going through my home office and other misc. cabinets. I ended up with 2 enormous boxes full of stuff. I put it out on the corner and the stuff was gone within the day (I was planning on donating whatever didn't "sell", but didn't even need to do that).
I also went though my fabric stash and crafting supplies (very hard to let go of potential projects), but I now have more room in my life for the things I want to do. Last night I began a project that has been on my back burner for 6 months. It feels good!
I have a Goodwill box in my basement but that has always been for things I know I want to get rid of. I like the idea of the Outbox because it gives me a chance to 'think about it' before I let it go. First item in will be 2 sets of sheets for my bed. I will still have 3 sets to use. I don't think I really need 5 sets of sheets for one bed.
Let the Outbox serve as a reminder of the financial, ecological, etc consequences of senseless buying!
I'm making a list that'll go home with me in my pocket. I know myself too well to think a mental list will make it through the rest of the workday!
I just got back from dropping off 3 boxes. Puzzles, games I never liked, mugs, some clothes, books, and the best, a garage door opener that I've been saving "just in case". Lots more to go!! Wheee!
Just designated my outbox and already have 3 things in there after looking around my living room for 5 minutes. I can see this getting full very quickly. I'll be off to the charity shop soon.
so many started quilt projects under the bed.
I located our outbox right near the front door, and lucky/unlucky for me, my husband believes that area is designated for trash, so my outbox has already been emptied! However, the contents were:
-A 1 cup food processor that I never used.
-A large salad bowl and 3 small ones; I lost the 4th a while back.
-A chest that we de-cluttered last weekend.
-5 random books that my husband "de-cluttered" (I do not count 5 books as effective de-cluttering, but it seemed like a break through for him, so I let him have his moment).
I actually completed a few of my assigned projects for the month too. I figured that since we will be out of the country for the last 4 days of the month, I needed to get a head start. My accomplishments included:
-Cleaning/organizing under the sink in the kitchen.
-Purchased a rug for the hallway.
-Purchased glass soap dispensers for the kitchen and bathroom.
-Purchased 2 new lamps; 1 for our bedroom and 1 for the office. Then, I immediately outboxed the old lamps, leftover from our landlord.
I have to admit that this is a LOT of fun...maybe too much fun!
My outbox and first item in it are the same thing - my old bedroom. I moved my daybed into my kitchen/main room for easier life post knee surgery and I like it so much I've decided not to move back into the bedroom. Now I just have the one room, a bathroom and a sewing room and the old bedroom is the staging area for my major downsize. I'm in training for the 8x20 tiny house I'm building next year so this is working out great. It will hold excess furniture and other things as I find new homes for them and will gradually be fitted out as a pantry, emergency supply store room and indoor laundry hanging space for the whole house. (I live in my son's basement). The bath and main room are a separate studio suite with private entrance as well as a door to a shared hallway, the sewing room and old bedroom are both down the hallway.
Ha! Just went to make some tea and found 2 chipped plates and 1 chipped bowl...went straight to the outbox. This feels so good! My husband just said that if I continue to declutter at this pace, taking out the trash will be my job. He's funny. :/
Magazines and books that I haven't touched in years.
I've put the outbox in a spare bedroom which is mostly used for junk anyway (and is a project for some future Cure). Into it I put:
A blue ray dvd player (got a new, fancier one that streams online stuff) for Christmas.
A bunch of dvd's which we never watch (and could stream them from Netflix if we wanted).
Some books that I had in a pile in my bookcase to be given away.
And a whole bunch of boxes that my husband insists upon keeping until we know for sure that we aren't going to return something (like the dvd player) because it's defective.
This last one is The Best because his insistence on keeping boxes has annoyed me for years. The outbox is the perfect solution - it addresses his need to keep them for a while, but reassures me that we can get rid of them eventually, and keeps them out of our living space.
I already had a box started for the Goodwill so I just added two large candles. Well it's a start.
All this clearing out gets you thinking - can you put 'out-moded' friends in the outbox ;) ?
Since I'm constantly editing my stuff after moving (why didn't I do this before ? I wonder too), this one is a tough one. I have no problem giving away stuff I don't use, so I guess I'll set up an Outbox and see what comes up that I want to donate.
I just put some plastic containers in the trash, because I'm not sure they are BPA-free and even though they are not broken, I don't want anyone to use them. I'll count that as "putting something in the Outbox", even though technically, the plastic boxes went in the trash. Since the Outbox is about letting go of something, I may barely scrap a passing grade.
My dresser is the first thing in my Outbox. Other than socks and underwear, it hasn't had anything in it since we updated our closets. I hid the Christmas presents in there, so now it's empty. I'm going to also declare it my Outbox for a little while, too.
Outbox near the front door containing: Boppy nursing pillow (WHEW!!), two ceramic windchimes that were purchased in Japan...sort of sad to see them go but let's get real, I don't have the time to fix them.
I wanted to know if anyone has good ideas on what to do w/ my old chipped dinner plates (maybe about 1/3 are chipped)? I tried to get a matching plate to replace them but IKEA no longer carries them... Do we start over and get brand new or try to live with what we've got? And do I just throw the old ones away or do something else with them?
The outbox is nothing new. But, the 'purging remorse' link is worth a read (and has been bookmarked). Some insightful points by commentators.
Clothes are easy to get rid of; just hope most dropped off at G'will or elsewhere are at least reasonably clean (out of respect for the volunteers and potential buyers.).
I'm trying to participate via culling 'paper' stuff and a few things that actually aren't replacable.
Couple of valid points; ditch it if you know you can easily replace in needed from the dollar store or where/however. And, the idea that 'you enjoyed it; now it's time for someone else to enjoy it - without thoughts of gettting some of your $ back.
Plus, the outbox needn't be thought of as 'consequences' reminders of bad or stupid purchases as was mentioned.
Gomagirl, unless you know someone who does mosaics, just toss them. And no browbeating, swooning etc. from those who feel you're ruining the environment.
I did a massive deck uttering of my house last ring, but I can still find a few things to get rid of. Today I put my espresso machine in the outbox haha. I don't use it any longer
That should have read "massive decluttering" in my message
So far to go - a broken swing arm lamp, some art that my mother in law gave me that I've always disliked, some clothes and a broken bulletin board. I don't think I'll be pulling anything out.
Thanks for the reminder that this shouldn't be contemplation of what coulda, woulda, shoulda been with the things being put in the outbox. That's how I wind up holding on to too many things, feeling like something hasn't lived up to its full potential and I must find a way to reuse or repurpose myself.
For me, that's exactly what it is! I'm sick with myself - a very good and necessary lesson learned.
Our family outbox is a corner on our closed in front porch. We were already using it for such, only we weren't calling it that. The first thing to go is a bunch of clothes I'm no longer wearing.
I Outboxed a few pairs of shoes I haven't worn this season, a couple of old purses, a stack of books, and a bag of long forgotten (and unused) hotel toiletries. Feels great! I'm blogging my way through the cure at http://www.pinkplusorange.blogspot.com/.
1. A wok I haven't used in 20 years.
2. Fitted sheets that don't fit any of the beds in my house.
3. Seven (yes, really) unopened cans of coffee.
4. Scientific American magazines from the 80s. (Water-damaged three years ago.)
5. About 50 hangers. (Why anyone with as few clothes as I have . . . )
6. A pair of lamps I've been planning to have rewired for at least five years.
7. Four cookbooks that have rarely been opened, and then only to look at the pictures.
8. A coat I always get compliments on, but which I detest.
9. A sad collection of orphan gloves. (I've given up hope.)
Its weird how much stuff you have sitting around, and you don't even realize its there.
Just made a quick, unplanned goodwill run w a bunch of misc crap I've been hoarding for too many yrs. Just bit the bullet, quickly loaded my suv & drove straight to goodwill. Man, it felt great! A load off my shoulders!
We have huge bi-annual garage sales in our community - one in the spring and one in the fall. So we always keep an outbox (usually several) in our garage for things that will wind up in the next sale. The other day my daughters filled a few with toys. Today I filled one with sweaters that I have been holding on to since I lived in a colder climate and haven't worn in some time.
"Let the Outbox serve as a reminder of the financial, ecological, etc consequences of senseless buying!"
No, no, no....the Outbox is not about condemnation. It's an artifice of freedom. Not to mention this premise is faulty. IT DOES NOT FOLLOW that one who has unneeded, unwanted, unused items in his home is guilty of senseless buying. Not only is this a harsh accusation which doesn't hold water, it's unproductive and discouraging.
The Outbox grants the liberty to instintively toss items sans sentiment or guilt or false obligation which tend to stymie the decluttering process and often bring it to a halt in the form of self-defeating procrastination. The Outbox provides a *grace period* for decisions which effectively moves stuff out the door. It's the rare item that hops out of the Outbox.
The Outbox is powerful.
any chance they're samsonite travel cases? u can free-cycle them? o^^o
@Gomagirl: If you garden, you could smash the plates, and use the broken pieces to line pots for drainage.
I suppose so if your outbox is full of purposeful items you are trying to part with, but mine is mostly clothes, bags, and shoes that I never should've bought in the first place. Wasted money, wasted space, and goods that were wasted on me.
Glad to know I'm not the only hoarder/purger out there. Great start on your ouboxes, everyone!
Heehee. I started my Outbox as I was unpacking boxes from my move (I'm combining households with my husband - we've lived apart for 2.5 years while he was in school). I have a lot of duplicate kitchen gadgets, some bowls and a few coats in there. I'll be adding clothes and other kitchen items as I continue unpacking boxes.
Sophie, mine is too. I needed the items when I was by myself, but now that my husband and I are together again, they have outlived their usefulness. They were not a "waste" when I bought them, and they will not be a waste once they go to a home that needs them through Goodwill. If you feel that strongly that you've wasted the money on those goods, take the best pieces to a clothing resale shop and see if you can get a little money for them.
I'm also a combined horder/purger. It's a tough way to be. But my outbox is all setup and is already taking over my hallway with items that are not coming back! I also feel I have things that I wasted money on. But as I go through them, Im taking a bit of time to reflect on these individually and make sure I learn from these 'mistakes'. Life's all about trial and error afterall.
I outboxed a broken dresser that we just used to put old clothes we didn't wear anymore in (and put the clothes into bags for donation) and moved in a working dresser that also needs to be cleaned out... but it's a start!
I'm not a "Cure" participant, but coincidentally, I've been "outboxing" stuff as I just clean and reorganize in general. Working on the kitchen, I find that taking EVERYTHING out of a cabinet and putting it back in a more accessible way causes me to look at every single thing and think about whether it's worth the space it takes up.
So I went through all my vases and flower pots (I collect the moss green ceramic kind and fall in love with random other things -- but I rarely have flowers in the house.) Now my collection and the best, most versitile of the remaining ones are in the cabinet and the others are outboxed. (And a friend who was over for a movie las night already nabbed one for his house!)
I also offloaded my "Lotus" ozone cleaner ( http://www.tersano.com/ ). It seemed like a cool idea, and maybe it still is, but I don't use it and the thing is as big as a large crock pot, so not interested in storing it any more. Eyeballing some pots and pans I think I want to replace, and some that we used at the old house on an induction stovetop but that I don't love enough to use on our ceramic one. (Awkward handles, even though they are magnetic for induction.) Maybe I can Craigslist them...
It's too easy to just overlook things if you don't remove them from their nests and evaluate them when out in the open... I'm way more ruthless when it's on the counter than when it's somehow fitting in the cupboard!
Welp, my "outbox" is under my dining room box. I live in such a small place and/or have so much stuff in this place, there is no where else to put it.
I'm enjoying not having to make a decision about the likely destination for the whatever I put in the outbox. When I unpack an unflattering blouse, the fourth spring-form pan or that cool IKEA gadget that is obviously never going to be deployed, I just drop it in one of the empty packing boxes and take it back to storage to deal with it later.
I've been doing the outbox idea for a while - many kitchen gadgets have ended up in it - usually it's because we've found something more functional, or we've gotten a gift that we'll never use.
I just gave away a lamp that didn't make the cut when I moved in with my fiancee (it was a Tiffany style lamp with a brown and teal shade - he HATES teal). My friends who just picked up a Craftsman style bungalow are now the proud owners.
Also, my local church has an "Awful Gift Exchange" around Christmastime, and we all bring items to exchange. One man's awful is another man's "oh cool!"