DAYS 27-39: 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS

Posted on March 25, 2013 by bneato

so about halfway through the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, i realized i had little left to purge! we did just move (so i had already gone through everything) but with this challenge, i did get rid of more. i mean, let’s be honest, there’s always more you can let go of!

day 27: apparently, i hadn’t had my oil changed in almost a year (eep!) and it had been on my to-do list for forever–it feels amazing to have that crossed off. and for my birthday next month (as a gift to myself) i’m going to have my car detailed by this guy. he’s a miracle worker so i’m pretty stoked to get back a brand new car.

day 28: my exercise boot camp decided to purge their lost and found during the challenge. which is something us apartment dwellers and homeowners should be doing on a regular basis. an outbox by the door works like a charm to give stuff back to friends and family that has been left behind.

day 29: something so simple but makes the biggest difference–hooks for brooms and mops–otherwise, they have a tendency to fall over when they lean against the wall. now they have a designated home so that everyone knows where to look when they need to clean up!

day 30: as my mom pointed out, the car still does not have a place to live but you have to start somewhere, right?! at least there is now a very large path making the items inside super accessible.

day 31 & 32: i drove out to peterman lumber in fontana last friday to pick out some wood for our fauxdenza. and on saturday, the beau and i put it all together. in case you’re interested, this is the DIY i followed to create my own.

day 33: i also picked up a board of reclaimed wood while i was at peterman lumber to create a cute little drop zone for our keys and such (IKEA mirror, anthro hook, schoolhouse electric fixture)

day 34: hooks for bags and coats by the entry (hooks are from anthropologie)

day 35: drum roll please…. after having this ginormous rug rolled up in our bedroom, we finally were able to put it down once the fauxdenza was finished.

day 36: in december, i wiped my computer clean. so now, with the help of the beau, i’m rebuilding and organizing my iTunes (all stored on an external drive).

day 37: best productivity app ever. download now (they offer a free trial). seriously. life changing. #anti-social

day 38: Lauren helped bring it home with her friend’s closet purge–they did some major damage earlier in the challenge and i’m glad to see them return with these bags of clothes going out!

day 39: The ‘doggie door’ has been painted shut…. until 2 days ago. The litter boxes are housed in the laundry room (behind this door). Which our beloved pooch, Mayor got into the other day and had a field day on our new rug. Lucky for us, he’s terrified of doggie doors–so as long as we keep the main door closed, the ‘un-gluing’ of the pet door was oh-so-important. Oh yea, we also doused the rug with scotch guard afterwards so now we’re really prepared.

Days 13, 14 & 15: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 28, 2013 by bneato

used a quick airport ride to sort and process my mom’s car console (she could stand to get rid of a few paper clips) but other than that, we can check that off the list!

since i’m currently traveling, it’s a bit trickier to do the 40 days challenge but i’m managing! luckily, the beau’s step brother had also been visiting and decided to purge 2 bags worth of clothes from their childhood home. and the hanger… a gift to my beau from his dad when he was little (stay or go)?!

i am absolutely loving how my mom’s shoe storage solution worked out. the labeling couldn’t look better and now things will get returned to their appropriate shoe category (each cubby is divided and sorted like with like).

Day 12: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 25, 2013 by bneato

while i was home in SC, my mom had the urge to go through all of her shoes and purge in a major way (like 2 trash bags worth).

and even though she was ready to get rid of some shoes, i encouraged her to keep shoes she had worn within the last year. we also decided that if they didn’t make her (or her feet) feel good, they were out (no matter the cost she paid for them).

it’s true, during the organizing process, things get a little #craycray.

i scored these cool shoes that mom picked up from greece. they kill her feet — hopefully i’ll have better luck!!

since mom already had the perfect shoe containers, the final step was to label the lot. i really wanted her to have a shoe closet that would wow and amaze, so i took pics of all of her shoes on a white sheet for a crisp, clean and uniform look. then i uploaded them to instagram and ordered 2.5 x 2.5 prints through printstagram for $12.00!! once they arrive, all mom has to do is affix each pic with tape. can’t wait to see the ‘after.’

Day 11: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 24, 2013 by bneato

you’ll have to excuse the day late posting… as we’re still visiting the east coast. this junk drawer before and after is courtesy of Bneato team member Lauren. She’s been helping her friend purge lots of categories (including this one… the often-dreaded junk drawer). to me, there’s nothing more satisfying than sorting like with like and making this drawer really neat. left-over shoe boxes and iPhone original containers repurpose well as dividers. you could also use an egg carton for the small stuff. the junk drawer is a great opportunity to get creative!

Days 8 & 9: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 21, 2013 by bneato

Reusable bags are definitely one of those categories that almost every home has umpteen too many. and since we’re on the subject, here are some tips we circulated last year at our resuable bag drive, Bags for Bneato.

1. For starters, take inventory. Once you have all the bags in front of you, it’s easy to let some go and keep your faves. You can donate the extras or give to a friend in need.

2. Now that you have whittled down the excess, try and stick to your new bag number limit. For instance, the next time someone offers you a reusable bag at an event–just say no.

3. And follow the one in, one out rule. If you find yourself admiring a reusable bag and want to purchase it, then you’ll have to make a decision and donate one from your current collection.

4. Next you’ll have to decide where to store the bags so you’ll actually remember to use them. We like theChico Bag because it folds up to fit in your purse (and they have a carabiner to attach to your keychain).

5. Another option is storing the bags close to your shopping list, that way, when you’re jotting down what you need from the store, you’ll remember to bring your reusable bag.

6. Keep a few in the car and if you need prompting, put a sticky note on the dash-board that says, “take reusable bags into store.”

7. Hooks in the entryway are a great place to keep and display your reusable bags and remember, once you’ve unpacked your groceries, return the bags to their home (whether it be the entryway, the front door knob or the car).

8. And reusable bags aren’t limited to carrying groceries. Use them for your take-out food, trips to Target and the mall!

Day 9 is courtesy of Lauren up in Napa. Her friend’s closet definitely got an overhaul and i’m glad they sent this pic to show us their progress!

Day 6: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 19, 2013 by bneato

i’m traveling for the next couple of weeks but i don’t plan to let that stop my 40 bags in 40 days challenge! this pic is from my bathroom that is featured in this fun DIY post on magnetizing the medicine cabinet. with medicine cabinets, get rid of anything that is expired, crusty or just plain smells weird.

Day 5: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 18, 2013 by bneato

so technically, i didn’t throw away the light on the left but i did take it down and finally replaced it with a more simple sconce on the right. we rent, otherwise, that eyesore of a light on the left would be O-U-T. we have really old wiring and after much consulting of the interwebs, baller hardware, an electrician via phone and a nice neighbor, i finally have a gorgeous and minimal light that i love. goodbye ornate wall sconce!

day 4: 40 bags in 40 days

Posted on February 17, 2013 by bneato

after working all day, i’m beat. i got nothing except that it feels so damn good to get rid of sh$%. #quoteme

today i let go of:

hole-y socks
tights with no elasticity
a t-shirt that i received for running my first and only marathon. i’ve tried to get rid of it for 5 years now but just couldn’t swing it—until today. (if i’m being totally honest, it wasn’t comfy and i was finally ready to let it go. i have the medal for running the race which is a much better representation of all my hard work).

Day 3: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 15, 2013 by bneato

Today, I got into the linen closet and went through all my plastic drawer units and purged:

expired meds
old nail polish and make-up that I never wear
anything that looked like it was from the last decade
tubes and bottles that were near empty
I ‘married’ any 2 like items that were both half empty
got rid of bulky packages

what did you get rid of today?!

Day 2: 40 Bags in 40 Days

Posted on February 14, 2013 by bneato

Yesterday, I scanned in paperwork that has been sitting around in the office for a week or so (the beau’s medical records and vet paperwork). which was actually quite interesting as I discovered that the beau’s dog’s original name from the shelter was ‘Parker.’ He goes by ‘Mayor’ now and I would have never had that peek into his past had I not gotten rid of old paperwork.

Today’s toss centers around gift bags. You may also have something similar in your home (takeaways from conferences attended, free gift sets from the make-up counter, etc.) These are things we didn’t buy but for some reason, because they were free, we feel the need to hold onto. We think we should use them or want to use them but they just end up being clutter because we tend to use the things we like (and paid for).

So I went through my recent grab bag of freebies from the 7th Annual Organizing Awards and donated lots of office supplies that I would never use.

If you’re on instagram, follow along with us there as well!