I’m not sure if this is my fourth or fifth time of playing the Minimalism Game, and it was probably the most challenging so far. Usually, I try to have a plan before the month starts, and I’ll focus on certain things, like kitchen cabinets I haven’t opened in three years, or the back room in the basement that everyone except me and the cat are afraid of. This month, I didn’t have a plan, but I did have a bunch of weekend plans. Since the weekends are usually when I would do most of this, and one long weekend I was camping for three days, I imagined horrific defeat. But somehow, I did it!

Some things I noticed this time: Usually I get rid of a ton of books, both from myself and my kids. But I went through so many last time that I could only muster up one book that I thought I would never read (and I’ve had it since the 1980s). I usually go through my kids books, but Nadim is just learning to read, so even the most infant-centered books will be helpful this school year. I also want to get the kids a new bookshelf, since the one they have now is the one I got from my parents when I was 17 (almost 30 years ago) and the legs are falling off. My mom bought it at Ames (a store that doesn’t exist anymore) for $20 and I guess it’s lasted way longer than anyone would have imagined. So when I do buy them a new bookcase, we will definitely go through every single book then.

I also wanted to completely clean out my shed, but because of it being a busy month and going out to the shed seems to require more effort than just looking through drawers, I only got rid of a few garden items. We are about to undertake a massive backyard renovation, so I will eventually do that anyway.

Will I play the Minimalism Game again? I think so. March and September seem like good defaults, so I will probably stick to that schedule.