Celebrating the Reverse 100 Thing Challenge Results
It’s time to celebrate!
In October, we took the Reverse 100 Thing Challenge. It’s the opposite of Dave Bruno’s 100 Thing Challenge. Instead of living with only 100 things, you donate 100 things. (or more)
I donated more, and will continue to donate more and more until only the most important stuff is left. Without the extra stuff, I am free to do work I love, engage in my best relationships, develop new friendships and create a present and future with less stress and obligation and more love and health.
I didn’t take the challenge alone! In fact, I’ve received so many emails, that i can’t possible share every story and image. Not hundreds, but thousands of items were removed from homes during the reverse 100 thing challenge leaving extra time and space all over the world. THAT IS SO COOL!
Here are some of your stories to celebrate. If your story or images didn’t make it, share them on Twitter with hashtag #rev100tc and share in the comment section below and I will continue to share your inspiring action.
Let’s Celebrate!
- Colleen and Steve rocked this challenge
- Meri from Slovenia won a copy of The 100 Thing Challenge and dumped 100 things pictured here.
- Maria from Germany learned this during her challenge, “Experiences are far more valuable than things. What I remember about the last month is neither the things I bought nor the ones I got rid of but: the portrait a friend drew of me, the theatre play we went to, the movie I saw with my best friends, the cookies I baked with my mom, the walk where I took photos of the wintry landscape.”
- Amanda dumped 100 things
- Heddy said, “I went around my house and scooped up 100 things – it’s easier than you think!” You can read her story here.
- Heidi said, “the process was fun and 100 things is really not much! We shared ideas where to look for unclutterable items with my friends and we came up with many spots we hadn’t thought of before, like food hampers and dvd shelves. I feel more at peace now that there’s more room and I can let go of things I never really used anymore.”
- Suzanne and her husband gave away 200 things!
- Sally collected items and donated them to The Road Home in Utah and The Goodwill.
- Steve said “Just an update, we did the Reverse 100 Thing Challenge, first me, then talked my wife into it. 3 bags of clothes, 3 boxes of clothes and 3 boxes of books/kitchen stuff later and we both went over 100 items. Looking to start second Reverse 100 Thing Challenge and hopefully will complete before holidays. Thanks again for sharing this, it was just the kick-start I needed!
- Nathalie from Montreal struggled to find 100 items because she has been doing so much decluttering.
- Langston dumped 100 things while remodeling.
- Cora found out about the challenge from a friend on Facebook and says, “Already enjoying space on the shelves and in the shed. So happy to have learned of the challenge and your site!
- Janet from New Jersey started a photostream of the items she donated.
- Katrina tackled her closet and kitchen. 150 items gone!
- Gerdien from The Netherlands said, “It was great to create so much extra space in our home, which is always filling up with items that no one is using anymore.”
- Jewel donated her items to Miami Rescue Mission.
- Margie gave away 100 things and challenged herself to say no to 100 future purchases.
Wow! That is amazing and a great reason to celebrate. It’s not to late to start the challenge. In fact, it’s available anytime. Even right now. The point of the 100 Thing Challenge is to live with 100 things. The Reverse 100 Challenge invites you to dump 100 things before the end of the year. If you’ve always thought that the 100 Thing Challenge is extreme, and that it would be impossible to only live with 100 things, then giving away only 100 things should be a breeze.
More inspiration to live with less …
- Trade stuff for Time and Space
- Try the minimalist fashion Project 333 Course
- Read Clutterfree
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less and connect with me on Twitter.
18 Responses to “Celebrating the Reverse 100 Thing Challenge Results”
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I have to admit I stopped counting the 100 items separately from my ongoing count when it became clear I was struggling to find things. I’ve been decluttering for a long time but I think I still found at least 50. Took them to Goodwill this morning so they are gone! I did let go of some things I had been contemplating for a long time so it was a good push.
My New Years Resolution last year was to donate/get rid of/find a new home for one thing every day. I’m still on track, and hoping to do it again next year too. I just keep a big box in my closet and when I find something, it goes in the box. Eventually, it goes to charity/school/whatever’s around when I fill the box…pretty painless!
It’s great to see how each person tackled the challenge. Everyone’s way of doing this is unique and I think we can all learn from each other on our journey learning the ‘be more with less-ons!’
Congratulations to everyone! How exciting. I’m getting rid of things, but not counting.
Hello Courtney,
I became addicted to your blog. I find your posts very inspirational.
Every year my mom and I go to the countryside, in a city where we used to live (I live in Brazil) to take donations of clothes, toys and food to the families that became our friends, even part of our family, during our stay there. They are simple and poor people (amazing people, actually) and everything we give them is useful.
So, even without knowing, I was part of your challenge =)
I became a minimalist for several reasons: because I like to keep things simple, because I want to save money, because I like a decluttered house where I can easily breathe.
Thanks so much for the post.
Hilda
I stopped counting around 75, but I didn’t stop decluttering. I also challenged a friend and I think I owe her dinner because she got rid of at least 100 things.
I started reading Clutterfree last night and am really enjoying it. Although I’ve been decluttering for years and am pretty good at it, I am still picking up new bits of information, inspiration and ideas.
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
I’m with Nathalie from Montreal! I’ve been de-cluttering so much for the past year or so that I have only found 35 items to donate/recycle/toss! Still counts, doesn’t it?
Great challenge!
I’m doing something very similar starting on the 1st January.
This year throughout the Summer months we de-cluttered and sold or donated all the things we picked out, we thought we had finished but next year the challenge is to find 365 more things that we don’t really need. That will be one item for every day of the year.
It should give us even more space and make my life that little bit lighter.
What a GREAT and inspirational idea. I decided to do less Christmas decorating. I have mostly decorated with holly from my garden and my place has never looked better!!
I have dumped/donated probably about 100 things I have much to my great annoyance that most of the things that are in boxes in my mothers basement are boxes of papers most of them I do not need and have been shredding the more important ones and recycling the rest. I know that next time I move i will take the time to go through papers and things better and keep only what i need or want. Plus I never want all those boxes of stuff ever again and will probably do a second load next year or this coming year sometime. Just to make doubly sure I got it all. Thanks for the challenge and it put a fire under my bum to get stuff out of my moms basement as much as possible.
Hi Courtney!
I’ve been reading your blog for several months now and enjoy the ways that you encourage your readers to get “lighter” and more on purpose. I not-to-long ago started my own blog (through my work as a relationship specialist) and I wrote a bit about the work that you do and how getting on purpose has great psychological and emotional benefits. I am hopeful that linking your pages back to this site is kosher in the blog-o-sphere.
Let me know if that offends and I can take it down. (www.jennyglicklmft.com/blog)
Keep up the global encourage to be simple and I will continue to read and enjoy!
Peace and blessings to you,
Jenny
My New Years resolution is to get rid of 20 things every week. This doesn’t sound too challenging- the family had a lot of ‘stuff’!
I’m going to piggyback on your resolution, that sounds like a feasible challenge
I’ve probably donated 200+ things in the past year and the fact that I still possess hundreds to donate depresses me. Who was I, 5 years ago? I’ve been masquerading as a minimalist but one that never bothered to get rid of the things from her consumerist past. It’s a detox kind of time for me right now!