100 Thing Challenge...errr 500??

Have you heard of the 100 Thing Challenge? I was reading around on one of my new favorite blogs: ZenHabits, and was clicking on tons of different posts and somewhere in there I clicked over to a different blog called guynameddave and the 100 thing Challenge. The general concept...can you limit your personal items to 100 things? The blog post author came up with his own set of rules...he's married and so certain things he designated as community items. I read several of the posts out loud to Troy and he was ready to go. I barely finished reading and he was in his closet tossing out all sorts of things. He's minimalist at heart.

I LOVE the idea, and then I got into my closet and the idea got a lot harder. Spring is here and it's time for spring cleaning, and also time to reassess all the stuff I have accumulated in the last year. But.....I just procurred two new bikes.

So, here I am throwing things outside of the closet and all along I'm asking Troy "Can I count 2 bikes, helmet, bike shoes, bike tools, aerobars, bike pumps, CO2 cartridges, and spare tubs ALL as one thing?" He just laughed.

I have so many hobbies. I do triathlon, which is like 6 hobbies all in one: running, swimming, biking, ultra running, winter running, weight lifting. Then there is the skiing, the camping, the hiking, the rock climbing. I have a set of AT ski gear, two pairs of mountaineering boots, 3 pairs of gaiters, and 4 ice tools (ice ax for climbers). "TROY, can all these count as one item?"

Don't forget the crafts...I sew, I crochet, I knit, I've dabbled in needlepoint and hemstitcing. From that comes copious amounts of yarn, fabric, batting, stuffing, thread, notions, and patterns. "Ahh, Troy, we have a problem".

Books? Ekk. DVDs, and CDs, rah-roh.

BUT, thank goodness we are a low tech family. We don't even have a TV. HAH!! I have not one, but TWO iPods, THREE if you count the iPhone. I've got 2 digital cameras, a broken GPS, and a SPOT transmitter, and an iMac, complete with a printer and all that comes with that. Oh yea, and Troy and I both have Nintendo Gameboys. Ooh, and don't forget the portable DVD player. Yea, we are soooo low tech.

Man, I really want to do this 100 Thing Challenge. I just need to come up with the right rules so that I can keep all the stuff I want to keep. Well, I figured I had to start and maybe it would all just come together.

So, I started spewing stuff out of my closet. 4 hours later...

Our spare room is FULL of stuff that I am done with!

Suddenly, our house looks VERY clean (minus the spare room). My closet? Immaculate!

Did I get down to 100 things? Um no, did I get down to 500 things? Maybe. 1000? Definitely. I still have to do my final itemized list.

However, if you are looking for clothes, or craft supplies, or some electronics, It's time to come over for tea. You can visit the spare room and go yard sale-ing...for free. In fact, need something? There is so much stuff I wanted to get rid of, but would rather give it to a good home, rather than just Goodwill it. So, if you're in need, let me know!

Did Troy hit 100 things? With a few rules (clothes counts as 1, books count as 1, and collections count as 1), he hit it easy. Stinker.

Does this sound crazy to you? Could you do it? Would it make you feel relieved? Sad? Broke? Rich?