I joined a decluttering challenge and got rid of 496 items in a month. I made a point to not throw anything in the trash.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mesha Griffith, the author of The Bedtime Mantra. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a children's book author and mom. One day, I looked around the house and said, "We have too much stuff."

I got the idea to declutter for 30 days and get rid of 496 items from The Minimalists podcast. You have to get rid of one thing on the first day, two on the second day, three on the third, and so on.

We started it in 2021. My husband and I, along with some extended family, would do a group text at the beginning of the year and say, "Here's what I'm going to get rid of," and send pictures back and forth to hold each other accountable.

I decided to share the challenge with my Instagram followers. I posted my first decluttering challenge in January 2025, and then I did the second one in December 2025. Someone said I should draw a random number every day for the December challenge, and I had to purge however many items the number said, which turned out to be the perfect way to gamify it — and to hold myself accountable to post consistently on social media.

Even though I had done this before, I had plenty to sort through

All of our stuff was once money, and I just started seeing everything as dollar signs. One day, I added everything up I was getting rid of that day and how much I originally spent on it, and it was $400.

I'm more aware of the things I'm buying and bringing into my house, but even we have clutter. For example, we collect so much paper. I threw away three expired insurance cards. I threw away instruction manuals. You can find the PDFs online.

The comments section became a community

Every day since this went viral with my decluttering videos, I have had people waiting to see what number I'd pull the next day. I didn't want to let those people down. People even began doing their own challenge alongside me. It was more exciting to me that other people were inspired by my little challenge.

In the beginning, I'd get a lot of comments asking me whether I'd count this or that item, or how many items something like a Tupperware with a lid counted for.

I'd tell them not to focus on that — it counts because it's causing you anxiety, stress, or agitation.

I was even intentional about how I got rid of stuff

Throwing stuff away was never an option. I had time, energy, and mental capacity to try to find new homes for as much stuff as I could.

I'd resell on Facebook Marketplace, but it would need to go quickly. I didn't want to have a box of unsold stuff at the end of the month. If it didn't sell quickly, I'd take it to the thrift store, the free pantry, or other places. For example, I took towels, sheets, and blankets to the Columbus Humane Society, and I took building supplies and working appliances to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore.

I don't think I'll do any more decluttering challenges for myself this year. I feel like I've run out of things to get rid of, but I would love to help either a family member or a friend declutter their home.