I tried to throw out 50 things

My friend TSM is heavily involved in a neighborhood co-op of women who sell their gently used children's items twice per year.  She tried to get me to be a new seller for the spring sale, but it conflicted with t-ball, so I finally got to participate for the fall sale.  In September.  E's birthday weekend.  Right in the midst of what I was already dreading as hell week, early childhood style. 

As a new seller, you're allowed to sell 50 items.  Perfect, I thought, what a way to get rid of 50 things, and then I will blog about it, and I can finally close that browser tab that has linked to the throw out 50 things website for 18 months.  I knew I could fairly easily find 50 things to sell, without even really getting into all the stored baby stuff I have amassed in the basement.  I started mentally deciding which things I would tag and sell. 

This sale is pretty elaborate (and to protect anonymity I'm being fuzzy on details).  There are strict rules for what you can sell and how you tag your items, and how you are supposed to contribute to the organization of the sale (ie, volunteer time).  I knew I had to get my act together and start gathering and sorting items.  As per usual, I kept putting it off, though I did root around in a few boxes in the basement and continue my mental cataloging.  Mental cataloging worked fairly well until E grabbed the stupid Lincoln logs she had not played with at all in three years and decided they were the Best! Toy! Ever! thus reducing my catalog by one item. 

About a week before the sale, just as our hell week was starting, I said to Rich, you remember in the midst of the soccer and the birthday parties and the school snacks and everything else that I am doing the sale, too, right?  Noooooooooo, was of course his answer.  But I had it all figured out - if I just tag 10 things a night, skipping E's actual birthday, I'll be done in plenty of time and be all organized.  That of course changed to well, if I just tag 15 items a night.  Which turned to 20 items a night.  Which then turned into, ok, I have two hours before I have to be there, what can I grab and tag quickly? 

When your house is totally cluttered (and some credit here, you've done a fair amount of advance thinking about it), you actually have quite a bit you can grab.  Which meant instead of 50 things, I started my plan with 39 things to sell.  But that was still a pretty good effort, and heck, one of the problems in discarding things is coming to terms with the value of those things, so selling 39 things was a good first step. 

So how'd I do?  Say tuned for tomorow's update (hey, what can I say, NaBloPoMo is a bitch and I'm already weary of posting, so dragging this out!)