Since I’m working on the 100 Thing Challenge, I thought that it would be a good idea to have an easier to find, more permanent list of the 100 things that I’m keeping. So created a permanent list and added a link at the top of the screen. It’s called “My 100 Things”, which I thought was pretty self explanatory. Any time you want to see what I’ve got, or how my list has changed, just head to that link to check it out.

I’ve read about the 100 Thing Challenge before, and found the idea intriguing. Recently I’ve been thinking about it again, this time with more interest in giving it a try. Unlike Dave, the originator of the idea, I am not interested in selling all but 100 of my personal possessions. However, I think that I could happily live for an extended period of time while limiting myself to 100 personal items. So, as an extension of the Minimalist Experiment, I’m going to pack away almost everything that I own and give it a try for one month.

The Basic Concept

The Goal: Live for with only 100 personal things for the entire month of October, 2010.

The Rules

• “Personal Things” means things that are entirely or mostly mine. Shared objects (like the bed) are not personal and thus won’t be counted.
• A few things are counted in groups. For example: the power cord, mouse and earbuds always go with the computer, so together they are a system: one item. In the original rules, like items could be clumped together: underwear, 1 item; socks, 1 item. I may do that, once I determine how many items I will be using.
• I won’t be throwing things away, or getting rid of them. I will simply be storing them away for the month’s experiment. After the experiment, I may decide to get rid of some of them, or not.

I’ve got a couple of weeks to prepare for this experiment. I’ve been thinking about what I use on a daily basis and made a tentative list of the 100 things I’ll need to keep out. Over the next few days I’ll pay more attention to what I use day to day so that I can tweak my list before the month starts.

My 100 Things

Clothes
1. jeans
2. jeans
3. jeans
4. khakis
5. gym shorts
6. swim trunks
7. shorts
8. track pants
9. pj pants, silk
10. pj pants, cotton
11. pj pants, fleece
12. running shoes
13. sanuks
14. dress shoes, brown sketchers
15. dress shoes, brown other
16. belt, leather
17. belt, leather, 2-sided
18. belt, fabric
19. tie
20. watch
21. bandanna
22. handkerchief, white
23. handkerchief, blue
24. suit
25. underwear, group counted as 1 item
26. socks, group counted as 1 item
27. dress shirt
28. dress shirt
29. dress shirt
30. dress shirt
31. button shirt
32. button shirt
33. button shirt
34. polo shirt
35. polo shirt
36. polo shirt
37. t-shirt
38. t-shirt
39. t-shirt
40. t-shirt
41. running shirt, black
42. running shirt, gray
43. rain jacket
44. sweater
45. sweater
46. hoodie

Daily Use

47. glasses, prescription
48. wedding ring
49. desk chair
50. pillow
51. pillow case
52. wallet
53. pocket knife
54. chapstick
55. keys
56. sticky-note pad
57. cell phone (incl: charger)

Hygiene

58. razor (incl: brush, soap, stand)
59. washcloth
60. towel
61. deodorant
62. toothbrush
63. electric clippers

Work

64. backpack
65. laptop (incl: mouse, power cord, headphones)
66. camera (incl: case, charger, mini-tripod)
67. Moleskine planner
68. fountain pen (incl: bottle of ink, needle for refill)
69. 3-ring binder
70. misc. writing instruments

School

71. books, 2
72. sketchbooks, 2
73. cardboard tube – for transporting work from home to school on motorcycle
74. art supplies, drawing
75. art supplies, painting

Transportation

76. motorcycle
77. helmet
78. boots, slip-on
79. boots, lace-up
80. doo rag, skulls
81. doo rag, American flag
82. jacket, leather flight
83. jacket, textile motorcycle
84. gloves, leather

Eat

85. bowl
86. plate
87. mug
88. glass
89. fork
90. spoon
91. knife
92. stainless steel water bottle

Other

93. books in library
94. tools
95. camping gear

As you can see, I still have some extra items that I could hold on to. I’m leaving the slots open so that I can easily see where I am at.

I went ahead and included the dishes that I use on a regular basis. Since I’m thinking about limiting myself to only a single set, I will have to wash them after eating every meal. I may quickly tire of having to do dishes after every meal, but I think it will also add an interesting twist to the experiment. They may not make it to the final list, replaced as I pack away the rest of my items and discover that I have overlooked a few things that I will need.

We’ll see how it goes. It is, after all, only the preliminary stages of an experiment.