Over the past few weeks I have found myself itching to be free of "stuff" and have begun a major purge. Which is actually pretty funny b/c I did the same thing about 8 months ago, just a couple months before Phoebe was born. We loaded up the entire back of the subaru and hauled it off to goodwill. And now I have done the same again (3 times) and am still going. Where does all this stuff come from? I swear, I don't buy this much stuff. I literally don't have the time. I am a sucker for free boxes, however, But in reality, I think most of my "stuff" piles up because I don't like things to go to waste. I like to use them until they are unusable. Especially one-time use things, like plastic yogurt containers. I save them because I can't stand to recycle them after only using them once. But really, how much need does a person have for 20 yogurt containers? Also, when I get rid of clothes, I actually only giveaway about 2/3.. the other 1/3 is kept as fabric to use in my "to-be-upcycled" bin. OK,... bins (plural). My husband hates this, by the way, but has not divorced me yet. Anyways, I am making my way through the house, re-organizing, craigs-listing, and donating. If I am not using it, maybe someone else can. Each item I pass gets asked 3 questions: 1. Do I love you? 2. Do I need you? and 3. Do I use you? If the item doesn't pass at least one category (and hopefully at least 2), then it needs to go.
Purging always seems to make me feel free, like a burden was just taken off my shoulders. And honestly, stuff is a burden. You have to pay for it, store it, maintain it. I need enough stuff to maintain my lifestyle, but I don't need extra. Hooray for purging! I know that in a year from now, I will likely once again be overrun by stuff, but for now I am enjoying my new found freedom. I am enjoying living a slightly more simple life, and hope that I can continue to simplify even more. I have the urge to purge!
Have you purged lately?
This is our garage storage shelves post-purge. I know it still looks full, but man, I wish I had taken a before picture. We did good.....
You have inspired me!
ReplyDeleteOh, I do love to purge, too. I started it back in the early 70s and at that time thought I was the only one who did such things. "Stuff" has always been a burden to me and I had many internal struggles dealing with all the stuff marriage and children bring to the mix. The children are grown and gone but I'm still dealing with a husband who collects and does not like to get rid of anything. I still purge what I can, though, of the things I have total control over. Getting rid of "stuff" is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI love to purge. And I've been on an on again off again purge cycle for almost a year now as we've really been trying to deplasicize the house as much as possible. I'm constantly purging toys, or looking for toys to purge. ;) We rely on hand me down clothes for the kids. We NEVER buy them clothes. And I'm so grateful for this. However, I've noticed I hoard clothes. Since hand me downs save us so much money, I often just save them and even if Logan doesn't wear the pants much, I think "maybe I'll like them better one day on Kian." I've realized that's rediculous. Kian will get ADDITIONAL hand me downs, and ADDITIONAL clothes for birthdays. If I don't like it the first time, I toss it. I have the goal of dwindling their wardrobes down to just 7 outfits each, plus some play clothes, a few church outfits, and a FEW jackets/coats each.
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