Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Natalie: A Necessary Purge (9 of 72)

Purge your stuff. If you can devote a weekend to purging the stuff you don’t want, it feels seriously terrific. Get boxes and trash bags for the stuff you want to donate or toss.

I am a packrat. I have a LOT of stuff. If people want to give me stuff, I do not have the heart to say no. I feel as if I'm being ungrateful to whatever they are offering. I have trouble parting with sentimental stuff (especially if someone gave it to me) because I feel like I am being thoughtless about their thoughtfulness even though I may not like it or need it. I have stuff that I think is cool or useful and I may "use someday" but that day has never come. This is my favorite I have things that "might be worth money someday" but again if it ends up being worth anything it may be only a few bucks more than was actually spent on it. I don't have any antique roadshow treasures in my home. Then there are clothes, the pre-pregnancy clothes, the pre-pre pregnancy clothes that "if I just lost x amount of weight" I'd fit into again. Never mind that they are out of style or they no longer fit my style (not like I have one but just saying). No I do have a style its Bohemian Mother Comfort...if I lose 20 lbs it will be Bohemian Mother Comfort Chic.

Then there is the stuff my mother buys me or gives me. If I am a packrat, my mom is a hoarder who adheres to some if not all of the above excuses about stuff which is clearly where I get my excuses from. What I mean by "gives me" is every time I go to visit my mom which is about every other month, she will unload stuff that she bought for herself on me that she doesn't really need in the first place. I, of course, accept all these items because when I do say no she'll say "why not" with her guiltiest puppy dog eyes and I just shrug and accept her offer with a resigned "okay." My husband dutifully packs the car full as if we were going on vacation for a month and we head home on our 4 hour drive north. We then unload bags and bags of stuff from the car to the house and I spend the next week (no joke) finding places for all this new stuff I have acquired.

I think its abundantly clear that I have stuff issues and a house that needs a major overhaul in the de-cluttering arena. I am happy to report that I have made some progress in this area! This past weekend I spent a lot of time going through some closets and cabinets and I felt really proud of what I accomplished. There is more to be done but I donated a few bags of housewares to a thrift shop that supports a local shelter and on Thursday I plan to make two more drops to a second thrift shop and food pantry. I posted a bunch of items on Freecycle that went to very happy new owners. I was able to clean (yes I said clean) and re-organize my kitchen to the point where it looks staged for an open house.

Here are my next steps towards purging my stuff:
1. My son's toys - another area where my mom goes nuts (he is her only grandchild) but I plan on making some donations in the next couple of weeks of toys he just has no interest in.
2. An attic - we need actual storage space in our house for Christmas decorations, baby stuff that I don't want to get rid of in case we decide to have a second, and other miscellaneous items that I will need if I move again (boxes for fragile items), a few sentimental things that I just might want to share with future generations (family history and all). We have not done any major home projects in about 4 years so it seems like a good time to invest in our living space. I might even add value to our home long-term (long, long term in this market).
3. Books - time to get rid of anything I haven't read in at least 2 years and know I don't need for future classes I might teach. There is a book swap in 2 weeks that I will be bringing lots of books to
4. Clothes - I am dreading going through my closet. I find it depressing that my closet chronicles my weight gain history but I'm over it. I have come to terms that there are some parts of my body that just are NOT going back to pre-pre-pregnancy weight. I still have hope for getting back to pre-pregnancy weight.
5. Cleaning Service - I am pleased to announce that I scheduled an appointment with a professional cleaner for next week. I haven't decide if this is a worthwhile long term investment (although everyone I spoke to agrees it will be) but I want to try it and see if it makes a difference.

2 comments:

  1. Having an uncluttered kitchen is the best feeling! Congrats! I still have a way to go (eg, I never use my couscousiere, but it is a beautiful pot, so I keep it). I am always happy when glasses break because yay! More room in the cabinets!

    You will love having a cleaning service! I miss it -- just not the pickup the night before she came (because I was doing it solo).

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so funny I feel the same way about glasses breaking or anything breaking for that matter. There's a relief like it was a bad relationship...hoping the other person breaks up with you because you don't have the heart to end it.

    ReplyDelete

I welcome comments, questions, and gentle criticism. I only ask that you're kind and respectful in your comments.