GONE!
In May, we went on a garage sale bender, finding plenty of bargains on the cheap, but then I had that conversation with the Ugandan woman who was overwhelmed by her excessive amounts of stuff. It was then that I agreed with her and vowed to go the summer without shopping.
So how have I done so far?
I went to H&M on vacation and bought a t-shirt dress and a Union Jack t-shirt. In an effort to find a costume for skating, I did Saturday Madness this past weekend and instead got a 50s inspired floral wrap dress and a dress top for work. I've also participated in 5 sporting events, each one commemorated with a free t-shirt.
I did, however, skip all the major holiday sales on Memorial Day and 4th of July, as well as the last Tuesday of the month sales.
I did tough love and sent a box to Cara. I cleaned all the 4Ts out of Will's closet too. New dress code rules at work made it easier to eliminate a few things some items on the fence. And when Kellie informed me her co-worker lost her home and the contents, it was easy to do a hard purge, and I was amazed at how easy it was to skim 2 of those and 3 of these, resulting in 6 bags waiting to be picked up.
This problem of excess is strictly a "first world problem." It's probably even a middle-class, middle aged, Midwest problem, given the tinier living spaces on either coast. But what solution or answer am I seeking?
Less clutter. Less stuff. More of what I love and will use. By donating three (3!) tote bags to Kellie's friend, I frankly got rid of three bags I haven't used and wasn't interested in using again. Same with the three purses. Two dresses that had similar counterparts in my closet that I would choose one over the other in almost any situation. Getting rid of trendy. Giving my personal style an ever sharpening focus.
Even Will got into the purge, triggered by declaring some of his toys "for babies". This allowed me to create more room for the toys and belongings he does want.
What's next? Attacking the crafts. I was given stuff for making clay beads and I have not touched it since it was given to me. GONE! I haven't made a scrapbook since 2006. GONE! Half created doo dads and whatnots. GONE!
I don't know why I go through cycles of acquiring and purging, but it seems like I'm letting more and more go and buying less and less. Better living through less? I keep thinking back to the Ugandan woman and the lesson learned from her. I love pretty things, but don't feel I need so much anymore.
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