Purge

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile. A purge. Then things like the earthquake in Haiti happen, or you read a particularly moving piece about a homeless person, or you see a friend lose a beloved pet, or you see two friends lose them… and it makes even more sense.

I have all these things, these material things that sit unused on shelves, or tucked into little corners of the house or shoved under the seat in my car. Thousands of dollars worth of THINGS. Unused, uncared about, unnoticed and completely unnecessary. Last weekend, on a whim, I ransacked my closet and got rid of anything I couldn’t remember having worn in a year. There was a lot more I could have gotten rid of, but, baby steps. Then I made Cassidy do the same thing and she got rid of more than I did. Off to the Goodwill it all went. I always have Cassidy go with me when I donate stuff. I think it’s important that people she be a part of that. I did some searching the other day though and found a battered women’s shelter in a nearby town so this weekend, when I do another purge, that’s where we’ll be taking them all.

Then I’m going to move onto some of the big ticket items. I realized on a daily basis I carry around about $2300 worth or stuff between the purse, DSLR + accessories, Flip, iPhone, etc. It’s silly. But, unfortunately it’s all stuff I’d feel lost without. The spare iPhone that’s been sitting there unused for a year, the two Window’s smart phones, the HD mini camcorder… not so much! I don’t need five Coach purses, I don’t need 10 pairs of black strappy heels, I just don’t. So I’m going to start getting rid of these things. Sell some on Ebay, Craigslist, some of it I’ll just give away. We could use the money right now for sure, bit good karma can be just as important.

There is so much more though. The guest bedroom is full of boxes we haven’t unpacked since we moved a year and a half ago! THINGS! I haven’t used my desktop for anything other than data storage and a print server in over a year. THINGS! We have a cat house that the cat’s haven’t cared about just sitting there (although, moving it upstairs where they always are might help), extra dog crates, the list just goes on and on and on.

After The Purge, The Decorating will once again commence. Looking at Brittney‘s pretty pictures of her house inspired me. The clean, uncluttered, pretties are what I want in a home. Keyword: UNCLUTTERED.

I can’t wait. And of course, I’ll take lots of pictures along the way.

9 thoughts on “Purge

  1. I’m a horrible pack rat. This is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now. Get rid of all the junk, the stuff we don’t use. Great inspiration 🙂 Can’t wait to see your pictures.

  2. I have been going through our house on a major de-clutter and purge process, one room at a time. I’m down to the bookcase in our bedroom and my husband’s computer desk, and then we’re done. Whew!

    It’s good to clear out stuff that you don’t need, and it’s great that you’re teaching Cassidy the importance of giving to those that are less fortunate than us.

  3. LOL what is this CUTENESS?!

    But I agree. I kind of have an abundance of crap I don’t use. And I buy more crap I don’t need. I want to try (TRY) to be less of a shopper in 2010 and more of a giver.

    Like, I am not going to wear all those fantastic size 2’s upstairs in the giant storage bin. Not because I won’t be thin again, but because by the time I do, my emo clothes? Not exactly going to be the trend of the day LOL.

    We have oodles of pet stuff they’ve grown bored with that can be donated – crates are a HOT commodity at rescues, btw. 😉

    I have to say.. as it odd as it sounds, losing Rom has made me look around and REALLY effin’ appreciate the rest of my pets, my friends. And that is nothing compared to those who lost everything in Haiti… well okay, to ME it is because he’s my BABY but you know what I mean.

    I’m rambling. Back to homework.

  4. This sounds like such an awesome, good idea; I’ve been entertaining a similar one for awhile but haven’t found the motivation, really to get on with it. I love that you take Cassidy with you to do the donations too.

  5. I have been starting to purge a lot of my belongings, too, since I’ve been preparing to move overseas. It is such a rewarding and cleansing feeling. I hope you enjoy it! Definitely share it with us along the way! Have fun!

  6. I just found your blog through LAmidge & what a great post to find you on. Thanks for the inspiration! I don’t have much, as I live in a super-tiny apartment & recently moved, but I think I could still afford to do the same!

  7. I am a shopper, I love shopping, I always have at least ten different shopping lists at any given time. At the same time, I’m a major purger, as much as I bring in, I get rid of twice as much. The people at Goodwill know me by name. Seems kind of silly when you think about it. For Lent I gave up two things, shopping and red meat. I really think purging is a great way to move forward in life. I always feel really good after I’ve gone through a room and gathered a box of crap, just kind of light and free.

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