How's it Going?

Well, after an initial surge of energy cleaning out my own clothes, and a very productive session cleaning out the girls' clothes, we had 12 bags of clothes to take to Good Will, plus several to pass on to the cousins. We piled them in the living room, waiting for Dad to take his turn. 

A few days passed and I didn't clean anything out. 

Then, I almost felt like I was having withdrawal. I was itching to do more. My instinct was to open every cabinet, drawer and closet and start getting rid of things that I didn't want cluttering my space anymore. 

Then panic set in, when I walked into my closet to get dressed and realized just how much I was getting rid of. I looked briefly for a well-worn, beloved pair of comfy shorts, and sighed deeply as I realized that I threw them away. Shorts with holes, while comfortable, are no longer a part of my pared down wardrobe. 

At least I never thought about digging into those bags of clothes to pull anything out. It didn't get that bad! But just to be sure, it was time to move them out of my living room. 

The girls even got into the process, offering (without me asking) to take the bags to the car. All 12 of them!! 

So the next category of items I decided to tackle was BAGS and PURSES. My girls and I are a little addicted to collecting items in this category. Here's a look at the initial pile as we scoured the house, looking high and low, for all our carry-alls. 

The pile got much bigger, but in the end, we were able to pick out the items that are most used and are most useful. As soon as I finish a category I feel relief and panic at the same time. (A little strange, I know.) I'm amazed at how much "stuff" we have accumulated over the years. Most of it is stuff that we did use at least once. The thing is, with the exception of a few of these bags that were purchased because of a NEED (like a backpack for school) most of them were unnecessary purchases, made strictly because the item was cool, or pretty or fun. 

When I started going through items, making my donate pile, I hesitated at times. "That bag is really pretty." "I have one that matches that." "I really enjoyed using that bag for youth group." I had to force myself to focus on the bigger picture here. We simply DO NOT NEED most of this stuff. It would better serve others. And I noticed that something happens when you weed your stuff down to just the things that really matter. Decision making becomes easier, the purpose of specific items becomes more clear, and because we no longer have 75 bags and purses, we now have A place where they belong. No more shoving them in every last closet and under every bed in the house. 

Our simplifying is going well. On to the next category...which may be a location...the DREADED art closet!