Do you ever start going through closets, drawers, cupboards, etc., and think you have Too Much Stuff? Lately, that is how I have been feeling. For me, I feel like it weighs me down.
I think it stems from a combination of two things. Number one is seeing all the crap (treasures?) that must be disposed of from my MIL’s house. Thankfully, that isn’t something I need to handle. I had similar feelings when going through my dad’s stuff. The number two reason likely comes from being home a lot more. It is hard to ignore the “Too Much Stuff” when you’re around it a lot more. I probably could add a third reason, and that would be winter. It is often about this time of year when I feel the urge to box up things no longer needed or wanted.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been setting aside miscellaneous items from different rooms in our home. Things like books I doubt I’ll ever read again, a couple of purses I haven’t used in years, Christmas decor, table cloths, extra dishes, jeans that Hubs insists shrunk (sure, they were fine until a few months ago!), chargers for phones we no longer have…you get the idea. Too Much Stuff! Today I boxed it all up and will drop it off at the thrift store the next time I’m in town.
Before I donate things, I’ll often ask family and friends if they want any items. I have a bag of Fall decor my daughter-in-law wants. A friend said she could use the queen-size sheet set and fabric shower curtain liner (both new) that I would have otherwise donated. We upgraded to a king bed some time ago (my back sure doesn’t miss the old mattress!), and only having one set of sheets for our guest bed is plenty. The shower curtain was a freebie I got for doing some Amazon reviews. I don’t remember how I ended up with the new sheet set. It makes no difference to me where all this Too Much Stuff goes. It just needs to go.
While I’ve never been for having clutter, I’m sure there are still more things I can do without. As of today, we are 76 days away from Spring. I’ve always enjoyed challenges (even ones I do for myself), and I think I’m going to challenge myself to get rid of 75 additional items before Spring. My hunch is it won’t even take me 75 days to come up with those 75 items.
Isn’t it amazing how much we accumulate? I’ve been decluttering heavily for the last couple of years, and I still have more to go. We will be downsizing from our 5 bedroom home in a couple of years, so it’s really important to let go of stuff beforehand. I love that you can offer to others. People will get good use out of it and it won’t end up in a landfill. 🙂
It is sure, and then I start to wonder why we let it happen in the first place! Knowing you’ll be downsizing, I think you’re smart by letting go of stuff beforehand. It also helps with items you may be on the fence about. I’ve had things I wasn’t ready to part with before, but for whatever reason, I can do so now. Let all this extra stuff be a blessing to others!
Good luck on your challenge. Having to move in the near future is lighting a fire under my a$$ in this area too. lol
You can do it Sluggy! Make it a personal challenge!
You might want to try Buy Nothing as well (it’s a group you can join on Facebook, local to your area). Many thrift shops toss merchandise (particularly during the pandemic, when they don’t have enough staff to process donations, and/or have too much of specific things. Once I have a bunch of items, I take a picture of each, list it on Buy Nothing, and then leave the items on my porch for the recipient. It’s nice to build the community as well. I also donate to the thrift shops, but I try Buy Nothing first.
I love decluttering & it does make me feel “lighter” as you said. Good luck!
I’ve not heard of that Facebook group. Living where we do (20 miles from civilization!), leaving things on my front porch wouldn’t work too well. I wouldn’t, however, be opposed to meeting someone in a grocery store parking lot to “dispose” of items. I don’t like the thought of things someone could use ending up in a landfill.
I just finally threw away 3 empty boxes in my office, haha. Was holding on to make the sure items worked and wouldn’t need to be returned. Which always turns into I could have thrown them out a month ago. 76 days from spring sounds encouraging 🙂
I’ve done that too; save the box just in case! Even if it is just a box, still a good feeling to get rid of it! As of today, only 75 more days! 🙂
I love this challenge… I’m going to join you!!
Awesome! By Spring, we (our homes) will both be a lot lighter!