You gotta take it off...
I'm not sure quite why, but I've been on a bit of a minimalist kick lately. Every time I look at all the stuff in our townhouse, I just want to start getting rid of it.
Usually this is supposed to happen in the spring, hence "spring cleaning," but it's hitting me in the summer instead. This weekend, for example, Katie and I worked our way through the kitchen getting rid of some old dishes, utensils, and cannisters we don't use. All told, we filled about four or five paper grocery bags.
Yesterday, we hit up our bedroom. Get this, once we finished filtering through our closet and dressers, we had nine 30-gallon garbage bags full. Here's a picture of eight of them just to prove it to you...
Heck, I had a stack of nearly 30 sweaters alone...
Tack on to this collection about 30-40 books, some old VHS tapes, and old bedding and towels and I wind up with a truckload of stuff. Actually, two truck loads. I haven't tried loading it all up yet, but odds are it will take me two trips to haul it all out of here.
I love that we're getting rid of all this, but I feel like there's still so much work to be done. We have also cleaned out our pantry/closet in recent weeks, but we have an office, attic, garage, and front closet left to go.
I gotta admit that I found it amazing enough that Katie was willing to do all this work with me.
Initially we wanted to put all this stuff in our neighborhood's annual garage sale, but it never happened. The association dropped the ball on it and we, and all our neighbors, get stuck with all the crap we've been saving up for a year. And it's far too much of a hassle to set up our own garage sale... advertising, taking time off from work, setting it all up, making sure shit's not stolen again.
Now, I think it's just going to Goodwill. I hope someone can do something positive with all of it.
Funny... I was feeling the same minimalist vibe yesterday. Mine seems to be in swing all year though! I LOVE getting rid of things. I think it is a delayed rebellion against my packrat mother.
Posted by: kilax | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 08:16 AM
i love a good purge. that's a lot of stuff!
Posted by: sizzle | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 10:03 AM
That, my friend, is a thing of beauty! I beg my sons to do that all the time. When they finally do clean their room it looks like that. 6 bags for Goodwill and 6 bags for the trash! Don't you feel like you've lost weight? I always do . I wish it were that easy!
Posted by: metalmom | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 10:08 AM
Very impressive! The Universe won't let you get anything new unless you make room for it by getting rid of stuff you already have...
Posted by: Laurel | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 11:21 AM
Thanks. Thanks a lot. You've just reminded me of one of the projects I've been putting off. *sigh* I'm tired already. Good job, YOU!
Posted by: sue | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 11:30 AM
How funny, I did the same thing this weekend. It's been this ongoing thing for a few weeks now, where the clutter is just getting on my nerves and I don't want to live in excess!
Posted by: Hilly | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 12:05 PM
Oooh, I love getting rid of stuff. I agree. It seems like no matter how much you get rid of, there's always more to clear out. I'm always working on this. I hate clutter. I also hate garage sales and so I think that putting all your stuff in goodwill is a fabulous idea. Don't forget to get a receipt for tax write-offs!
Posted by: August | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 01:33 PM
Definitely take it to Goodwill. People there need it more than any of us could ever imagine. Way to go on the summer cleaning!
Posted by: Elaine | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 02:40 PM
Minimalism is always a good thing. A few years ago we moved from a very large home to a smaller one and it has been a positive experience to have less space. There is a direct correlation to the space you have with the more "stuff" you own. And the less you own the more liberating it is and it makes life more manageable too. As for clothes, a good rule is: after a cycle of two years and it isn't worn -- it's out!
Posted by: bogup | Monday, 13 August 2007 at 04:42 PM
kilax, it does feel good to get rid of it all and I hope my minimalist kick continues. It's been ongoing for a month or so now.
sizzle, I think we floored the poor guy at Goodwill when we had to unload it all from my truck. Heh.
metalmom, and yet I've still got so much weight to shed.
Laurel, then how did we ever build up so much CRAP?
sue, sorry.
Hilly, our clean up has been on going as well. I wish it would end, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
August, yeah, we still seem to have a ton to get rid of. Grrr...
Elaine, yep, we dropped it all off last night.
bogup, we adopted a similar rule some time ago. I'd say we stick to it about 80% of the time. Room for improvement.
Posted by: kapgar | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 06:52 AM
I am something of a packrat... but I love a good purge. I try to clean out at least once a year and I force myself to get rid of things I haven't touched or thought about in a year.
Of course, this inevitably leads to me looking for something vital 3 months after a purge and damning myself for having tossed it out.
Posted by: No Celery Please | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 07:32 AM
Yard sales are a major pain in the @ss. I don't blame you for sending it all to Goodwill.
Posted by: Karl | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 10:28 AM
NCP, isn't that always the case?
Karl, yeah, I was thinking about all the hoops I'd have to jump through, and it's just not worth it.
Posted by: kapgar | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 11:16 AM
It must be in the air - I just did the same thing!
Posted by: lizriz | Wednesday, 15 August 2007 at 06:27 PM
So much for "spring" cleaning, eh?
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 15 August 2007 at 06:34 PM