I’ve been working on purging stuff for about 3 years now… Yes I know that’s a long time to be working on the same project. In my defense I’ve really only become serious about it in the last year or so. =)
My first phase of minimizing was to get rid of all the stuff I had from my childhood. And let me tell you, I had a lot. I had toys, blankets, dishes, and stuffed animals. I was shocked one day when I sat down and looked at all the crap I had from over 20 years ago. It was freeing to purge and it created an entire new space in my room! And it was nice to not hang on to things that I would never have a use for anymore, and that were to old and warn out to be enjoyed by another.
I flirted with it a bit after that, but I didn’t really get rid of much again until I went through my closet about a year ago. I was tired of trying to get dressed, and not liking any of the clothes in my closet. Every time I would try to put together an outfit I would find something that didn’t fit right or didn’t look right on me. I got rid of close to 50 percent of my clothing at that point (Considering I was only filling up 1/2 of a closet at that time, it was quite a hit). I really expected to want to buy more so I would have enough to wear. Surprisingly I found it was easier to get dressed, and I LIKED my clothes more since I didn’t have all the “Almost something good” pieces sitting there for me to add into the mix. Even as pieces ware out I am still doing pretty well (aside from my protruding stomach), and I’ve only purchased 4 or 5 items of clothing in the last 2 years.
After that it was a serious reduction the the crafts and craft supplies I had lying around. So much of it was things, like my clothing, that just weren’t quite right, or things I knew I would never take the time to actually do. My next big push has been to get rid of things around the house (Oddly enough, this phase started AFTER we moved this year. Perhaps I am trying to avoid having to move everything again =). I’ve gotten rid of trinkets and decorations, books and even a few of my meager kitchen supplies, because I don’t really like them. I currently have a pile of stuff on my living room floor, and 2 big totes of trinkets upstairs waiting to be donated, or sold. And it feels good!!!
I found this little note via Pinterest and I think it sums up how I feel about my house quite nicely:
Sun Flower and Sunshine 