De-junking

It's the beginning of a new year and I got the de-junking stuff bug. I started upstairs, which is only logical. That's where the kids rooms are, and kids rooms seem to attract the most junk "stuff". I've gone inch by inch, corner by corner, closet by closet and room by room.

I'm taking advantage of the fact that I'm not feeling very sentimental and my logic has set in which sure helps sort out what needs to stay and what doesn't. Everything that is not staying I've conveniently thrown in the upstairs spare bedroom. If we have any unannounced guests, they will have to stay on the couch. It is impossible to even walk in the spare bedroom. AHHHH but it feels good to be getting rid of unused "stuff".

I realized I like to clean. Not the wash the floors, clean the bathrooms type of clean. But the organize, streamline type of cleaning. Only because it feels so good afterwords. Everything that stays is useful, needed and not cluttered. I have a long way to go. Once I'm done I have to tackle the spare bedroom. 3 piles, Goodwill, e-Bay, and Craig's list. This is the biggest challenge for me because once I decide something doesn't' belong on the house I want it gone right away. But I promised Ken I would try to be more resourceful and actually earn some money on some items.

My thoughts as I've done this are discombobulating. For one, WHY in the world do we have this much "stuff?"!! Where does it all come from? I mean really, I don't have that junky of a house but somehow have managed to fill up a bedroom full of "stuff" that is not longer wanted, needed, or useful. I can see now why people tend to rent storage sheds, which has always seemed like a waste of money to me. But if you don't go through your "stuff" every so often, you run out of room to keep your "stuff". So you have to find a place and pay to store your "stuff" which by the way if you are doing that you aren't even using your "stuff" so what's the purpose of having all that "stuff"?

As I sort through things it's really been a remedy for my spending habits. I look at things that I just had to have, or things that I thought I would use (like the frames I bought half off at Hobby Lobby, uh, if anyone has ever seen my walls there are VERY few pictures hung up. A lot of good those frames did).

Another challenge is some of the "stuff" I'm getting rid of, the kids haven't even paid attention to in probably a year, but if you take "stuff" out of it's designated areas and place it in a new area (like a spare bedroom), it becomes so much more interesting than before, and then you have two kids who behave as if they won't survive if you get rid of that "stuff". I'm afraid my kids will have to go to counseling later on in life because "mom was always giving our "stuff" to Goodwill or selling it".

All in all I love the start of a new year! after I finish this project I've got plenty of others to do. Hopefully one of those will be not to acquire more "stuff". Well, maybe just a little of it. :o)