Decluttering (or Too Much Junk)
Woman in the Middle | October 26, 2011In June 2008 I was planning on having all the relatives and family friends over for a large high school graduation party for my oldest daughter. In preparation for that I spent the six months leading up to that party sorting through every drawer and closet in the house, trying to whip our smallish house into tip top shape. I made numerous trips to local thrifts stores to get rid of it all. Even after the party, I was still making my regular pilgrimages to the thrift store drop off.
Fast forward to January 2010 when we accidentally found the house we are living in now. That started a whole new frenzy of digging and sorting and many, many, MANY more trips to local thrift stores. Once we moved and started unpacking boxes we found even MORE to get rid of, had a garage sale, sent even more to the thrift stores, and I finally started feeling like maybe, just maybe, we were getting to the point of being cleaned out.
Back around the beginning of June I was thinking of having another garage sale but, after cleaning and sorting through the garage, my Hubby and I decided that we really didn’t have enough for a garage sale and I started hauling all but the bits and pieces of furniture to the recently opened Pet Adoption Thrift Store. Nothing feels better than helping puppies and kitties with my old junk!
Then my Eldest Daughter had the bright idea of holding a garage sale to raise a little spending money for her trip to New York City. My Youngest Daughter thought that was a good idea also, since she wanted some additional spending money as well. Oh no! I had just gotten rid of all that stuff…. So they both cleaned out their closets, which had just been cleaned out two weeks before. I cleaned out my closet. Then we cleaned out all the old board games that we never play anymore. I poked around and found a few more things. At this point I was having a mental conniption fit that went something like “SERIOUSLY, ALL OF THIS WAS JUST CLEANED OUT!!!”
I am happy to report that the girls made about $200 all together and we got rid of all the big pieces of furniture. I am sorry to report that I have probably gotten rid of another two dozen boxes and bags of stuff since then. Just yesterday I gifted the puppies and kitties with another box and bag of stuff, the Salvation Army with a box, and the local library with two bags of books and magazines. Where does it all come from? Is my garage a junk breeding facility and the previous owners forgot to tell me? Maybe my house is actually a portal to another dimension and the junk of another civilization is coming into the garage…or not. Maybe, just maybe, we have too much stuff.
Excuse me while I go toss more stuff out of the garage.
Information on the Pet Adoption Thrift Store can be found at:
http://www.petsadoption.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125&Itemid=159
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