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Too much stuff!

Started by Kate, February 02, 2014, 05:50:55 PM

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Kate

I am happy with our furniture,  I have sourced lots of antique and second hand furniture which I refurbish and we love, and which works very well for us.  When we got together we both had very little furniture,  and almost all of what we had was other peoples cast offs, and not terribly good cast offs either, so furnishing our home has been the work of years to find the right pieces at the right price.

We have lots of kitchenware, china and glassware,  but again that is fine as we like to entertain,  and it all gets used.

It is all the consumables,  like clothing and accessories where I have run amok.  It is like an addiction. Now that I think about it, the explosion in my closet occurred when I had finished finding all the furniture we wanted.

Maybe I could hire myself out as a personal shopper? That way shopping would be a chore instead of a recreation.

Pooh

I did see a great idea about purging your closet the other day, that I think I'm going to try this year.  You turn all your hangers backwards when you hang them.  When you actually wear something, you hang it back the right way.  After six months (when you would have definitely had time to wear it due to the season), anything that is still backwards, you know you haven't worn.  You do this twice and it purges you down to things you actually wear after a year.

I'm worlds worse for saying, "Yeah, but I might wear that" or I think I wore it.  So for me, this may work as long as I make myself follow through and get rid of it.
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. -
Joseph Campbell

Pen

That's a great idea, Pooh. I think I could actually follow through on this. DDD can even join in (she's a major shopaholic.)

Thanks SL, this site is essential to me! I plan to be around for a lonnnggg time.

Respect ... is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.
-- Annie Gottlieb

Kate

Well I have made a start.

Decision 1 - does it fit? If yes, back into the closet it goes. If not...
Decision 2 - will I honestly wear it if I lose sufficient weight to get into it? If yes, into the blanket box it goes. If not...
Decision 3 - is it suitable for crafting? If yes, into a box for crafts. If not...
Decision 4 - is it suitable for the thrift store? If yes, into a bag for transportation.  If not, into the bin!

After a couple of hours work things have improved already. Will do more tomorrow.


luise.volta

You have me thinking and when I get dressed...I am doing it more consciously. I find I have kept some things thinking they were OK but always pass over them...and I have favorites I am super-comfortable in. I have a top I wear so I can wear a necklace I got and, yup, I sometimes put that on when the gifter is coming by. There's a sweatshirt from when I visited Kirk and Sandy in Hawaii in 2000 that is tattered and torn, there are two outfits in case I ever get dressed up (that haven't been off their hangers in years) and a cute, colorful top that reminds me of happy days that's too small. I had no idea there was a history lesson and psychological profile in my little, six ft. closet. Thrift shop, here I come!
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

Kate

Another hour sorting clothes today, couldn't do more as we have stupid temperatures over the last few days (36 celsius - 97 fahrenheit) and the bedroom has no aircon.  My drawers now close easily,  my closet is no longer bursting at the seams!

Will have to revisit in a couple of weeks as I suspect there is more that needs to go, I cannot express how much better our bedroom feels now.

Next mission is to deal with the compulsive shopping. Thinking I need to think of grandson. He will be a year old in a couple of weeks and loves his swimming lessons.  I think that is a good thing to commit to for the next 12 months.

Pen

Kate, thanks for sharing your progress. Your purging journey has inspired many of us (good job, Luise!) I'm looking around my home office right now at all the piles of papers collected over the past couple of years. They are all outdated and pertain to a job I'm phasing out of. Out they go!
Respect ... is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.
-- Annie Gottlieb

FAFE

Hi, my name is Fafe and I have way too much stuff.  But, we have a family that is moving into our rental house and they have very little in the way of furnishings.  They have been living with family and had to give away/sale a lot of their stuff.  So, we are in the process of getting hardwood floors in our dining room.  I had to get everything out of there except a china cabinet that is way big and the guys will have to work around it.  My daughter and SIL came and picked up a bookcase that I had stuck in there.  One thing down.  I also had a dresser (from one of the bedrooms) in the DR, so I am giving that to the new tenants, as well as a very old but nice china cabinet that I had in the "office" area which we are also redoing.  I have 2 Baker's racks that is going over to the rental house too.  So, yeah me for getting rid of some furniture and helping someone else too.  Now, I need to do something about ALL the closets!

luise.volta

Went looking for my bathing suit this morning to use in Water-walking therapy in our pool. It didn't make the last cut. LOL! Oh, well...good excuse to get a new one!
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

Kate

I have a theory that the origin of the human compulsion to acquire stuff is deep in our genes. If you think of the distant past, all the things we needed to survive were hard to get/make, so we continually had to look for more to replace what we ate, what wore out etc.  The trouble is, like fat and sugar in our diet, 'stuff' is now quite easy to get, so we overdose on it.

Pen

Makes sense to me :)

Luise, you deserve a hot new suit for water walking therapy. Have fun shopping!

Respect ... is appreciation of the separateness of the other person, of the ways in which he or she is unique.
-- Annie Gottlieb

luise.volta

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

Pooh

I love that actually...Lol
We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. -
Joseph Campbell

luise.volta

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. Dalai Lama

FAFE

The new renters are coming in a bit to get the dresser, china cabinet, and baker's rack!  Yeah for getting it out of the sunroom!