Simplifying Life: Possessions.....Am I A Pack-Rat?

photo credit: www.weheartit.com

It's sad to say that I have a bit of a problem. As "Clothes" month is a wrap and I begin Month Three: Possessions, I realize that I should have joined "Pack-Ratters Anonymous" years ago. I blame my mother. And I'm sure she blames her mother. I come from a long line of clutter bugs. We just can't help ourselves. Less is not more. More is more. We have issues.

I am coming to grips with it as I sit here in my kitchen looking around at all my "possessions". Though they don't define me (or so, I think), they certainly are there. Every single counter top in my kitchen is LINED with knickknacks. The entire refrigerator is COVERED in magnets. Every drawer is FULL of junk. Speaking of junk, my husband wants to know how many "junk drawers" is too many junk drawers? Apparently, I have the quota. It's true. I'm a bit of a hoarder. The madness must stop somewhere.

Enter Month Three: Possessions. Give away SEVEN items EVERY DAY. That's 210 items over the entire month! Is this even possible?!  We shall see.

I'm just now wrapping up week one, and I have to say, I haven't "given away" a single item yet. I'm still in the "take inventory" stage of things. I've been cleaning and organizing closets and realizing just how much stuff I truly have. 1600 square feet, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garage, big backyard, four closets, 25 cabinets, four dressers, and a million "bins" FULL of STUFF. Do we really need them all?  Probably not. And for this month, I'm about to go from "pack-rat mode" to "super-dumper mode".  210 items, out the door and into new hands. I'm about to see my stuff move the heck out and unclutter my life. It's going to feel good......if I could only just get started.

The thing that bothers me most as I walk through this house and think to myself, Where did all of this come from?, I remember.......I bought it ALL. With real money. I suppose acting like someone snuck in while I was out at a bible study and filled my shelves and closets full of clothes and toys and things against my will is quite ridiculous. Sometimes that's how I view it, though. Where did it come from? I've got to do something about all this stuff.....as I rush out to the stores to add more to my collection. Well, the truck stops here, folks!.....the moving truck. That's right, I could really use a U-Haul right about now to help with the clutter I'm about to disperse from my life.

This next week, I'm about to work on the Clothing Clutter that seems to be an ongoing issue. I've started the sorting and piling and organizing, but quite frankly the "keep pile" is still way to big. How many black shirts does one mama need?! Half of the inventory has got to go. During last month's clothes fast, I realized that I've always used clothes to define me when my genuine identity was fuzzy. When I didn't know who I was or what I was here for, I dressed like someone who did. I dolled up the container, but I'm learning now that I'm really just a jar of clay. Just a vessel to share love to people and it's never really ever been about what's on the outside. It's what's on the inside that makes me beautiful. Sooooo, with that said, it will be my pleasure to give all these beautiful, well-crafted clothes to someone who needs them. Because I don't need them anymore. My goal for the week is 21.  I want to give 21 clothing items that meant a lot to  me to someone else. Wish me luck saying good-bye. It's always been something I struggle with.

Until next week, you can probably find me knee-deep in a closet somewhere. Have a great weekend friends! And remember, no one likes a "clutter bug"! :)

Continue following my de-clutter process:

Simplifying Life: Possessions 2.0