We got too much stuff!

Here's the deal people: We have too much stuff.

I am not obsessed with fashion, nor am I a shopaholic. (Well, maybe only a 25% shopaholic.)
HOWEVER, my closet and dresser are busting at the seams. If we have all of our laundry clean and put away *which I'm pretty sure has NEVER happened* it simply does not fit.

I heard once that for every new thing you buy, you should get rid of something old that you don't wear. I think that's an AWESOME idea because there are people who need clothes really bad.

Therefore, I'm instituting a "No Apologies" challenge for who can get rid of the most stuff. I took 3 pairs of shoes and a huge bag of clothes to Salvation Army yesterday but I still have much more to go through

I'm sick of being a materialistic American who has a closet full of things that I haven't worn in a long time. I KNOW it's hard to get rid of stuff that you think you just might wear someday. I want to bust that myth right now. If you haven't worn it in a year, you WILL NOT WEAR IT (unless it's an evening gown/tux). Toss it. Unless it's super cute, then sell it to Ritzy Reruns or a resale shop where you can get some moolah out of it! Clean out every drawer. Throw out the ratty, pit-stained, too small, or too big. You will feel SO much better!

Here's the criteria for stuff that needs thrown away, taken from another blog (Seeinggood.com)

20. You use the word “someday” to describe it—as in “someday I may want to practice make-up application using that mannequin head I found in my aunt’s attic.”

19. You forgot you owned it for more than a month, and remembering doesn’t evoke any type of emotional response (beyond generic statements, such as “I like it” or “I need it.”)

18. If you had a yard sale and someone offered $20 for it, you’d hand it over in a heartbeat.

17. If your friend gave it to you as a Christmas gift you’d make a mental note along the lines of “Give Lisa alphabet magnets and socks next year.”

16. If your friends asked you why you have it you’d turn into Deepak Chopra, saying something like, “We are all connected. You, me, that orange hobby horse.”

15. Its broken or, even worse, obsolete (i.e.: your old car phone).

14. If you decided to spend a year traveling you wouldn’t consider bringing it with you.

13. If you had to spend $20 every month maintaining it, you’d decide it isn’t worth it.

12. You’d admit it may be someone else’s trash, but have no justification for it being your treasure.

11. You cannot complete this sentence with an action verb: “I will use this to…”

10. If your child accidentally damaged it, your knee jerk reaction would be “I didn’t really need it anyway.”

9. It hurts to think about it: Your ex-boyfriend gave it to you. Your mother-in-law said you need it, but you disagree. You fit in it before your love affair with curly fries.

8. You got it from someone else and admit you’d never spend money your own money on it.

7. The Salvation Army might say no if you tried to donate it.

6. If you asked your mother’s opinion about keeping it, she might say something like, “Well, what do you think? That’s all that really matters!”

5. It smells like moth balls because it rarely sees the light of day.

4. Learning how to use it would take more time than you will ever devote. (And be honest—do you really think metal casting is your thing?)

3. You’re keeping it out of guilt—it’s still new in the box; it looks like something a smart person would appreciate; it’s a classic 500-page book you should have read freshman year in college.

2. You keep saying it could be valuable one day—but who are you kidding. You never want anyone else to have it!

1. You would never clutch it and say “My precious” in a gesture of playful self-mocking. (Assume you’re the kind of person who goes to medieval fairs and quotes Lord of the Rings.)

If it’s not valuable, meaningful, or important to your life, either trash it give it away. You’re likely only attached to the memory it holds, so why not just take a picture? Make a photo album of the things you loved but didn’t need and then reclaim your space.

Know any other signs? Add them to the list! Or if you have something that doesn’t pass the 20-signs-test but you still want to keep it, let me know. I’m fascinated by the way we attach to things.

June 2 still is considered Spring. So let's get our spring clean on and breathe a little easier!!

Now excuse me while I go try on 10 outfits before I got to work this morning ;o)