So I've decided to wait until next month for posts with photos. Why? Next month I get my new, not broken, phone. I'm very excited. (My phone saga this past summer could fill its own blog post). So for now I thought I would share some of my recent inspiration, and how so much of it keeps coming full circle and the same themes keep coming at me. (So I just realized the before photos of my room are actually all on my current broken phone, I will eventually probably do something old school like email them to myself, save them to my computer, and then upload them here, but that isn't happening tonight.)
I guess it really started with the realization that if I moved out, there was a high probability that all of my stuff wouldn't fit in my new place. My family's home is not a mansion, but the rooms are all large, and the closets all have custom adjustable shelving, (because my mom is a genius), but the result is that there is rarely a physical need to get rid of anything. You can almost always find a place to put something. (Case in point: I have 4 book cases, a desk, 3 small tables, a trunk, a futon, and a twin bed in my room alone!)
So something had to be done. I had been diligent to get rid of most of my clothes that were too big for me, so that had started me in the right direction, but I knew I needed more, and then I read this post by the minimalists. I also found this post while looking for the first one. Since I wish now I'd read it at the start of my month, I'm sharing it with you now so that if you decide to play the game next month, you will have a head start. :-D Confession: I didn't follow their rules. I made up my own. My goal was to just get rid of 460 things. I admit, I counted separate greeting cards I finally let myself throw away as separate items, same with the hair pretties drawer my sister and I almost completely emptied together (okay those I guestimated). But I knew myself, I work best with momentum. So I gave myself a month, got a giant piece of paper to keep track, and just did my stuff purges in fits and spurts. Some days I got rid of 100 things. Other days I got rid of 8. I think I did most of my work across about 10 different days? And some things I keep coming back to weed out just a little more, especially my clothes and my jewelry. One more pair of shoes, two more tops, 3 more earrings, etc. It gets easier and harder. As it stands now I have 4 more days, and a basket full of stuff I pulled aside to throw or give away, so after I count, list and remove all those items, I think I will have completed my goal!!! I was going to do the same game in my craft room, but trying to keep track the way I did slowed me down. Seeing the number of items grow was motivationally worth it, but I want to get more efficient so I'm not keeping track in my craft room. I'm just keeping the same principles in mind, the main ones being: will I ever actually use this? does it still make me happy?
When I was just starting the game, I was hugely encouraged to keep going by The Nester who was guest writing at one of my favorite blogs. (That one link will help you find both blogs! Bonus!) The Nester is now one of my favorite bloggers of all time, can't wait to get her book, and, because I'm new to her corner of the web, and because she has been writing for years, I have spent many happy hours there over the last month, just following posts linked to other posts. :-D
And then just two days ago I purchased a Real Simple magazine because its cover promised the "76 GREATEST ORGANIZING TIPS OF ALL TIME" (It was actually in allcaps, I wasn't shouting, promise). Well besides not REALLY having 76 separate ideas, I was also discouraged by the stark reminder of just how easy it is to spend money organizing stuff. I added up all the prices that the article listed for their recommended tips. The total? $534. Ouch. I don't know about you, but in my world, that is a lot of money. And that was with only a handful of the ideas actually including prices. Most didn't. Five hundred and thirty four dollars. Uggh. All to help us manage our "stuff". And don't get me wrong, I love being organized, and not all stuff is bad, but if we have stuff we don't need that is taking time out of our day to do things we actually care about, then maybe it is time to say adios?
And it is SOOOO tempting to add more stuff. I almost went to goodwill on my way home from work today to look for "stuff" to put on my wall. Hunger saved me from myself. I probably will buy some frames and some trim at some point, but first I want to exhaust using all the "stuff" I already have. But I feel like that should be a post for another day. I'm hoping it involves homemade bunting. :-)
If you've read all the way to the end of this, thank you! I hope it wasn't too boring or depressing. It isn't exactly decorating or design, but it IS playing a crucial part in how my decorating philosophy is changing, and so hopefully it still seems relevant. :-)
If you decide to play the stuff game or have recently been motivated to clear out some of your stuff already, let me know how it goes (or went ;-P)! Looking forward to hearing from you! :-D
Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
Chelsea
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