Matt and I have committed to reducing our possessions in three ways: by not buying unnecessary stuff, by asking our family not to buy us unnecessary stuff, and by culling our current possessions. Like most everyone, we (especially me) hold on to too many things that are really trash or could be used better by someone else. We love to collect books, and I have a soft spot for mementos. I'm holding on to closets, drawers, and bins full of clothes that I think I will wear someday. I have thousands of printed photographs, notebooks and papers from high school and college, and every letter or card I've ever received dating back to middle school.
Knowing the move was a possibility, this past spring we brought 10 kitchen-sized garbage bags of clothes to the local goodwill. Now that the move has passed, as we unpack our boxes, we decided to identify 100 things that we could give away, throw away, or sell at a yard sale. Before we left for vacation, we had only made it to 43...
1 of a pair of red lamps, with a broken glass base
1 mildewed yellow bathroom rug
1 box for our first GPS (kept box for current GPS)
1 Yankees brick door stop (decorative mouse long gone to the dogs)
1 disassembled fan with missing bolts (taken apart to be cleaned, but never reassembled)
4 disposable plastic potting pots (have too many ceramic ones)
1 chair with no cushions (cushions necessary) (formerly a dog bed for my dogs)
1 dust-vac with a chewed through cord (blame the dogs)
2 old brooms
1 yard stick
1 glass chip and dip serving tray that belonged to my grandmother and was missing a piece
1 tea set from China
1 purple vase from the florist
1 glass vase from the florist (they should give you a couple bucks back for returning them)
1 cast iron fajita skillet (regift from someone else who didn't use it)
2 candle plates (never used; didn't understand the trend)
1 orange soap or sponge holder
1 chipped oversized black coffee mug
4 Asian-inspired black coffee mugs from JC Penney
2 Asian-inspired sushi platters
1 Minnesota Gophers hoodie
1 lovingly painted but terribly constructed black bench that cost 35 dollars in 2004
1 milk bottle
1 dog themed book mark
1 orange plastic canister (the rest of the set will go whenever we find the box they are in)
1 beloved, well-worn, lime green Shattuck-St. Mary's polo (school colors: maroon and black)
1 paint-splattered team t-shirt from the 1st annual 2009 24 hour walk/run-athon
1 disappointing Diane Ackerman book
3 books, procured from a friend's pile of give away books, never read
1 red polo, too small for a woman with a 36C bra size, purchased from a store designed for teens
1 camisole
1 worn-out green bathing suit (I own 4 others)
43 down, 57 more to go....
1 comment:
I'm so impressed! I'm going to do this! I think when I begin my 21 days of "no credit card," it will go a long way toward not acquiring new things, but I could get into getting rid of 100 things. Unfortunately, a trip to the attic (with not drop down ladder) is in order! Thanks for the inspiration.
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